7 Reasons Why Beef Liver Is The Ultimate Superfood
By Yaseen Sadan
4 years ago
Forget kale, wheatgrass, or quinoa. No food is in the same league as beef liver when it comes to how good it is for you because it contains many essential nutrients that most people lack due to their highly processed food diet.
The reason most people steer away from eating beef liver is that they think it tastes disgusting. But if you follow a few pointers, you’ll start to look forward to the next time you’ll eat beef liver.
I will admit, sometimes, especially in my early days of eating a carnivore diet, beef liver tastes horrible. But I quickly learned what mistakes I was making when preparing it, and when I corrected them, the beef liver was something I looked forward to.
Firstly, buy grass-fed beef liver. Grass-fed beef liver and grain-fed beef liver are two completely different foods. What an animal ate plays a big role in how it tastes. In general, grass-fed meat tastes better than grain-fed meats. I’m not against grain-fed meat; it’s a great way of getting started on a carnivore diet, but if your beef liver isn’t appetizing, consider buying grass-fed instead.
Next, marinate your grass-fed beef liver in cream and your favorite spices. Let it sit in your refrigerator overnight so it can soak. Strain your beef liver, and cook it in butter. Add some salt and pepper, and you’re good to go.
Preparing your beef liver this way will give it more time to marinate, and cooking it in butter amplifies the flavor.
Now that we know how to make beef liver that tastes amazing, let’s cover 7 reasons why you must eat beef liver.
The nutritional value of beef liver is out of this world. It doesn’t only contain truckloads of nutrients, but it has them in the most bioavailable form. This allows your body to quickly absorb and use these nutrients.
It is the best protein source; the desiccated and defatted bovine liver is said to be a high protein and low-calorie food source for humans.
Some other nutrients that beef liver contains include;
It also contains each nutrient at super-high levels. Eating 100 grams of beef liver can provide 3460% of your RDA for vitamin B12, 1000% of your RDA for vitamin A, 250% of your RDA for riboflavin, and 80% of your RDA for iron.
100 grams of beef liver contains between 25 to 30 grams of high-quality protein. It also contains all 9 essential amino acids needed for optimal muscle growth.
This is great news for us carnivores looking to build muscle. Also, studies show that increasing the amount of protein in your diet can help burn fat while preserving muscle mass.
Another study revealed that consumption of beef liver in older adults improved their muscle mass and nutritional status.
I’m willing to bet that most people who’re struggling with acne just have a vitamin A deficiency. Vitamin A plays an important role in healing your skin and preventing breakouts.
For several years I’ve struggled with cystic acne. I tried every cream and wash under the sun, and nothing worked. One day I found out about the high vitamin A content in beef liver and decided to give it a try. Literally, overnight I could see my skin improve. Fast forward a few months, and my skin is crystal clear.
Studies also find a direct correlation between cystic acne and vitamin A levels in the body Meaning the less vitamin A you eat, the higher your risk for cystic acne. Vitamin A is a group of fat-soluble retinoids that includes; retinol and retinyl esters. Most of the vitamin A is stored in the liver in the form of retinyl ester in animals; hence beef liver is a reservoir of vitamin A.
This is great news for people struggling with cystic acne. Simply eat a portion of beef liver twice a week and see if there are any improvements. If there is, it means your body was running low on vitamin A, which made it difficult to heal your skin.
Beef liver is an excellent source of vitamin K, which is found to help absorb calcium more effectively.
Osteoporosis is caused by inadequate calcium intake. But our bodies actually need vitamin K to absorb and use calcium properly. Beef liver contains plenty of vitamin K, which helps prevent osteoporosis. Also, beef liver includes vitamin K2, which is the most bioavailable form of vitamin K. Meaning it’s easier for your body to use it compared to vitamin K1 found in plants. Another benefit of vitamin K2 is that it can unclog your arteries.
When calcium builds up in your arteries due to a lifetime of poor eating choices, it reduces blood flow to your heart, leading to a heart attack. Vitamin K2 takes the calcium out of your arteries so you can use it in other areas like strengthening your bones and teeth.
Anemia affects 1.62 billion people worldwide, making it by far the most common nutrient deficiency. And by simply eating 100 grams of beef liver, you get 80% of your RDA for iron. It’s not hard to see how the beef liver can fix or prevent anemia.
Common symptoms of anemia include;
If you experience any of these symptoms, you could be deficient in iron. Simply start eating a portion of beef liver twice a week and see if these symptoms go away.
Most people don’t buy beef liver. I’ll even go as far as saying most people hate it. But this is good news because if you know how to prepare it properly, and you should by now, it’ll taste delicious.
Butchers and grocery stores know that most people hate beef liver, so they desperately try to get it off the shelves before the expiration date by selling it for cheap. I can go to my local butcher and buy a kilo (2.2 pounds) of high-quality grass-fed beef liver for only five bucks.
This can be used to prepare ten meals which last over a month.
You’re spending five dollars in exchange for the most nutritious food ever, and it lasts for over a month. What more can you ask for?
Beef liver is high in antioxidants A, C, and E. These antioxidants protect your cells against oxidized stress caused by inflammation, smoking, processed foods, and pollution.
When a cell is damaged by one or a combination of the above factors, it has the potential to turn into a cancer cell. But preventing these cells from oxidizing in the first place can prevent cellular damage, and therefore cancer.
I see this mistake made all the time. People find out how nutrient-dense and delicious beef liver is, so they start eating it every day. More nutrients equals better health right? Wrong! Overeating beef liver can lead to hypervitaminosis A or commonly known as vitamin A toxicity.
Symptoms of vitamin A toxicity include;
So don’t get carried away with the nutrients in the beef liver as too much of a good thing is bad. I suggest eating one portion of beef liver twice a week and no more.
Beef liver is a cheap superfood that everyone can benefit from. It increases nutrient density, clears up your skin, and helps prevent cancer. But don’t overeat, as it can lead to vitamin A toxicity.
Yaseen Sadan is a personal trainer turned professional copywriter and founder of Sell Using Words. He helps small businesses increase their leads and sales by writing SEO-friendly blogs, sales emails, landing pages, and lead magnets. Feel free to visit his website, add him on LinkedIn and check him out on Facebook.