How My Family Eats Liver

Holistic nutrition for digestion; specialized in yeast overgrowth.

Tara Carpenter, NC.

Originally published on May 15, 2018.

The above is tiny cut up homemade raw beef “liver pills” that I made. Beef liver has multiple benefits, especially for women. I myself was raised in an oceanside fishing village south of Boston where there were no cows out grazing in green pastures. Yet, my mom kept chickens and fried up liver ‘n bacon and I remember eating that often with buttered toast. Then I became vegan and did away with anything animal for a long time.

In my twenties, I began to source new ways to eat meat because I had become anemic and was looking to become pregnant. Above all I tried (including Floradix), the raw liver pills helped me most to bring my iron levels into balance. I woke energized and stayed that way. Every book I read and researched suggested beef liver as a folk remedy for anemia.

I was raised on traditional foods so I think my brain goes to the kitchen way of healing myself (and my family) yet having my kids is what really inspired me to serve liver in various ways. I wanted to keep their tastebuds alive as they grew! My oldest son, now nearly a teenager is fairly open-minded yet only likes liver pills and liver with bacon and liver pate which is good enough for me 🙂

My youngest on the other hand will eat about anything you put near his mouth …. including liver, fish heads, heart stew, even fried tongue. This is because I fed him this way from the day he was born. He would probably eat a whole liver raw he is that kind of easy to feed.

As a Holistic Nutritionist I talk with many people who are not comfortable eating liver and other organs. I can understand that. I think this is partly due to the fact that less of the younger generations are growing up on liver, so aren’t exposed at an age to accept them as normal. I do my best to keep liver, and other traditional foods alive in order to pass these important foods down to future generations.

Liver pate with cultured butter melted on top.

If you don’t like to cook at all you may be a candidate for purchasing liver capsules to get benefits. If you’re reading this while simultaneously slathering pate on crackers, then skip this post ….

Benefits of Eating Liver

Balance hormones
Boost energy + libido
Excellent source of iron and protein
Nature’s most concentrated sources of vitamin A
Contains all the B vitamins your body needs; including folate

As a woman, if I eat liver my menstrual periods are smoother (come on without big shift in body or mood). I have more color in my cheeks and my iron levels are normal, which is a surprise as I tend to run anemic.

Here are more benefits you can get from eating liver on a regular basis.

Drying beef liver to grind and put in capsules. This is an alternative way to the raw liver capsules that need to be kept frozen, these dried liver capsules can be kept at room temp.

Energize Naturally

Eating liver is definitely energizing. When I go into a slump during the day, and remember to take liver pills, I feel a change come on likely due to liver building up the body’s stores of vitamin K, B12, vitamin A, copper, and folate; vitamins many of us tend to be deficient in.

How To Eat Liver

Liver pills (homemade/store-bought) go down easiest in my opinion with next to no after-taste. My teenager, who no longer eats straight-up liver, will pop liver pills, no problem. My youngest, who is still too young to swallow a pill, eats liver on a plate so I don’t worry about him.

Liver Pills

I love liver pills because they are 100% liver; no fillers. They are flavorless and a simple way to get your daily dose of vitamins. Best of all, they are raw, which means they contain enzymes and nutrients, making them easily absorbed/recognized and delivered in your body. The hardest part about making your own liver pills is getting in your kitchen to make them! I make a large batch at once so I don’t have to make them often, put on a ‘Ted Talk’, sharpen my knife, and get down to business.

Hardest part about liver is getting in the kitchen to cook 🙂

If you, or your child, is weary of eating liver, and you don’t want to make liver pills, then you can buy liver capsules from Radiant Life or Vital Proteins. Ready-made capsules are certainly the more expensive option but if this works best, go for it. You might blend pasture-raised liver with ground beef, minced celery, onion, and spices; then shape into burgers, sausages, even meatloaf. This is a lovely way to camouflage liver and my whole family will eat easily. Put a shiitake mushroom gravy on top!

Frozen raw liver capsules, ready for a jar.

Choose Pasture-Raised

Source pasture-raised liver to avoid risk of parasites and other pathogens. This is very important. Even better, raise the animal yourself or buy from a local farmer you trust (ask them to freeze the liver immediately after slaughtering). DO NOT use conventional supermarket liver.

Liver contains more bio-available nutrients — that are easily absorbed and metabolized by the body — gram for gram than any other food. This is why liver is one of the top nutrient-dense foods you can eat. I like to call my liver capsules, tiny powerhouses!

Thumbs Up: Keeping Kids Cavity-Free

Traditional Milk Kefir

Salmon Head Fish Stock Recipe

Photo credit: Thank you Kimberly Mahurin! (owner of Method of Hope)

References

Empowered Sustenance (2013). The Easiest Way to Eat Liver. Retrieved at https://empoweredsustenance.com/the-easiest-way-to-eat-liver-no-taste-no-fuss/

Healthy Home Economist (2013). Exhausted? This Superfood Can Get You Off the Couch! Retrieved at https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/exhausted-this-superfood-can-get-you-off-the-couch/

Primally Inspired (2013). Frozen Raw Liver Pills. Retrieved at https://www.primallyinspired.com/friday-favorites-frozen-raw-liver-pills/ and Why I Take Liver Pills

Razaitis, L. (2005). Recipes & Lore About Our Most Important Sacred Food. Retrieved at https://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/liver-files