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Interest in beef liver has had somewhat of a renaissance in recent years, with prominent online personalities, such as Liver King and Paul Saladino, evangelising it for its nutrient density.
The benefits of Beef liver, especially grass-fed beef liver, are numerous due to it containing a plethora of macronutrients such as complete proteins and healthy fats, like omega fatty acids, particularly omega-3 and omega-6.
On a micronutrient level, liver really comes into its own. It is packed with concentrations of vitamins and minerals on a level that is difficult for other superfoods to compete with.
In fact, when the nutritional profile of beef liver is stacked up against other highly touted ‘superfoods’, it blows them away in most instances with its concentrations of micronutrients!
More people are becoming aware of beef liver’s incredibly nutritious nature, is great news in a world where artificial ingredients and processed foods become an ever-ubiquitous part of daily life.
Although more people are becoming aware of the health benefits of beef liver, it is still a relatively niche segment of health enthusiasts jumping aboard.
The hurdle most people have is the taste and its delicate consistency, which is easily overcooked… In this article, we’ll look at some recipes to make it easier to swallow (literally!).
People often report beef liver benefits of increased energy levels, improved metabolism, greater protection against colds and flus as well as improved concentration and mood.
We hope this blog will encourage you to give liver a go, so you can experience the benefits for yourself. Eating nutrient rich foods such as liver, is a core tenant towards optimal health.
Beef liver is not just another superfood. Many would convincingly argue it is the most nutrient dense food on the planet. Gram for gram, its nutritional profile easily outperforms other superfoods. Even small servings often provide a significant portion of your daily recommended intake for micronutrients.
It is renowned for being loaded with bioavailable nutrients, such as:
Not too shabby!
Very well, indeed is the short answer. While, when you think of superfoods, most people will mentally conjure up images of spinach, kale, avocados, blueberries or nuts, one that rarely springs to mind is liver.
As demonstrated in the below table, beef liver typically outperforms other ‘superfoods’ in a head-to-head for vital vitamins and minerals. The data is from Eat this much.
In the below table green is representative of the highest nutritional value, with the orange showing the second highest. As can be seen, the nutritional profile of beef liver often packs more of a punch than more highly regarded superfoods.
Note: Daily Values for men and women presented as M & W.
| Micronutrients / DV’s | Raw Beef Liver (100g) | Raw Kale (100g) | Almonds (100g) | Blueberries (100g) |
| Vitamin A – M: 700µg / W: 600µg | 4,968μg | 500μg | 0μg | 3μg |
| Vitamin B1 – M: 1mg / W: 0.8mg | 0.2mg | 0.1mg | 0.2mg | 0mg |
| Vitamin B2 – M: 1.3mg / W: 1.1mg | 2.8mg | 0.1mg | 1.1mg | 0mg |
| Vitamin B3 – M: 16.5mg / W: 13.2mg | 13.2mg | 1mg | 3.6mg | 0.4mg |
| Vitamin B5 – 5mg | 7.2 mg | 0.1mg | 0.5mg | 0.1mg |
| Vitamin B6 – M: 1.4mg / W: 1.2mg | 1.1mg | 0.3mg | 0.1mg | 0.1mg |
| Vitamin B9 (Folate) – 200μg | 290μg | 141μg | 44μg | 6μg |
| Vitamin B12 – 2.4μg | 59.3μg | 0μg | 0μg | 0μg |
| Vitamin C – 40mg | 1.3mg | 120mg | 0mg | 9.7mg |
| Vitamin D – 10μg | 1.2μg | 0μg | 0μg | 0μg |
| Vitamin E – M: 4mg / W: 3mg | 0.4mg | 1.5mg | 25.6mg | 0.6mg |
| Vitamin K – 1μg per kg of body weight | 3.1μg | 704.8μg | 0μg | 19.3μg |
| Choline – 550mg | 333.3mg | 0.8mg | 52.1mg | 6mg |
| Copper – 1.2mg | 9.8mg | 1.5mg | 1mg | 0.1 mg |
| Iron – M: 8.7mg / W: 14.8mg or 50+: 8.7mg | 4.9mg | 1.5mg | 3.7mg | 0.3mg |
| Magnesium – M: 300mg / W: 270mg | 18mg | 47mg | 270mg | 6mg |
| Phosphorous – 550mg | 387mg | 92mg | 481mg | 12mg |
| Selenium – M: 75μg / W: 60μg | 39.7μg | 0.9μg | 4.1μg | 0.1μg |
| Zinc – M: 9.5mg / W: 7mg | 4mg | 0.6mg | 3.1mg | 0.2mg |
If you’d like to read more of the incredible benefits of how incorporating beef organs into one’s diet, you can read more in: Not So Offal? Organ’s v ‘Superfoods’ & the Top 10 (Research Backed) Benefits.
Not only is liver potently nutritious, which should make it integral to a nose-to-tail diet, but it’s also highly bioavailable, meaning your body can easily absorb and utilise its nutrients. This is particularly important for vitamin A, and minerals like iron and zinc, all of which are more difficult to absorb from plant-based sources.
The form of vitamin A found in liver, preformed vitamin A (retinol), is directly usable by the body, unlike the beta-carotene found in plant foods, which must be converted into retinol, with the conversion process inefficient.
One of the most well-known benefits of Beef liver is its impact on increasing energy levels and reducing fatigue. The nutrients responsible for this are the B-complex vitamins, with B12 playing a leading role as well as iron.
B-complex vitamins play essential roles in the breaking down of the foods we eat and converting the macronutrients into usable fuel via energy metabolism.
This produces ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which fuels our cells, which provides us with our energy. B12 is essential to this process, but B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B7 also contribute.
Beef liver is also high in iron, which is a major component of haemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Adequate oxygen flow is essential for energy production and increases endurance.
Methylation is a critical biochemical process that occurs in every cell and organ, influencing everything from DNA repair to the metabolism of vitamins.
Beef liver supports methylation due to its high levels of B vitamins, including B6, B9 (folate), and B12. These nutrients act as cofactors in the methylation cycle, helping to regulate gene expression and detoxification.
These nutrients help convert homocysteine to methionine, a process essential for synthesising DNA and neurotransmitters, promoting cell health, and reducing inflammation.
Adequate intake of these vitamins, abundant in liver, is essential for maintaining methylation processes and, by extension, supporting overall health.
Beef liver can also positively impact metabolism through its comprehensive nutrient profile. The presence of B vitamins, particularly B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), and B5 (pantothenic acid), are crucial in converting food into usable energy, thus boosting metabolic rate.
Furthermore, the selenium found in beef liver contributes to the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, which regulates metabolic rate and energy production.
The vitamin A contained with beef liver is integral to maintaining the structural and functional integrity of mucosal cells within the body. These mucosal cells block the entry of harmful pathogens to prevent illness.
Vitamin A also stimulates the production and function of white blood cells. These white blood cells job is to find pathogens, and attack and destroy them to counter infections.
Copper is essential for the development and function of immune cells, including neutrophils and lymphocytes, which are both types of white blood cells, as well as antibodies which also act to destroy pathogens.
Copper also has antioxidant properties that protect immune cells from oxidative stress, preserving their integrity and functionality. These anti-inflammatory effects help regulate the body’s immune response, preventing excessive inflammation that can harm tissue.
Zinc is necessary for the development and function of immune cells, including neutrophils and natural killer cells. It also acts as an antioxidant, protecting immune cells from oxidative damage.
Selenium in beef liver contributes to antioxidant defences and immune responses by supporting the activity of glutathione peroxidases, enzymes that protect cells from oxidative stress.
Essential nutrients important for cognitive performance and supporting mood include choline and B-complex vitamins, which beef liver contains in abundance.
Choline is integral to brain health and cognitive functions, and it serves as a building block for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter pivotal for focus, memory and mood regulation.
Adequate intake of choline is associated with improved memory and attention, and as such, ensuring adequate consumption can support focus and cognitive performance.
B-complex vitamins, including B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 and B9 (folate) B12 are also vital for supporting and maintaining optimal brain function and emotional health.
This is due to their role in energy production, DNA synthesis, and the repair of brain cells.
DNA synthesis is crucial for brain function because it supports the repair and regeneration of neural cells, ensuring the brain can maintain and form new connections. This process is essential for learning, memory, and overall cognitive health.
Energy production provides the brain with the necessary ATP to fuel its activities, including thinking, processing information, and maintaining the health of nerve cells.
Adequate energy levels are vital for concentration, responsiveness, and neuroplasticity, the brain’s ability to adapt and change. This is due to the brain being an energy demanding organ.
Vitamin B12 is also essential for the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine, neurotransmitters that significantly influence mood.
A deficiency in these vitamins can lead to fatigue, mood swings, and cognitive impairments. Thus, ensuring their adequate levels, can help ensure a balanced mood and sharp cognitive abilities.
Beef liver (not carrots!) with its concentrations of vitamin A, and zinc can support vision and stave off age related macular degeneration (AMD).
Vitamin A, in particular, supports the maintenance of night vision and plays a significant role in reducing the risk of AMD, a leading cause of blindness among the elderly.
It also prevents dry eye conditions, further underscoring its importance for maintaining healthy vision as we age.
Zinc assists in transporting Vitamin A from the liver to the retina, which is the process essential for the production of melanin, a protective pigment for the eyes.
Vitamin A is essential for skin regeneration and repair. It promotes skin health by supporting cell turnover, reducing acne, and providing moisture to the skin to give the appearance of a fuller, and glowing complexion.
Beef liver is an exceptional source of nutrients vital for maintaining lustrous skin, hair and nails. Nutrients promoting their health include vitamin A (retinol), B-complex vitamins, zinc, and iron.
It also contributes to strong, healthy and hydrated hair by regulating sebum production in the scalp, which moisturises it to keep it strong and prevent breakage.
The B-complex vitamins, particularly B7 (biotin), are crucial for hair and nail growth and maintaining healthy skin. B7 contributes to the production of keratin, a protein that makes up hair and nails, which provides their strength, resilience and supports growth.
Zinc contributes to maintaining the health of your skin, hair, and nails, due to it being used for building keratin, collagen formation and cell division. Collagen as the most abundant protein found in the body (~30% of the total), is fundamental for providing skin with its structure, elasticity and hydration reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
For skin, zinc acts as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, helping to fight free radicals and reduce inflammation, which can lead to acne and other skin issues.
It also supports the healing process, making it crucial for repairing skin damage and promoting healthy cell regeneration.
When it comes to hair, zinc is key in supporting the oil glands around the hair follicles, ensuring they function properly. This not only helps in maintaining scalp health but also prevents hair loss by strengthening hair roots and promoting hair growth.
For nails, zinc’s contribution to cell growth and repair is equally important. It helps in maintaining strong and healthy nails, preventing brittleness and breakage by supporting the structure of proteins and cell membranes.
As touched upon in the introduction, liver’s taste is acquired to say the least… However, if you’re one of the many whose stomach turns at the thought of wolfing down whole liver, fear not, there are alternatives!
Liver on its own has an overpowering flavour, but mixing it with other ingredients to offset it is one of the best ways to ensure your nutritional bases are covered, while not compromising on taste to supercharge your nose-to-tail diet.
To read more on the creative ways to incorporate this superfood heavyweight into your diet, we’ve written a blog with recipes: 5 Delicious Grass Fed Liver Recipes – Your Ultimate Guide to Beef Liver.
To whet the appetite, we’ve included 5 carnivore, to carnivore-ish recipes:
To conclude, beef liver may not be the most appealing food, and is not the easiest to cook, but if you’re looking to eat clean, and healthy, few ingredients will have more of an impact than grass-fed beef liver. Even amongst other nutritious beef organs, beef liver stands above the competition in most departments.
The good news is, as it is such a potent source of nutrition, even a small serving is enough to provide the benefits of beef liver, covering many of your key nutrients recommended for your daily intake.
And, although the flavour is strong, and damn right appalling for some, It can be incorporated with other ingredients to not only take away the bad taste, but to actually make it taste good with a bit of effort.
Hopefully this has piqued your interest in trying, or rediscovering beef liver. We recommend purchasing your beef liver from a local butcher where you can ask about how it is sourced. It ideally should be sourced from grass-fed cows, free from the use of hormones and antibiotics.
This is the best way to ensure you are getting all the goodness and health benefits of beef liver, without any nasties that can still be present in meat.
If you want to bypass the taste, texture and chore of cooking it yourself, the alternative is to purchase Grass-fed Beef Liver Capsules from a reputable brand.
This is the easiest way to get all the goodness, without the fuss and faff to benefit from enviable nutritional profile of beef liver.
When considering what brand to purchase from, you should consider the following points:
If you’d like to experience what Grass-fed Beef Liver Supplements can do for you, we have £5 off with code: CARNIVOR£5 for first time customers. With a overall rating of 4.9 starts, we’re confident you’ll love our supplements!
If you’d like to read more, the below link will take you onto our other blogs.
The Carnivore Diet Benefits: Your Double Sexy Guide to Thrive (on Meat)
Not so Offal? Organ’s v ‘Superfoods’ & The Top 10 (Research-backed) Benefits
Collagen Peptides: The Tiny Proteins Making Massive Waves & 8 Science-Backed Benefits
Cows & Carbon Emissions: Can Livestock Farming be Sustainable? (a Review of the Arguments)
5 Delicious Grass Fed Liver Recipes – Your Ultimate Guide to Beef Liver
The Top 8 Ancestral Hacks: Increase Productivity, Energy & Well-being
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