Why Liver Is a Nutrient-Dense Superfood
Not many foods are worthy of the title “superfood.” However, liver is one of them.
Once a popular and treasured food source, liver has fallen out of favor.
This is unfortunate because liver is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s rich in protein, low in calories and packed with essential vitamins and minerals.
This article takes a detailed look at liver and why you should include it in your diet.
What Is Liver?
The liver is a vital organ in humans and animals. It is typically the largest internal organ and has many important functions, including:
Processing digested food from the gut
Storing glucose, iron, vitamins and other essential nutrients
Filtering and clearing drugs and toxins from the blood
Liver, along with other organ meats, used to be a very popular food. However, muscle meats now tend to be favored over organ meats.
Regardless of its declining popularity, liver is possibly one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet.
People often look to fruits and vegetables for vitamins and minerals, but liver far surpasses them all in terms of nutrient content.
A small amount of liver provides well over 100% of the RDI for many essential nutrients. It is also rich in high-quality protein and low in calories (1).
Liver is cheap and readily available from grocery stores and butchers. While most animal livers can be eaten, common sources are cow, chicken, duck, lamb and pig.
SUMMARY:
Liver is possibly the most nutrient-dense food in the world. It’s packed with essential nutrients, rich in protein and low in calories.
Liver Is a Great Source of Several Nutrients
The nutritional profile of liver is exceptional.
Here are the nutrients found in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of beef liver (1):
Vitamin B12: 3,460% of the RDI. Vitamin B12 helps the formation of red blood cells and DNA. It is also involved in healthy brain function (2).
Vitamin A: 860–1,100% of the RDI. Vitamin A is important for normal vision, immune function and reproduction. It also helps organs like the heart and kidneys function properly (3).
Riboflavin (B2): 210–260% of the RDI. Riboflavin is important for cellular development and function. It also helps turn food into energy (4).
Folate (B9): 65% of the RDI. Folate is an essential nutrient that plays a role in cell growth and the formation of DNA (5).
Iron: 80% of the RDI, or 35% for women of menstruating age. 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 (6, 7Trusted Source).
Copper: 1,620% of the RDI. Copper acts like a key to activate a number of enzymes, which then help regulate energy production, iron metabolism and brain function (8).
Choline: Liver provides all of the Adequate Intake (AI) for women and nearly all of it for men (AI is used because there is insufficient evidence to set an RDI). Choline is important for brain development and liver function (9Trusted Source, 10).
SUMMARY:
Liver provides more than the RDI for vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin and copper. It is also rich in the essential nutrients folate, iron and choline.
Liver Provides High-Quality Protein
Protein is vital to life and found in nearly every part of the body. It’s required to make and repair cells and turn food into energy.
Over one-quarter of beef liver is made up of protein. Moreover, it’s very high-quality protein, as it provides all of the essential amino acids.
Amino acids are the building blocks that make up proteins. Some amino acids can be made in the body, but those known as essential amino acids must come from food.
A high protein intake has been shown to help with weight loss, as it reduces hunger and appetite. Additionally, protein has been found to satisfy hunger better than fat or carbs (11Trusted Source).
Furthermore, a high protein intake can boost your metabolic rate, or the number of calories your body uses to function (12Trusted Source).
Having a higher metabolic rate means you use more calories, which can be useful for weight loss, particularly if combined with a reduced calorie intake.
Lastly, a high protein intake can help build muscle and protect against muscle loss while losing weight (13Trusted Source, 14, 15Trusted Source).
SUMMARY:
Liver is a great source of high-quality protein. A high protein intake has been shown to increase metabolic rate, reduce appetite, help build muscle and preserve muscle during weight loss.
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Liver Has Fewer Calories Than Many Other Meats
Per calorie, liver is one of the most nutrient-dense foods there is.
In fact, more commonly eaten muscle meats are nutritionally poor in comparison.
