It is often debated whether liver makes a healthy food option or not. On the one hand, liver is an excellent source of essential nutrients including protein, iron and vitamin A. On the other hand, liver is high in saturated fat and cholesterol. If liver is a must in your diet repertoire, consider grass-fed beef liver. It is slightly lower in fat and cholesterol than grain-fed beef liver and is still an excellent source of essential nutrients.
Calories
Compared with other cuts of meat, grass-fed beef liver makes a low-energy-density choice. An 8 oz. portion contains 250 calories. By comparison, an 8 oz. portion of grain-fed beef liver contains 306 calories, and an 8 oz. portion of beef eye of round, considered one of the leanest cuts of beef, contains 361 calories. As a lower-energy food choice, grass-fed beef liver can help satisfy your appetite on fewer calories.
Fat
When compared with grain-fed beef liver, grass-fed is lower in total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. An 8 oz. serving contains 7 g of total fat, 3 g of saturated fat and 545 mg of cholesterol, vs. 8 g of total fat, 3 g of saturated fat and 624 mg of cholesterol in the same size serving of grain-fed beef liver. One serving of the grass-fed beef liver meets 15 percent of your daily value for saturated fat, and 182 percent of your daily value for cholesterol. The American Heart Association recommends you limit your intake of saturated fat to less than 7 percent of total calories and cholesterol to less than 300 mg a day to limit your risk of heart disease.
Protein and Carbohydrates
Grass-fed beef liver is a good source of protein, meeting nearly 100 percent of your daily value. An 8 oz. serving contains 44 g of protein. As a complete source of protein, beef liver provides your body with all the essential amino acids necessary to build the proteins found in your body. Unlike other cuts of meat, such as the beef eye of round, beef liver does contain a small amount of carbs, 11 g in an 8 oz. portion.
Vitamins and Minerals
As previously mentioned, one of the benefits of including liver in your diet is its high concentration of essential vitamins and minerals. An 8 oz. serving of grass-fed beef liver meets 50 percent of your daily value for iron and 1,530 percent of your daily value for vitamin A. Iron is necessary for the transportation of oxygen throughout your body. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional disorder in the world. Inadequate intakes of iron can leave you feeling tired and decrease your ability to concentrate. Vitamin A is essential for bone and eye health. It is also important for your immune health, helping you fight off infection. It is important to note, however, the high vitamin A content in beef liver can be harmful to an unborn baby and should not be consumed by pregnant women.
References
- LA Cense Beef: Grass-Fed Beef Liver Nutrition Information
- European Food Information Council; "What is the Nutritional Value of Eating Liver?"; Jennifer Stairs
- MayoClinic.com; "Percent Daily Value: What Does It Mean"; K. Zeratsky; May 6, 2010
- American Heart Association: Know Your Fats
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Protein
Member Comments