Liver "the filter"? Good to eat?

[B.Money]

So I have been eating beef liver for awhile now, and I enjoy it, but I do have my moments of wondering if its really that great in my case.

My case being, I am not 100% sure my cows I get are completely organic, but they are 100% grass fed. I really like my beef supplier because he gives me a good price, is friendly, and always asks if I "want anything extra" and throws things in for me at times.

I am just not sure if he gives any kind of hormones or antibiotics, I believe he has mentioned he does not give any--but I still wonder being that I think he has some kind of job in pet pharmaceuticals.


ANYWAY, is this still beneficial to eat even given the chance the cows are given "something" that the liver would have to detoxify. Would the liver itself have any of these toxins in any amount to worry about?



While I am on this subject--in ounces what is the upper limit of liver consumption per day? I have a lot of it. lol

[goodsamaritan]

I eat liver because I get to choose the livers in the wet market.
I have to see that the liver is healthy.
Only then do I buy and choose to eat it for myself and my family.

I know liver is healthy because it is the highest in B12 along with live clams.
I alternate between the 2 items.
Helped get my wife out of B12 deficiency.

I don't estimate the amount I eat, it's on instinct.

Probably once a week around 4 tablespoons.

I eat more oysters and some clams.

[TylerDurden]

It is FAR more important that the animal is 100 percent grassfed than that it is organic. Many small-time farmers practice organic standards but cannot afford to convert to official organic status given the huge costs involved re inspections etc. By contrast, organic grainfed meat is still unhealthy.

[ys]

Would the liver itself have any of these toxins in any amount to worry about?

i read somewhere that liver does not store toxins, it simply eliminates them.

[goodsamaritan]

i read somewhere that liver does not store toxins, it simply eliminates them.

In sick animals the liver stores toxins.
fatty liver, liver stones, liver gunk...

[B.Money]

Thanks for the info guys--the cows all look very happy/healthy and the liver is every bit as good as the previous organic&grass fed liver I used to get at wholefoods, some pieces have a slightly more grass taste.

Hope I am not overdoing the liver, I have been eating roughly 2oz a day

[the PresiDenT]

Hope I am not overdoing the liver, I have been eating roughly 2oz a day

I have been eating grassfed liver from chicken/beef/lamb everyday for 2some weeks now as an experiment and have noticed nothing bad, only good.

[Seb V-G]

So, how do you know if the liver "looks" healthy? I have access to "wild" boar liver, but the thing is I'm not sure what makes a boar healthy since they would eat anything back in the day...

Other than that, would 2 pounds of liver per week (actually in 2 days) be too much? I eat it all during the weekend since it might be troubling to eat it during the week. I tend to lean into the "if some is good, more is better" mindset... which I should fix...

[goodsamaritan]

With beef liver in the wet market there may be 4 or 5 livers to choose from.
These beef livers are enormous and sold by weight.
Because of their size you can instinctively judge by sight which livers are healthy.
The good beef livers are red, bright red, smooth inside, tastes awesome good and a little sweet.
I make sure and ask to taste a bit.

The bad livers look old, beaten up, brown, icky, spent, diseased, muddy, don't buy these!

Photo of a healthy human liver:

[KD]

I eat a bunch of liver in phases and I had remembered reading this

No more than 2 pounds on any one day, depending on your size.  Also, probably no more than 8 pounds a week, again, depending on your size.  Those are pretty absolute upper limits.  95% of humans would be overdosing at half those levels, if they did it for more than a week or two in a row.

I'll eat 1lb maybe at a shot a few days or so. I've never eaten it so methodically so I can't comment to that but i'm sure you could test out <4 lbs per week for a few weeks without serious damage. you'd probably have some kind of indicating warning symptoms/ probably poor crapola.

[yuli]

I do a similar thing, I'll eat a large portion (enough to be a meal in itself) when I have it and then not eat it a few days to a week....
The liver I get is organic young calf's liver and its actually not grass or grainfed, its milk fed.....the liver is dark and clean looking, always delicious.
Anyone else try milk-fed calf's liver and did you like it?

[raw]

I do a similar thing, I'll eat a large portion (enough to be a meal in itself) when I have it and then not eat it a few days to a week....
The liver I get is organic young calf's liver and its actually not grass or grainfed, its milk fed.....the liver is dark and clean looking, always delicious.
Anyone else try milk-fed calf's liver and did you like it?

i try many times the young calf's liver (milk fed) and i like it. i think that it 's very nutritious than cow liver. calf liver usually is extremely bright red.

[goodsamaritan]

i try many times the young calf's liver (milk fed) and i like it. i think that it 's very nutritious than cow liver. calf liver usually is extremely bright red.

You are lucky.
Where and how do you get young calf's liver?

[miles]

Was the mother grass-fed?

[Dwight]

I've started eating raw beef liver. It is Halal, was frozen when I got it (No other choice). I have cubbed it and placed it in a glass jar in my fridge.
To me, it tastes somewhat similar to cooked pig liver. Pretty good.

I eat by instinct. Going to try raw beef lungs soon. A smoker's repair!

[yon yonson]

Going to try raw beef lungs soon. A smoker's repair!

please tell us how that works out for you. i haven't encountered anyone who has eaten raw lung before, but am interested to try it. thanks

[rawcarni]

please tell us how that works out for you. i haven't encountered anyone who has eaten raw lung before, but am interested to try it. thanks

I do eat raw lungs: from both beef and lamb. Tasted nices, but I grind it as it is kind of a hassle to chew it (it has a texture similar to chicken skin)
Nicole

[Tic71]

Hi guys,
this is my first post on this site. It's about lung, I got some pig's lung today and I have tried a little bit. It is in consistency similar to marshmallows and very easy to chew (no kidding) and is almost tasteless. Otherwise I have, so far, incorporated liver, kidney and heart (all from the butcher) into my diet, not to mention the pork belly and beef mince (which I freeze for the week). Raw eggs are a must for me too, I love 'em, especially the duck eggs and quail (which are not easy to come by)

I read about swine flu and the rest of the scaremongering sheit that is going round, but I do not believe in that so I enjoy my pigs lung from now on too 

Unfortunately the tongue itself is such a hard one to chew that I deem it impossible, so I grilled it and it's nice !!!

So this is it for my first post and maybe some-one will get in touch with me for a wee chat about things..

Take all of you and tara for now.

A German in Scotland

 

[TylerDurden]

please tell us how that works out for you. i haven't encountered anyone who has eaten raw lung before, but am interested to try it. thanks

I've had raw lung(from grassfed organic cattle). Not a plesant experience as it is so bland it's tasteless. Plus, I felt I had to chew each mouthful for several minutes before I could get it down. I gave up on it years ago, despite it being given to me for free at the time.

[SteakNchop]

Hi guys,
this is my first post on this site. It's about lung, I got some pig's lung today and I have tried a little bit. It is in consistency similar to marshmallows and very easy to chew (no kidding) and is almost tasteless. Otherwise I have, so far, incorporated liver, kidney and heart (all from the butcher) into my diet, not to mention the pork belly and beef mince (which I freeze for the week). Raw eggs are a must for me too, I love 'em, especially the duck eggs and quail (which are not easy to come by)

I read about swine flu and the rest of the scaremongering sheit that is going round, but I do not believe in that so I enjoy my pigs lung from now on too 

Unfortunately the tongue itself is such a hard one to chew that I deem it impossible, so I grilled it and it's nice !!!

So this is it for my first post and maybe some-one will get in touch with me for a wee chat about things..

Take all of you and tara for now.

A German in Scotland

 

Welcome! Why don't you create an introduction thread?

[RawZi]

It's about lung, I got some pig's lung today and I have tried a little bit. It is in consistency similar to marshmallows and very easy to chew (no kidding) and is almost tasteless. Otherwise I have, so far, incorporated liver, kidney and heart (all from the butcher) into my diet, not to mention the pork belly and ...

I read about swine flu and the rest of the scaremongering sheit that is going round, but I do not believe in that so I enjoy my pigs lung from now on too  

Unfortunately the tongue itself is such a hard one to chew that I deem it impossible, so I grilled it and it's nice !!!

    I love learning about foods I haven't tried, as is this one.  How do you find fresh pig liver tastes? Thank you.  Welcome!

[rawcarni]

   How do you find fresh pig liver tastes?

I find raw pig liver tastes a bit sweet, very creamy though. I asbolutely love the taste
Nicole

[B.Money]

So, avoiding making a new topic I'll mention it here...

Every time I eat liver, I notice it softens my stools and is possibly poorly digested, like my poop smells like the liver. I feel like maybe it doesn't agree with me? Even in small portions like 2oz. Anyone know anything about this?

Also, Merry Christmas everyone!

[miles]

I've experienced that but I don't know anything about it, maybe it just has too much of specific nutrients. Rate of absorption of nutrients in the gut decreases the more abundant they are in your system.

Try eating raw beetroot. It's really nice, but it'll do something similar(at least to me it did), which could be quite alarming if you didn't remember you ate a beetroot.