Liver

[Coatue]

Is liver the most important organ to eat? In other words...does it have every nutrient that any organ would have?

[TylerDurden]

It is one of the more nutrient-dense organs. That said, I overindulged in raw liver for some months, ages ago, and I subsequently found that raw liver ended up going through my body largely unabsorbed. To this day, if I eat more than moderate amounts of raw liver at a time, my body seems to get rid of it like before.

[CitrusHigh]

I noticed with my dog that if she has not eaten liver for a while she will eat loads of it, but once she's done pigging out, then she will reject it for a while, or only accept a bite or two. There is such thing as too much of even a true superfood like this, and when you consider that too much of a polar bear's liver can supposedly kill you it's not surprising.

I've never really eaten it in large enough quantities to feel at the upper limits, but I see a definite improvement in the way I feel when consuming even supplementary amounts of it. Even cooked it's got plenty of energy to give. Everyone should eat liver, that is my opinion for sure.

I have wondered though too if maybe kidney wasn't just as special as liver, or pancreas. I don't have as ready of access to these as I do liver so more experimentation necessary! yum yum!

[Josh]

I feel good when I have liver, but I feel it's important to remember that it has not just nutrients but animal starch.

So trying to be objective I would think is it the nutrients or is it because I've had sugars and starch in a nice digestible form.

I tentatively think that having something like this after exercise to replace that small bit of glycogen in fast twitch fibres helps.

[Neone]

I eat a lot of liver since nobody wants it and its cheap.  I'll have about 5+lbs a week for a few weeks, then they won't send an animal in so i'll have a week off, then be eating it again.

You pretty much know when you're done eating liver.  Its great when you first start eating it, but when you put a piece in your mouth and you just kinda 'blah' it off your tongue, not interested anymore... you've had enough liver.. haha.

I eat it pretty regularly and have not turned yellow yet. But my wife is sensitive to carbs and is on the fence about eating large amounts of liver in one sitting.

[riy freeman]

"remember that it has not just nutrients but animal starch."


uhhh.... animals have glycogen not starch

[Löwenherz]

Is liver the most important organ to eat? In other words...does it have every nutrient that any organ would have?

I would say that liver is the most valuable organ (and for me: the most tasty).

But I have heard that some nutrients are low, even in liver. For example: Q10, very high in heart only, if I remember correctly.

Löwenherz

[raw]

My four yrs old boy consumes  raw liver almost everyday. Very little i give him. I just bit worried about the copper content of liver.

I see the big different to consume liver myself. Usually I get fresh liver on glass jar. I collect the blood from the liver to feed my son.

[Josh]

"remember that it has not just nutrients but animal starch."


uhhh.... animals have glycogen not starch

OK but glycogen is called starch sometimes as it's similar.

[donrad]

Starch (plant based) is a long chain of simple sugars that breaks down very quickly in the digestive tract. Plants manufacture starches for stored energy. Animals break them down for metabolism. The plant seeds break them down (enzyme action) also when germinating.

I think the word carbohydrate refers to both starch and sugars.

[klowcarb]

I would say yes. Liver is a fantastic source of Vitamin A, copper and folate. It is the one organ that I eat just because of its nutritional value and not because I like the taste. I looooove heart, tongue and gizzards (except from lamb--hate the taste of lamb).

But liver is so nutrient dense that I take 1 oz. 2 to 3 times a week and it is easy to swallow with coconut oil and grassfed butter!

[larrymagee]

Hey again - I click on "show unread posts" and I seem to be following you around.  Do you freeze the liver?  The smallest amount I can buy is 1 lb.  I dried it off and put in on paper plates covered with wax paper in the fridge.  I don't know how long it will take for me to eat a whole pound.

How do you eat the tongue?  Do you peel it?  Isn't it pretty tough?  I've had it before but always cooked.

I'm still a little squeamish about raw chicken so I don't know about gizzards.  Maybe in the future.

[klowcarb]

Hey again - I click on "show unread posts" and I seem to be following you around.  Do you freeze the liver?  The smallest amount I can buy is 1 lb.  I dried it off and put in on paper plates covered with wax paper in the fridge.  I don't know how long it will take for me to eat a whole pound.

How do you eat the tongue?  Do you peel it?  Isn't it pretty tough?  I've had it before but always cooked.

I'm still a little squeamish about raw chicken so I don't know about gizzards.  Maybe in the future.

Hey, Larry. No, I do not freeze the liver. I just cut off a 1 oz. portion, then cut it into bite size pieces (you recall I weigh all my food) and just pan sear until it starts to brown but is still raw/rare. I then put it in the bowl with my other meat/eggs/organs and add butter or coconut oil. I swallow the pieces while adding the CO or butter. Then I enjoy the rest of my meal!

I get beef and pork tongue at the Korean market. The beef tongue was already peeled and sliced, but not the pork tongue. Either way is fine for me. It is chewy and delicious. I am not a good gauge for "tough" because I LIKE tough meat--I see many see tough as a negative.

I don't eat raw but rare but Tyler lets me stay . I eat all my meat super rare that it is near raw. The gizzards I do the sameas the liver and tonue. Just pan sear to warm.

[rawcarni]

Hey Larry,
I know you asked kate but maybe some more answers: I love liver: No problem eating one to two pounds of raw fresh pork liver in one sitting. Raw tngue I a´lso do eat: I peel of the tough parts and cut it into pieces-especially the fattier parts are very soft. The leaner parts become very tender when you leave it just at room temp for couple of days.
Cheers
Nicole

[raw-al]

I eat liver whenever it is available but in small portions mixed with other meats. The flavour starts to get to me after a certain amount.

My theory is that your body has an innate intelligence that does not need the imposition of the mind. In other words your body sends the message through the taste buds that it tastes like S#@t so you don't need it.

Problem with discussions about all of the nutrient value in a food is that there is no way of knowing if there is something else in the food that is a bad idea to ingest.

Case in point. Onions and garlic are supposedly send by the gods to help people become healthy. For some people they are a Godsend, but for me they make me very sick. Eating iron nails will bring up your blood iron but I am not sure that I would.

There is such a thing as toxic levels of just about everything.

[Löwenherz]

But liver is so nutrient dense that I take 1 oz. 2 to 3 times a week and it is easy to swallow with coconut oil and grassfed butter!

1 oz.? I can easily eat one pount of beef liver in one meal. Maybe I should eat liver more often...

Löwenherz

[Brother]

Liver is boss! But if i eat too much of it I get intoxicated and feel drunk. Which I like. so I eat a lot of it whenever i have access to some good stuff. I dont always, since liver is considered trash here.

[rawcarni]

[quote author=Löwenherz link=topic=5061.msg69493#msg69493 date=1304018443
 I can easily eat one pount of beef liver in one meal. Maybe I should eat liver more often...

Löwenherz

[/quote]
Haha that's me too . I almost always eat a pound in one meal. Sometimes its funny: suddenly the taste changes to unpleasant and I can't eat another single bite of it..

[klowcarb]

1 oz.? I can easily eat one pount of beef liver in one meal. Maybe I should eat liver more often...

Löwenherz

Yep, 1 oz. of calf liver (the most nutrient dense) has tons of Vitamin A, copper, etc. I already do fantastically well micro-nutrient wise, except for anything having to do with carbohydrate metabolism, which is useless to me (i.e. vitamin C), so a little liver a few times a week is all I need.

[Löwenherz]

Haha that's me too . I almost always eat a pound in one meal. Sometimes its funny: suddenly the taste changes to unpleasant and I can't eat another single bite of it..

Yes, I know this change in taste and it sounds very instincto, doesn't it?

(whereas I have never noticed a change in taste of bananas, for example, can eat as many as I want, no stop, and I always feel like crap after eating bananas)

Löwenherz