Is Turkey Liver Healthy? The Surprising Benefits of This Nutrient-Dense Organ Meat

Liver is an organ meat. It comes from the bodys largest internal organ, found in the bellies of all animals with backbones. Among hundreds of other functions, the liver filters blood and removes toxins. It also makes bile, a substance that helps digest fats and get rid of waste.

Like all types of liver, beef liver has health benefits but also some drawbacks. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty s

Livers from many different animals are eaten around the world. You might find beef, calf, chicken, pork, lamb, goose, and cod livers in your local butcher shop, seafood store, or grocery store. Liver has a strong flavor and unique texture that can be polarizing. Some people love it, while others hate it.

There are some significant health benefits to eating liver, but there are also some drawbacks you should consider before adding it to your diet.

Beef liver. This intensely flavored variety is one of the most widely eaten types of liver in the U.S. Its often used in the classic liver-and-onions dish. It comes from cows that are over a year old.

Calf liver. Also called veal liver, it comes from young cows (under 1 year old). Its similar to beef liver and can be cooked in similar ways. But it has a more tender texture.

Pork liver. Some people find that this type of liver, which comes from pigs, has a more bitter flavor than beef liver. Pork liver is an ingredient in liverwurst in Germany and livermush in the American South. Youll also find it in Chinese cuisine.

Lamb liver. This is the liver of a sheep that is less than 1 year old. It may be eaten fried along with other organ meats (especially in New Zealand and Australia) and is featured in some Indian and Lebanese dishes.

Chicken liver. Chopped liver, a traditional Jewish dish, is made from chicken liver. Youll find deep-fried chicken liver in the Southern U.S. Their flavor is considered milder than that of beef or pork liver.

Goose liver. This type of liver is best known as an ingredient in the French dish foie gras, which is made from the liver of geese or ducks that have been fattened. You can also prepare it more simply by frying or pan-searing it.

Cod liver. Its claim to fame is as the main ingredient in the dietary supplement cod liver oil. You can eat it, too. Cod livers are sold canned, and many Europeans eat them spread on bread or crackers. You can cook fresh ones, too. (Even Martha Stewart has a recipe.)

All types of liver are richer in vitamins and minerals than muscle meats and many fruits and vegetables. They dont have fiber like produce does, though.

Liver contains plenty of protein, iron, and B vitamins. Its also one of the best animal-based sources of vitamin A. One serving of beef liver, for example, provides more than 100% of your daily vitamin A requirement. Getting enough vitamin A has been linked to a lower risk of conditions like cataracts and breast cancer.

Beef liver nutrition. A 3-ounce serving of beef liver (4 ounces or 110 grams uncooked) contains:

Calves liver (veal liver) nutrition. A 112-gram serving of calf liver (about 4 ounces uncooked) contains:

Benefits of Eating Liver

Research has found a number of potential health benefits to eating liver:

Rich source of nutrients. Liver is one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet, with significant amounts of iron, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin A, and copper. Eating a single serving of liver can help you meet your daily recommended amount of most of these vitamins and minerals, reducing your risk of nutrient deficiency.

Liver is also very high in protein, a nutrient thats essential for you to build and maintain healthy tissue, including muscle, skin, and bone. Foods that are high in protein also help you feel full longer after you eat them, which can help you stay at a healthy weight.

Lower risk of anemia. Iron is one of the most common mineral deficiencies in the U.S. Iron deficiency can lead to certain types of anemia, resulting in fatigue, muscle weakness, and a lack of focus. Liver is an excellent source of both iron and vitamin B12, which work in combination to keep your blood cells in good working condition. In fact, one of the earliest treatments for pernicious anemia was to regularly eat beef liver. Today, adding a few servings of iron to your weekly diet can help ease or prevent anemia.

Improved bone health. Liver contains some vitamin K, which is critical to bone health. Vitamin K helps your body process calcium and add it to your bones. As a result, it helps maintain the strength of your skeletal system. Getting enough vitamin K in your diet has been linked to a reduced risk of chronic conditions such as osteoporosis. Vitamin K is also important to maintaining the health of your circulatory system.

Your daily value for vitamin K is 120 micrograms. A 3-ounce serving of beef liver has about 3 micrograms of vitamin K, and the same size serving of chicken liver has 3 micrograms.

Improved energy, brain function, and mood. Vitamin B12 is critical for the healthy function of your nervous system. If you dont get enough, you may feel tired all the time and not have enough energy for daily activities. You may also have problems with memory and understanding and feel depressed, confused, or irritable. Liver, especially beef and lamb liver, is one of the best sources of vitamin B12 of any food. A 3-ounce serving of beef liver has 59 micrograms, while 4 ounces of chicken liver has 18.8. This more than satisfies your daily value of 2.4 micrograms.

How to Prepare Liver

An easy way to mask the taste of liver is to cover it with milk in a bowl and let it soak for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. The milk proteins will draw out the bitterness for a milder flavor.

The classic way to serve liver is to pan-fry it with onions. Adding beef or chicken stock and letting it simmer add flavor to the dish, which will mask some of that meats flavor if needed. And some bacon slices on top punch up the flavor profile even more.

Another way to add liver to your menu is to grind or puree it in a good processor. From here, you can make a spread to serve with crackers or bread or add it to ground beef for burgers or meatballs.

You can find liver supplements in capsule form in stores that carry vitamins and nutritional products. Theyre usually made from beef liver, but chicken liver supplements are available as well. If you want the benefits of eating liver without the need to prepare the meat or the taste, the benefits of liver supplements may be the solution for you.

All varieties of liver are loaded with protein, minerals, and vitamins combined with relatively low amounts of calories. But this type of meat does have high levels of cholesterol and fat. Some of these nutrients can cause health problems at very high levels, especially if youre pregnant or have certain health conditions. Check with your doctor before adding it to your diet and eat it in moderation.

What is the healthiest liver to eat?

Different types of liver vary in the amounts of specific nutrients each one offers. But beef liver benefits your diet with the highest levels of most vitamins and minerals overall.

Nutrition Facts of TURKEY LIVER

FAQ

Is it healthy to eat turkey liver?

Why don’t you use the turkey liver?

How often can you eat liver?

How much copper is in turkey liver?

Is Turkey liver healthy?

These two nutreints alone make turkey liver remarkably healthy without even considering the abundance of various B vitamins, selenium, heme iron, complete proteins, and nourishing animal fat. About 30% of the fat in turkey liver is anti-inflammatory monounsaturated fat.

Can I eat poultry with fatty liver?

Yes you can. A priori, for healthy patients, no food is absolutely contraindicated, with a healthy life being more associated with balance, consistency of healthy habits and moderation in choices than the withdrawal of one or another specific food. For patients who have a health condition, specific diets can help, for example, patients with hepatic steatosis, popularly recognized as fatty liver, benefit from reduced consumption of red meat, processed meats, fatty cheeses, simple carbohydrates, bacon, oil, fried foods, mayonnaise, lard, butter, among other foods rich in fat, all associated with regular physical activity. The consumption of poultry, which are lean meats with high biological value, should be encouraged.

Should you eat turkey if you have a fatty liver?

Turkey also contains less saturated fat which makes it a good choice for those concerned with a fatty liver. High Protein: Unless someone has advanced liver disease and is under strict protein intake inhibition, high protein foods are ideal to help with recovery from liver cell injury. Proteins normally help the body repair tissue.

Does Turkey liver have vitamin A?

It’s also important to note that vitamin A in turkey liver is in a form called provitamin A retinol. This type of vitamin A is far more absorbable and useful in the body than the beta-carotene that some plant foods like carrots are famous for. In fact, high-vitamin A vegetables provide only 1/26 of their listed vitamin A.