In Serengeti National Park, the lion reigns supreme among all in the land. With its terrifying roar that can be heard almost 5 miles away, speed of up to 50 miles per hour, and well-muscled body, the lion is a domineering carnivore and primarily feasts on wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, and African buffalo.
When a lion attacks its prey, it tends to first eat the internal organs, also known as viscera, such as liver, heart, and kidney, while muscle meat comes secondary. In the book, The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations by German-American George B. Schaller, a world-renowned field biologist and author, Schaller mentions:
“In fact, the intestines of wildebeest, zebra, and others are usually eaten before the skeleton muscles. Often a lion gorges itself on viscera alone, an interesting preference when the low caloric value of intestines is considered.”
On the same page from The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations, Schaller goes on to say the following:
“Possibly lions eat the viscera to satisfy their nutritional requirements for fat and also vitamins.”
Lions aren’t the only carnivores in their habitat that consume organs before muscle meat when feeding on their prey. Thousands of miles away from the Serengeti in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Isle Royale National Park, wolves can be found feeding on moose, eating the organs first, then muscle meat.
Like lions and wolves, humans have also prized organ meat for thousands of years. For 10 years in the early 20th century, Canadian dentist Dr. Weston A. Price lived among indigenous people throughout the world who had not been exposed to processed foods such as white flour and sugar, or Western diets generally, and subsisted only on whole foods. Dr. Price found that these indigenous communities largely were devoid of modern ailments such as cancer, heart disease, tooth decay, asthma, tuberculosis, or arthritis.
Recounted from his timeless book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration published in 1939, Dr. Price lived with a small community in the isolated valley of Lötschental in the Swiss Alps, the Masai tribe in East Africa, Aborigines in Australia, Polynesians in the South Pacific; and many other groups across the globe. One of his key findings that consistently showed up was the consumption and sacredness of organ meats, in particular liver.
Why liver?
Liver is high in protein. A three-ounce serving of cooked beef liver has 23 grams.
However, liver is more than just protein. In his book The Carnivore Code, Dr. Paul Saladino says, “Liver is particularly rich in many minerals and B vitamins [also known as B-complex] that complement those found in muscle meat.”
In fact, liver is the most nutrient dense food on the planet. While the Weston A. Price Foundation recommends consuming just four ounces once or twice a week, a 3.5-ounce size of beef liver has the following micronutrient profile for the recommended daily intake (RDI) per Healthline’s solid article Why Liver is a Nutrient-Dense Superfood:
Vitamin A (Retinol): 860-1,100% RDI, important for vision, growth, cell division, reproduction, and immunity. It is estimated that 30% of children are deficient globally, a particularly common phenomenon in lower income communities.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 210-260% RDI, vital for skin, hair, eyes, and a healthy liver.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 87%[1] RDI, helps convert the food consumed into energy, and keeps the nervous system, digestive system, and skin healthy.
Vitamin B9 (Folate): 65% RDI, important for red blood cell formulation, as well as cell growth and function. Pregnant women are advised to take the daily recommended amount or more.
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin): 3,460% RDI, helps form red blood cells and DNA, as well as the development of brain and nerve cells.
Iron: 80% RDI, necessary for growth and development, and to make red blood cells to transport oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. The National Institute of Health (NIH) in the United States recommends that pregnant women consume over three times the amount of iron as adult men aged 19 – 50 and 1.5 times as much as adult women aged 19 – 50.
Copper: 1,620% RDI, helps make energy, connective tissue, and participates in iron metabolism to make red blood cells.
Choline: provides all of the adequate intake for women and nearly all for men; it’s an essential nutrient for many vital bodily functions, including brain and nervous system functioning.
Taken from The Carnivore Code, the image below shows how liver is also a good source of vitamin K2, lesser talked about but discovered by Dr. Price and named by him as Activator X. Vitamin K2 was found to be a key missing nutrient in our diet for dental hygiene according to Dr. Price, while it has also been found to be important for heart and bone health. It is present in animal-based and fermented foods such as liver, cheese[2], egg yolks, chicken, eel, butter, sauerkraut, and natto.
While liver is packed with micronutrients, particularly vitamin A, this article must provide a word of caution: consuming too much liver could lead to Vitamin A toxicity known as hypervitaminosis A. Though this is a rare condition, it is important to remember the upper limits of liver consumption which are 3,000 mcg (10,000 IU) or about two ounces of liver per day for adults 19 years and older, as recommend by the NIH. Recommended values published in 2002 and 2007 medical journal articles range from about 3 to 8 ounces per week. While Dr. Saladino recommends in his book that it’s likely safe to consume between as high as 8 and 16 ounces of liver per week, lately he has mentioned that he eats a few ounces per week.
Okay, all of these vitamins and nutrients in liver sound great, but the vitamins in my kale and spinach smoothies have nutrients too… so, why liver?
Nutrients found in liver differ from the same nutrients found in plants, and some are not found in plants at all. Vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods and commonly supplemented by vegans and vegetarians, since a deficiency could cause anemia.
Nutrients found in plants do not have the same bioavailability as animal-based nutrients, the topic for a future article. For example, vitamin A Retinol also known as preformed vitamin A is commonly misrepresented in plants where it is actually beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A which has to still be converted into vitamin A after consumption. Green leafy vegetables are noted for their high vitamin A content, but this “vitamin A” is actually beta-carotene. One study found that spinach and kale’s beta-carotene content is only 5-10% bioavailable. Additionally, iron, known as heme iron in animal foods such as liver, is not the same as the less bioavailable non-heme iron found in plants. In fact, the NIH in the United States recommends that vegetarians eat almost twice as much iron, since the body does not absorb non-heme iron as well as heme iron.
Dr. Eric Berg, a prominent health educator near Washington, D.C., espousing information on his YouTube channel, Dr. Eric Berg DC, and specializing in the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting for weight loss, noted in a recent video a list of telltale symptoms for various nutrient deficiencies. Liver is rich in nutrients that could possibly cure some of the symptoms below which were identified in his video:
Foggy vision or hard time seeing at night: Vitamin A deficiency.
Cracked heels, cracked skin on hands, or chapped lips: Vitamin B2 and vitamin B3 deficiency.
Craving ice (most prevalent in kids and pregnant women): Iron deficiency, Dr. Berg specifically recommends a grass-fed liver extract (freeze-dried liver).
Craving dirt (most prevalent in kids and women menstruating): Iron deficiency.
Although liver is not commonly consumed, particularly in the United States, liver may help people more easily meet their daily nutrient needs. On a recent podcast from health and wellness guru Michael Matthews in which he was interviewing functional medicine leader, Chris Kresser, Chris likened eating liver to an insurance policy covering any nutrient holes. For example, meeting vitamin A requirements through vegetables from beta-carotene for some may be sufficient, but for others, it may not. Everyone’s body is different. Kresser even recommends just one to two ounces of liver per week for those that may be concerned about meeting their daily nutrient requirements. That alone may keep the doctor away.
From the Serengeti savanna to Michigan forests, liver is an essential food for the strongest animals to consume, providing adequate, bioavailable vitamins and nutrients to keep lions, wolves, and all carnivores in between properly fueled and sustained. As many human communities have long known from their animal counterparts, we too can find benefits from consuming small amounts of liver.
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[1] The RDI of 87% is referenced from this Healthline link.
[2] Vitamin K2 content varies among cheeses and aging, with the highest being Munster, Camembert, Gouda, and Cheddar.
Hugely helpful thank you. https://theketopro.com/pages/about-us UK champion body builder Richard Smith is a big advocate of beef liver. Richard, like me, is an ambassador for PHCuk.org (PublicHealthCollaboration.org), which alongside the IFA (International Food Addiction leaders, educationalists, nutritionists and therapists) is changing societal health via diet globally. Thanks again, Alan (co-founderLiveWildLiveFree.org)
Extremely informative 👏🏻! I've never seen someone lay out the benefits of liver not to mention all the micronutrients that is dense with. Forget the pills, I'm all about taking things in as organically as possible. You won me over here!