Beef liver exists in extremes. People seem to love it or hate it. And while beef liver is an exceptionally high source of essential nutrients, providing four to 10 days' worth of some nutrients in one serving, it's also very high in cholesterol. Baby beef liver is more tender than liver from a mature animal but has the same nutritional value.
One slice of beef liver, weighing 81 g, is dense in nutrients and has only 132 calories yet provides a large percentage of the recommended daily intake for many nutrients. A single serving has 22 g of protein, which is 43 percent of the recommended daily intake. Even though the total fat content is only 6 percent of the daily value, this serving contains an entire day's intake of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Baby beef liver is a powerhouse of vitamins. The same 81 g serving provides 42 percent of the daily requirement for vitamin B-6, 53 percent for folate, 71 percent for niacin, 163 percent for riboflavin and more than 1,000 percent for vitamin B-12. That's a huge source of these energy-producing B vitamins, plus a big boost to heart health. Vitamins B-6, B-12 and folate work together to lower homocysteine in the blood, which reduces your risk of cardiovascular disease. This serving of beef liver delivers 423 percent of the daily value of the vitamin A you need for vision and a healthy immune system. It also provides 2 to 4 percent of the antioxidant vitamin E and blood-clotting vitamin K.
Minerals
Beef liver is often recommended for its iron content because one slice provides 28 percent of the recommended daily value. It contains all the essential dietary minerals but is an especially good source of the trace element copper. In addition to being an antioxidant, copper must be present to bring about the chemical processes involved in forming collagen, producing cellular energy and maintaining healthy nerves. One serving of baby beef liver provides more than five days' worth of copper. You'll also get 39 percent of your requirement for bone-building phosphorus; 38 percent of that for selenium, which participates in metabolism; and 28 percent of that for zinc. Zinc, which has been shown to help reduce cold symptoms, works in the body as an antioxidant and is essential for normal growth and development.
Choline
Baby beef liver is a good source of another essential nutrient called choline. The body can produce small amounts of choline, but it must be included in the diet to maintain health. Choline helps produce the phospholipids that support cell walls, and it's needed for the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Without choline, fats and cholesterol could not be transported through the bloodstream. One serving of baby beef liver provides 60 to 80 percent of the daily value of choline.
Member Comments