prepare liver

[pelham32]

Hi everybody,

I'm not raw paleo, although it would be cool. I currently want to buy some raw organic beef liver to eat raw. I'm interested in its nutrition to use for my athletic and bodybuilding goals. What would be a good way to prepare or cut it to eat it in like 5 seconds in the morning after my workout. Before I have to show up for work. 

anythoughts or ideas much appreciated

[goodsamaritan]

Cut it in cubes with scissors.
I use chopsticks or you can use your fingers.

[raw-al]

Cut it in cubes with scissors.
I use chopsticks or you can use your fingers.

GS,
I wonder about flavouring something like liver etc. I know the organs are a good idea but they turn my stomach at this point. Maybe if they were fresh and still warm they'd be OK but what do you suggest regarding flavouring?

[miles]

hey pelham if you're going to be eating at home you could just use your hands and teeth/mouth. Of course it's different if you're not..

raw-al, just buy those organs in really tiny quantities, so you don't have to worry about wasting a load. Try it completely fresh the day you buy it, try it slowly, look at it/examine it and smell it, taste a tiny amount and get comfortable with it... Try some more etc... Also... you said you hardly eat any meat. Imagine an animal which would have the same amount of muscle as what you eat, then imagine the size of the other organs that animal would have. There is also that the balance of nutrition is spread across different parts of the animal, so if you're having an organ which is high in some nutrients but not others, if you haven't had the other parts(organs/glands etc..) that may be another reason for you not enjoying it.

[raw-al]

raw-al, just buy those organs in really tiny quantities, so you don't have to worry about wasting a load. Try it completely fresh the day you buy it, try it slowly, look at it/examine it and smell it, taste a tiny amount and get comfortable with it... Try some more etc... Also... you said you hardly eat any meat. Imagine an animal which would have the same amount of muscle as what you eat, then imagine the size of the other organs that animal would have. There is also that the balance of nutrition is spread across different parts of the animal, so if you're having an organ which is high in some nutrients but not others, if you haven't had the other parts(organs/glands etc..) that may be another reason for you not enjoying it.

Interesting logic. We bought some liver but only ate a small amount, but I see what you are saying that it be better to eat it proportionally.

BTW I eat less generally since I started this diet which I see as a good thing because it means I am satisfied with less. I do not feel deprived and am not eating less intentionally. I suspect that less eating is better because digestion like all processes requires energy.

[pelham32]

hey pelham if you're going to be eating at home you could just use your hands and teeth/mouth. Of course it's different if you're not..

raw-al, just buy those organs in really tiny quantities, so you don't have to worry about wasting a load. Try it completely fresh the day you buy it, try it slowly, look at it/examine it and smell it, taste a tiny amount and get comfortable with it... Try some more etc... Also... you said you hardly eat any meat. Imagine an animal which would have the same amount of muscle as what you eat, then imagine the size of the other organs that animal would have. There is also that the balance of nutrition is spread across different parts of the animal, so if you're having an organ which is high in some nutrients but not others, if you haven't had the other parts(organs/glands etc..) that may be another reason for you not enjoying it.

ahh thanks man,  But what do you mean buying in small quantities like have the butcher cut it like that, The only way i can get it would be frozen though I like your mindset on eating it. Like a wild ritual of eating. But no i won't be home really in a dorm on base cause i'm in the air force. So I guess i'll have it frozen, defrost it the night before, wake up lift come back eat a few slivers with raw eggs and head to work. i'm interested in the iron and vitamin A plus the really digestible protein liver has to offer.

[Michael]

Alan,
I've never particularly enjoyed the taste of liver either.  I've been eating this way for many years now including eating vast quantities of raw muscle meat.  I remember the early days when I used to force myself to eat an entire bowl of chopped raw liver and I was literally gagging!  I then progressed to blended liver drinks as the only way I could consistently eat it.  This consisted of blended tomatoes, liver, eggs, celtic sea salt, spices.  I no longer practice this either.

I include a little liver and heart in my diet each week now.  They are both from lamb.  I find lamb organs far more palatable than beef.  I now age them in my fridge by hanging them and slice them very thinly to eat in small quantities along with muscle meats.  Eaten this way, I need to add nothing but a little black pepper.  I consider them a delicacy like aged cheese now.  Actually, they taste quite similar!

[Susan]

Liver is a very nutritious food. If you can eat only small amounts of it your body don't need more of this concentrated stuff. Never mix it with other food to overcome disgust otherwise you overload your system with substances you don't need.

If you want you can cut the liver in small peaces and dry it. I do this when I need to travel or when I have a meal with cooking friends. A peace of dryed liver istn't as disgusting for some people as fresh one and it is easy to eat outside the home.

[Brother]

Hi everybody,

I'm not raw paleo, although it would be cool. I currently want to buy some raw organic beef liver to eat raw. I'm interested in its nutrition to use for my athletic and bodybuilding goals. What would be a good way to prepare or cut it to eat it in like 5 seconds in the morning after my workout. Before I have to show up for work. 

anythoughts or ideas much appreciated

I cut it into bite sizes and gulp it. If i eat enough of it (beyond 100-150g) at a time, I feel drunk for 15-20 minutes. In the beginning I reasoned that it was probably because I was completely washed out regarding minerals and vitamins from crap food. As it continued I have come to accept that this stuff is powerful stuff and should not be abused, so I rarely go beyond 100g a day and only for a week or so before i go another 3-4 without touching it.

[Haai]

I ate like 2.5 kilos of liver in a week. The stuff tastes like chocolate to me!

[goodsamaritan]

I ate like 2.5 kilos of liver in a week. The stuff tastes like chocolate to me!

Any side effects when you eat that much liver?

[Susan]

I ate like 2.5 kilos of liver in a week. The stuff tastes like chocolate to me!

Every week, the whole year long? 

It can be that I need about 1 kilo a week but not every week. When I  need liver it tastes for me like chocolate too. Like a sweet chocolate-cream. Today was such a day, I ate about 150g liver, a heart of a lamb and about 100g of breastmeat.

[donrad]

I buy a bunch of grass fed liver and grind it in a meat grinder. I add spices (onion, garlic, chile, salt etc.) and put the mix in 2 portion baggies, then freeze. I just warm the liver up to body temp and it tastes great. I eat quite a bit at a time and it makes me feel good.

I once butchered a fresh killed rabbit. The muscle meat was almost impossible to eat but the warm liver was wonderful. Indians would chase down a deer and go immediately for the liver. I was a good source of vitamin C.

[Haai]

Any side effects when you eat that much liver?

Nah didn't notice anything.

[Haai]

Every week, the whole year long? 

No not every week. Every second order of meat I get a liver, the other order I get a heart. An order of meat lasts me about 2 weeks. So i eat the liver in a week then have none for about 3 weeks.

[Michael]

No not every week. Every second order of meat I get a liver, the other order I get a heart. An order of meat lasts me about 2 weeks. So i eat the liver in a week then have none for about 3 weeks.

Sounds sensible Haai and provides a good emulation of the manner in which it was probably eaten in paleo times.

[Haai]

Sounds sensible Haai and provides a good emulation of the manner in which it was probably eaten in paleo times.

Yeah I assume eating it every week in such large quantities would cause an overdose of something; vitamin A perhaps?
Although they say that the liver is one of the first things to be eaten when predators make a kill, don't they? If this is the case then wouldn't the dominant individual of the group, eg the dominant male of a lion pride or a wolf pack (which tends to eat first) eat the liver every time? And of course there are solitary predators like leopards and cheetahs. If they make a kill say two or three times per week then thats 2 or 3 good sized livers per week that they are eating.

[miles]

I think most carnivore liver has toxic levels of Vit.A so I guess that means they eat a lot of liver themselves.

[donrad]

WARNING: Do NOT eat liver from factory raised animals (all grocery store chicken, pork & beef). The animals are crowded into toxic living environments. The liver filters and concentrates these toxins. Grass fed/finished or wild animal liver is fine. More than fine, its a super-food.

A few generations back before corporations took control of our food supply, conventional wisdom said eat liver every week. Now scientists are warning the general public to be more moderate or abstinent.

All primitive human societies would share the most nutritious organs from a kill, with the choicest going to women of childbearing age. They knew from eons of experience. Survival of the fittest clan.

[Michael]

Yeah I assume eating it every week in such large quantities would cause an overdose of something; vitamin A perhaps?

Yes, Vit A and copper toxicity would be the main ones to watch out for.

I think most carnivore liver has toxic levels of Vit.A so I guess that means they eat a lot of liver themselves.

That's an interesting line of thought miles.  I suppose, with limited Vit A production from consumption of Beta Carotene containing vegetation and limited other sources of Vitamin A, there could be some validity to your proposals.

[Hannibal]

Yes, Vit A and copper toxicity would be the main ones to watch out for.

I don't think that we should worry about the copper toxicity.
Liver contains also quite a lot of zinc, which competes with copper for absorption in the digestive tract. So there should be a balance.
IMO only copper supplements could be dangereous.