When prepared with minimal added fat and eaten in moderation, chicken liver can enhance the nutritional quality of your diet. Find chicken liver fresh or frozen in the meat section of your grocery store. Although high in cholesterol, chicken liver offers a lot of other vitamins and minerals that make it a food worth adding to an occasional meal.
Calories and Macronutrients
A 3.5 oz. serving of pan-fried chicken liver contains 172 calories and 26 g of protein. Chicken liver contains just trace amounts of carbohydrates per oz., making it an appropriate food for low-carbohydrate diets. Of the 6 g of fat in 3.5 oz. of chicken liver, 2 g are saturated.
Vitamins
Chicken liver is rich in vitamin A, with 288 percent of the recommended dietary allowance, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Chicken liver contains over 100 percent of the RDA for several B vitamins, which help you convert food into energy. A 3.5-oz. serving offers 352 percent of the RDA for vitamin B12, 140 percent for folate, 136 percent for riboflavin, 70 percent for niacin, 83 percent for pantothenic acid, 42 percent for vitamin B6 and 19 percent for thiamin, based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Chicken liver also provides 4 percent of the RDA for vitamin E and 5 percent for vitamin C.
Minerals
Chicken liver is known for being high in iron, with 3.5 oz. offering 72 percent of the RDA. It offers 126 percent of the RDA for selenium, a trace mineral that acts as an antioxidant to fight disease-causing free radicals in the body. This serving also provides 44 percent for phosphorus, 19 percent for manganese and 27 percent for zinc and copper.
Cholesterol Concerns
Although chicken liver has many nutritional virtues, it does contain a very high amount of dietary cholesterol. A 3.5-oz. serving contains 564 mg of cholesterol -- almost two times the daily limit recommended by the American Heart Association. If your doctor has diagnosed you with high cholesterol or you take cholesterol-lowering medication, consult your doctor before consuming chicken liver regularly.
Considerations
Chicken liver is a source of choline, an essential nutrient intrinsic to cell functioning, brain and nerve activity, liver metabolism and nutrient transportation. The Institute of Medicine recommends most adult women consume at least 425 mg of choline daily and men, 550 milligrams. A 3.5 oz. serving of chicken liver provides 327 mg of the nutrient -- more than half of a day's worth. The iron in chicken liver is valuable as it is readily absorbed by the body, making it a good food to add to the diets of people with pernicious anemia.
Member Comments