Is Consuming Liver Harmful or Beneficial?
Liver as an offal is not the most popular food. Some people are afraid consuming it because the liver is a detoxifying organ. Many people think it’s full of toxins, but this is not true! Although the liver is one of the most important organs of metabolism, it excretes toxins but does not store them. Consuming 2-3 times a month, dietitians say it is beneficial.
Benefits of liver consumption
The liver is extremely rich in minerals and vitamins.
- Vitamin A is present in goose and chicken livers and in the livers of some fish,
- Vitamin B1 in pig liver, B6 mainly in chicken, vitamins C and E in calf and chicken liver.
- Liver, cod liver oil and eggs are best suited for Vitamin D supplementation.
- Also rich in iron, copper, zinc, manganesium and selenium, as well as a good source of calcium and potassium.
It is therefore advisable to include regular consumption of liver in the diet.
Effects of liver on the body
The liver is not just a delicious food, but it also has many beneficial effects on our bodies:
- Vitamin A content is essential for preserving your eyesight, supports the daily replacement of skin cells and supports a Healthy Immune System.
- Vitamin B can help maintain the health of the nervous system, immune system, circulatory system, skin and hair.
- Vitamin D helps regulate the immune system and the neuromuscular system. Helps calcium build strong bones. A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities.
- The content of calcium, magnesium, and zinc may improve several parts of your health and mental health, such as blood sugar regulation, bone strength and immunity, also mood, and sleep quality. It can also have a calming effect.
- It has a high iron content, so it can help with anemia.
- It can help the thyroid gland function and supports digestive processes.
- Its high protein content helps maintain muscle strength.
Purchase, storage and preparation of liver
To buy a liver is a delicate thing but if you pay attention to the followings, you can get really nice and fresh pieces.
First of all, color is important. Never buy discolored pieces or those that are about to fall apart, this can be seen on the edge of the liver. Let the edges of the pieces be intact!
The second thing is the smell. Never buy smelly liver.
Finally, try to buy organic products from local meat producers, and trusted sources. They are free of hormones and antibiotics.
If possible, do not store the liver in a plastic bag, as this will cause an unpleasant odor the next day. Porcelain bowl is best suited for this purpose. It is not necessary to wash, but always wash and remove membranes and blood vessels before use. The bile (this is a small sachet of green fluid) should always be carefully removed from the liver. If it ruptures and bile’s fluid flows onto the liver, it can make it bitter. The good news is that bile is usually already removed by the butcher, we don’t have to deal with that. As a child, my parents slaughtered a lot of poultry on our small farm and I always had to help to my mom. I learned early how to clean the liver and the whole poultry.
Wipe the livers dry before frying, as the hot water will bounce and cause possible burns.
How to prepare the liver? What is the secret for delicious liver dishes?
Maybe everyone has already encountered dry-fried hard liver. Such food is inedible. By following two important rules, you can prepare crumbly, juicy liver dishes.
One of the basic rules of preparation is to DO NOT SALT the liver! This way we will not extract moisture from it and it will not be as hard as the soles of the boots. Only salt the food, if necessary, at the end before serving.
The other important rule is DO NOT FRY, COOK FOR A LONG TIME because the pork or chicken liver will be gum and the goose liver will crumble.
Using the above rules, you should also try the following recipe:
