The liver is a wondrous organ that has an incredible function in the body. Not only that but this organ is an absolute powerhouse of nutrition. There is a reason why it has been labelled as “nature’s ultimate multi-vitamin.”
There is a solid theory based on scientific foundational principles that "Like Supports Like." Meaning, if I consume liver, my liver will benefit and improve. If I consume my heart, my heart will benefit and improve. This article is not about diving into that theory, but it has been recorded many times in history in specific cultures and ancient ones, that this was their path to helping, healing and supporting their tribes to better health.
For this article, I will dive into the benefits of consuming liver and give a brief description of its function, so that you can make the choice of whether you’d like to start consuming the best most nutritious food mother nature has to offer.
As a quick side note, I'm not talking about eating human liver (unless you'd like to lol). I'm talking about consuming grass-fed beef or grass-fed bison liver, as those are the best most nutritious options.
The Function & Design of Liver
The liver is designed to filter out what we consume so it can remove toxins from the body’s blood supply. Think of the liver as a building’s caretaker. The caretaker of a building has the role to make sure everything inside of it is clean, and tidy so that the building can operate efficiently at the capacity it offers.
In our bodies, all the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The liver then filters the blood (think cleaning up), thus removing toxins and waste that eventually will leave the body through our exit points – urine and feces.
By way of the liver’s design and function, it plays a critical role in maintaining healthy blood sugar levels, insulin sensitivity, regulates blood clotting and performs hundreds of other vital functions. Such as supporting the creation and regulation of hormones, helping in protein synthesis, and maintaining amino acid levels, along with fat and glucose levels in the blood. It aids in the production of cholesterol (a good thing) and produces something called bile. Bile helps with the digestion of food by breaking down fats into fatty acids, which then can be brought into the body via the digestion tract (the gut).
Ultimately, the liver is designed to oversee what we consume, clean things up, use what it can and throws away what is useless to us.
Being the largest solid organ in the body, you can start to see why this is such an important organ. As with all organs, you want them to be in optimal health – functioning properly and at their highest capacity. The liver is an organ you should focus on healing and properly maintaining as it will help all other aspects of the body.
Now onto the benefits of consuming liver…
Benefits of Liver
The liver is the highest form of nutrient-dense food that we can get our hands on. There are a couple of ways that one can consume liver daily. I personally eat liver raw, sometimes with a pinch of salt and a small amount of maple syrup or honey to sweeten things up. The other option is taking desiccated liver in a capsule. Basically, the liver is grounded into a fine powder and capped for easier taking. Regardless of your choice, it’s ideal to be consuming it daily.
I will say that eating liver raw or cooked is an acquired taste and it can be hard for people to get over that. However, when you start looking at food for function rather than flavour, it’s not that hard to get over that livery taste.
Some big attributes that the liver offers
The liver contains heme iron, which is the preferred form and more easily digestible and bio-available form of iron. Iron from plants barely gets absorbed in the body, for the most part, the same goes for iron supplements. Heme iron is an essential nutrient for humans. Iron deficiency can be a link to low Vitamin D levels, and the liver is rich in Vitamin D. Albeit, the sun is where you should be getting the majority of your Vitamin D from.
The liver also contains Vitamin K2 which is a rarer form, not found elsewhere other than in fermented foods like kimchi, or sauerkraut. Vitamin K2 can help heal liver damage, liver disease, and even digestion issues like IBS or Crohn's as that is sometimes the source of the problem, to begin with – the lack of.
Among those two big benefits, the liver is extraordinary in what it offers. Here are some more tremendous benefits listed in bullet points for easy understanding.
Helps detoxify the body and improve digestion
Nature’s most concentrated source of Vitamin A (Retinol). Important for vision, immune system, reproduction, growth and development
Supports and maintains a healthy immune system
Abundant amounts of vitamin B12, Choline, Heme Iron, Folic Acid, Copper, and CoQ10
Rich in immune-boosting vitamins like A, D, and K and in their most absorbable and usable forms.
It helps to optimize metabolic functions
Helps with fertility, hormones, better skin health, and eye health
Helps with energy level balance and increasing your energy levels
For women, it can have a very positive effect on menstrual cycles
With all that said, I implore you to investigate your options for consuming liver daily. You will not regret the decision and I have a good feeling that you’ll start feeling much better. You may just find out that this was one of the best health-conscious decisions you’ve ever made for your journey back to optimal health.
If you haven’t yet checked out my book The Gut Friendly Lifestyle Guide, you can visit the page here. My book will give you an easy-to-understand perspective on how to live an optimally health life. You’ll learn much more about The Gut, Keto and Carnivore ways of eating, along with Functional Supplementation, and a few other incredible insights for your health.
I wish you well on your adventure and may you experience yourself at the highest level.
- SD
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