Liver is natures most nutritionally dense super foods on the planet!
Here is a table to show the nutritional content comparing liver to other whole foods. (source)
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In some traditional cultures, only the organ meats were consumed. The lean muscle meats, which are what we mostly eat in the U.S. today, were discarded or perhaps given to the dogs.
A popular objection to eating liver is the belief that the liver is a storage organ for toxins in the body. While it is true that one of the liver’s role is to neutralize toxins (such as drugs, chemical agents and poisons), it does not store these toxins. Toxins the body cannot eliminate are likely to accumulate in the body’s fatty tissues and nervous systems. On the other hand, the liver is a 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.
Remember that it is essential to eat meat and organ meats from animals that have been raised on fresh pasture without hormones, antibiotics or commercial feed. Pasture-raised animal products are much higher in nutrients than animal products that come from commercial feedlots. For example, meat from pasture-raised animals has 2-4 times more omega-3 fatty acids than meat from commercially-raised animals. And pasture-raised eggs have been shown to contain up to 19 times more omega-3 fatty acids than supermarket eggs! In addition to these nutritional advantages, pasture-raised animal products benefit farmers, local communities and the environment. – Read more from Chris Kresser
I buy organic grass-fed liver. Usually lamb liver because it has the least “livery” flavor, next chicken liver and the most livery taste I would say is beef.
I recommend grass fed local liver sources, simply call your local farms and ask questions. These are two great sources if you cannot find liver locally. Here and here.
- Liver may come frozen, if so, thaw it out.
- Then cut into chunks and place into my processor.
- Then place pureed liver into ice cube trays with foil over top and freeze until I need a cube for food or a smoothie. Some of my clients use those pill/supplement containers since they already have a lid.
- Sneak cube of liver into any meat while preparing (hamburger patties, meatballs, etc..) or cooking (ground turkey or beef) or stick ½-1 cube into the blender with your smoothie. No one will ever know!
I highly recommend this book if you want to know more about 
traditional, nutrient dense foods and cooking methods.
If eating liver is not quite your thing, no worries, here are high quality grassfed liver capsules instead. I recommend a couple of them per week, you can even open them up and sprinkle on food.
This post is featured on the following Blog Carnivals:
My Humble Kitchen, Real Food for Less Money and Food Renegade.
Dear Melissa,
Not sure if you’ll be able to answer but I just want to check with you what I’ve been doing with my beef liver. I make liver fillets and freeze them for couple of weeks then put them in milk and grill them on high heat using a frying tray for 2 – 3 minutes each side just to kill any parasites and leave the inside pinkish. Am I overdoing it thus killing it’s nutritious value – Thanks!
Assuming that it is a good clean source of liver, I do recommend that it’s frozen first, in general, that sounds okay.
Could I cook the liver then freeze it? I’m nervous about it being raw. Thank you, so informative!
It should be frozen first. I would cook what you’ll use.
Hi! Sorry if I sound a bit dumb but is it safe to eat raw liver in a smoothie? I was planning on making for my toddler.
Thanks
Not a dumb question at all. Yes it is safe, I would make sure it was frozen first though. If that still makes you uncomfortable, I would get the caps or powder, links are found in the article.
I saw your post about how to nourish a baby during its first year and saw liver on the list. Can liver be given cooked too?
Hi Gabby
Straight from the WAPF website: “Pureed Meats (6 months +)
Cook meat gently in filtered water or homemade stock until completely tender, or use meat from stews, etc., that you have made for your family. Make sure the cooked meat is cold and is in no bigger than 1-2 inch chunks when you puree. Grind up the meat first until it’s almost like a clumpy powder. Then add water, formula or breast milk, or the natural cooking juices as the liquid.” Here is the rest of the article.
Your post on Liver is almost a year old…but, I just came across it today while reading your post on “start here to change your life”. I have noticed there are companies out there…one example is Dr. Ron’s Ultra Pure, that has freeze-dried liver capsules….How do you feel about them? And how many mgs would you recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Camille
Thank you for the question. I personally take these and recommend them to my clients, so I can speak to the quality. I recommend a couple of capsules per week, you can even open them and sprinkle on food. Let me know if you have further questions.
Camille, I did want to mention my source for fresh liver if I cannot get any locally. They also have lots of other grassfed meats, butter, eggs, etc… My source here.
Hi! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading
through this post reminds me of my previous room mate!
He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this
article to him. Pretty sure he will have a
good read. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Melissa. This is great info! I recently purchased beef liver for my baby and made the mistake of trying it plain…yuck!
You are welcome! Yes, sometimes it is good to be sneaky with the organ meats. That way it is a win-win.