Recently I've talked with a patient that asked me if it is safe to eat liver. She said she heard it is dangerous to eat liver because it stores toxins.
There is a popular misconception that liver stores toxins and can be potentially dangerous to eat.
I agree with what the West A. Price Foundation wrote: "One of the roles of the liver is to neutralize toxins (such as drugs, chemical agents and poisons); but the liver does not store toxins. Poisonous compounds that the body cannot neutralize and eliminate are likely to lodge in the fatty tissues and the nervous system. The liver is not a storage organ for toxins but it is a storage organ for many important nutrients (vitamins A, D, E, K, B12 and folic acid, and minerals such as copper and iron). These nutrients provide the body with some of the tools it needs to get rid of toxins."
Compared gram for gram, liver is the most nutritional food on the planet! It’s packed with essential nutrients, rich in protein and low in calories.
The nutritional profile of liver is exceptional:
It is an excellent source of high-quality and high absortion form of protein;
It is nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A;
It has all the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12;
It is one of the best sources of folic acid;
It is a highly usable form of iron;
It has trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium;
It is rich in CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function.
Liver is an excellent source of both iron and vitamin B12, which work in combination to keep your blood cells in good working condition. In fact, one of the earliest treatments for pernicious anemia was to regularly eat liver, as our ancestors usually did.
If you are pregnant and are concerned of liver intake durant pregnancy, because of the high concentration of vitamin A, it is important to understand that studies claiming that vitamin A cause problems or contribute to birth defects are based on intake of synthetic vitamin A. Natural vitamin A found in liver is an extremely important nutrient for human health and it is even more important in specific cases like pregnancy. Traditional cultures would always include sacred foods like liver when a woman got pregnant. They knew that at this special occasion the future mother needs to get the most nutrients from her diet to have a healthy pregnancy and healthy child.
According to Mary Enig and Sally Fallon: “Vitamin A: This all-important vitamin is a catalyst on which innumerable biochemical processes depend. According to Dr. Price, neither protein, minerals nor water-soluble vitamins can be utilized by the body without vitamin A from animal sources".
I strongly recommend everyone who wants to improve their health to start eating liver regularly. And don't forget that the most important aspect is choosing the right source. It is important to look for shops that sell liver from healthy animals, preferably from animals that spend their lives outside. If this is not possible, another option is liver from certified organic farms.
If you are not used to eating liver, a helpful tip is to marinate the liver in an acidic solution like lemon, vinegar, milk or wine overnight or for at least seven hours. This will help to take away any unpleasant taste.
Many traditional cultures eat raw liver to get the most of the nutrients. You can, but you don't need to. Me and my husband eat liver at least once a week and this is our favourite recipe:
Chicken Liver with Red Wine and Cream
Ingredients:
400g chicken livers sliced in half
2 tablespoon butter
1 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon dry thyme
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions:
Marinate the liver for at least 7 hours in red wine.
Take the liver out and dry it with paper. Save the wine.
Using a skillet over medium/high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of butter, add onion and cook until golden color about 5 minutes.
Add garlic and thyme, cook for 1 minute.
Into the skillet add chicken liver, cook on medium/ high heat for 5-7 minutes or until liver is cooked thru and has light pink color inside.
Pour in the saved wine and cook for 1 minute over high heat. Add 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Stir and bring it to a gently boil.
Turn off the heat and garnish with chopped parsley. Enjoy it with rice or mashed potato!
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