We know liver is a nutrient powerhouse. In our private FB group and on Instagram stories, I asked the question – who eats fresh liver?
The response was 50% saying Yeah it’s great, & the other 50% saying Yuck, no way.
I was in the ‘yuck no way’ camp, but I keep coming around to liver trying to incorporate it into my life somehow, because liver is a nutrient powerhouse and I know I need these nutrients!
It’s recommended to have about 100g (3.5oz) a week which is half a cup.
Here’s what you get….
Vitamin B12: 2,917% of the RDA.
– helps the formation of red blood cells and DNA. It is also involved in healthy brain function.
Vitamin A: 860–1,100% of the RDA.
– important for normal vision, immune function & reproduction. It also helps organs like the heart and kidneys function properly. Plays a crucial role in skin health & anti-aging by promoting collagen production, accelerating cell turnover, and protecting against free radical damage.
Riboflavin (B2): 260% of the RDA.
– important for cellular development and function. It also helps turn food into energy.
Folate (B9): 65% of the RDA.
– essential nutrient that plays a role in cell growth and the formation of DNA.
Iron: 80% of the RDA.
Iron is another essential nutrient that helps carry oxygen around the body. The iron in liver is heme iron, the kind most easily absorbed by the body. (Ray cautions against too much liver, but drinking coffee at the same time can block a percentage of iron absorption if necessary.)
Copper: 1,620% of the RDA.
– key to activate a number of enzymes, which then help regulate energy production, iron metabolism, brain function & collagen synthesis.
Choline— 90% RDA.
– reduce cholesterol, control mood swings, and protect the liver from damage due to alcohol. They also may lower blood pressure, boost memory, and improve metabolic rate.
Zinc: 48% RDA.
– important for including immune system support, wound healing, and cell growth. It also contributes to healthy skin, proper taste and smell, and healthy hormone levels.
Selenium: 40% RDA
– antioxidant & anti-inflammatory properties. Plays a crucial role in thyroid function, immune response, & reproductive health. Contributes to cardiovascular health & protects against cognitive decline. Helps protect against UV damage, reduces the risk of certain skin cancers, contributes to a more youthful appearance by supporting collagen production & reducing wrinkles.
Wow! So liver is a nutrient powerhouse in many ways.
With the iron and Vitamin A though, you may actually be in danger of getting a little too much if you over do it. Another lesson – just because it is good for you, no need to go crazy – the dose is important too.
Cooking experiments
If I had the choice, I would rather just buy a good quality beef. lamb or chicken liver pate & be done with it. However there are only chicken liver options where I am, with way too many additives to be healthy.
I was wondering too, if we are not eating the rest of the chicken apart from chicken breast because of the poly unsaturated fats in it, should we be keeping away from chicken liver too for this reason?
Luckily the answer is no.
100g chicken liver contains only 6g of fat—2.5g saturated, 2.5g polyunsaturated, 1g monounsaturated. The poly unsaturated fat content is way below the 4g per day Ray Peat recommended as allowable. Realistically you are not going to eat half a cup of pate in one day – and nor should you, despite the fact that liver is a nutrient powerhouse.
Beef Liver
While beef liver has the best nutrient profile, it’s not as easy to find, unless you have access to a specialised butcher. Also I have heard people say that it has the strongest smell and harshest taste that you would expect of a mature animal. So that puts me off already.
Past disasters
Once about two years ago, I bought some chicken livers with the intent of chopping it up and hiding it in beef Bolognese sauce. I was chopping away grimacing the whole time.
For some reason it was really difficult to cut with a thick membrane through each one. It was also really messy with blood everywhere. When I had finished, it looked like a crime scene. The smell wasn’t great and I was almost traumatised! (Just a bit too much for an ex vegetarian.)
The taste in the Bolognese sauce was tolerable but the whole experience put me off. Until recently.
Lamb Liver
I was thinking of all the nutrients I was missing out on and I had an idea. What about lamb liver? Its nutrient profile is super close to beef liver & I wondered if it was available in my local supermarket.
A bit of research and yes it was.
Here in Australia it’s called Lamb’s Fry and is 100% lamb liver. (In other countries sometimes Lamb’s Fry refers to a number of other organs as well as liver like kidneys, heart etc.)
Determined this time to love it, I bought some. A pleasant surprise is that it’s so cheap—AU$3.50 for 500g!
Easily available and low cost—totally winning so far.
Also if you are worried about the source of it, have a look at what Ray had to say…
Ray Peat said:
“liver has detoxifying enzymes, so it doesn’t have to be grass fed, it’s always naturally detoxified (about 96% free of the chemicals in muscle meats.)”
Awesome!
Next it took a bit of self motivation to make myself cut it up – remembering the last experience. Also I wanted to try two things with it:
- hide it in the Bolognese sauce again and
- try to make pate for the first time, with the other half.
So it wasn’t too overwhelming all at once, I decided to use half and make the Bolognese sauce first and put the rest away for another day.
I gingerly opened the packet not sure what to expect, bracing myself for the potential ick and smell factor. I was surprised to find that there was little blood, smell not too bad and it seemed to be flatter and easier to cut into small pieces.
Cutting up half of it was fine, cooked it with the beef part of the Bolognese sauce. It didn’t smell in cooking and I couldn’t taste it at all in the final product. So this was a win & I would be likely to have it this way again.
Pate Experiment
The following day was the next experiment. Attempting to make pate.
I checked a few recipes first and knew I needed to add masking flavours in various ways but I and Ray Peat are not a fan of onions. I find that they cause a lingering odour on the breath, same with garlic. Another recipe called for at least 4 tablespoons of butter, which seemed over the top too. Anyway, I created my own which I will detail below.
Cutting up the rest of the liver wasn’t as easy as the first time, as the thick membrane was in this half and was running all through it, which you have to cut around. You end up wasting about 100g of the 500g. This careful cutting is more annoying than anything else, just requiring you to handle the icky, squishy blob more than you’d like.
However, this part was bearable.
Next up, frying up the liver by itself. This was more smelly than the Bolognese. A second unpleasant step, which I tried to get through as quickly as possible, so I didn’t stink up the house.
Leave it to cool a little then the 3rd step is the food processor to grind it all up. Still more smell for the time you are doing this. Then portioning out into little containers for the freezer for later.
Then 4th step is the big clean up of the food processor.
Ugh! Totally over it by now.
Here’s the thing, the end result was quite tasty. I have it on some sour dough bread with marmalade on top.
But there are 2 issues:
1/ the process is far too long and unpleasant most of the way – even though lamb liver is far more mild than beef
2/ when I eat pate, it forces me to eat it on bread, where as I normally don’t have bread in my diet at all.
After this experiment, my way forward is clear. I will only cook it in the Bolognese sauce and have it that way – no starch required and way more pleasant to cook.
If liver is still a no go for you.
Despite the fact that liver is a nutrient powerhouse, if you are eating eggs, dairy, butter and other types of meat, you are covered for all of these nutrients. Excessive Vitamin A and Iron is not recommended anyway, as this causes other issues. The only one not covered is copper but this is in oysters and dark chocolate. (Which is why the shellfish part is so important too.)
So not having liver is no big deal, as long as the rest of your diet is well rounded.
This is why it’s important to follow your own instincts and body, and not blindly follow other’s recommendations. If you hate liver, it may be your body’s way of avoiding excess vitamin A or iron.
Tune in to your body and learn. Your health depends on it.
Kristy x
PS: if you are keen to give pate a go despite my experience, here’s the recipe that actually tasted good in the end: