Calories in beef liver and its health benefits

Beef liver is organic meat from cattle, rich in nutrients, and has become popular lately among people who follow various diets, including the Paleo diet andlow-carb diet and carnivore diet.

Beef liver provides many important nutrients, including protein andmicronutrients, like Vitamin B12 andVitamin A andRiboflavin andCopper Andiron, so this food can add nutrients to your diet.

In this article, we'll check out the calories in beef liver, its health benefits, and how to include it in your diet.

Calories in Beef Liver

Here are the calories and full nutrition facts for 100 grams of raw beef liver:

• Carbohydrates

There are very few carbs in beef liver, as a 100 gram serving of beef liver provides about only 4 grams of Carbohydrates, and it doesn't provide any amounts of fiber or natural sugar.

• Fat

A 100 gram serving of beef liver provides about 4 grams of fat, including about 1.3 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, and 0.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat.

• Protein

Beef liver is a great source of protein, as a 100 gram serving of beef liver gives about 20 grams of complete protein.

• Vitamins and minerals

Beef liver is food that provides many important vitamins and minerals, like vitamin B12, vitamin A, riboflavin, niacin, andvitamin B6 andfolate and pantothenic acid andthiamine, plus the minerals copper, iron, andphosphorus andzinc andselenium andmanganese.

• calories

A 100 gram serving of raw beef liver provides about 135 calories, made up of 12% carbs, 63% protein, and 25% fat. These amounts can change depending on how it's cooked and what else is added.

Health Benefits of Beef Liver

Since beef liver is packed with different nutrients and is low in fat, it’s linked to many important health benefits.

The health benefits of beef liver include:-

1. Beef liver lowers the risk of anemia

The high amounts of vitamin B12 and iron in beef liver can help people at risk of anemia, or those who already have it.

With anemia, blood has fewer red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the body and bring carbon dioxide back to the lungs. People with this often feel tired, weak, and may have chest pain, trouble breathing, constipation, loss of appetite, and weight loss.

Vitamin B12 is essential for making red blood cells, and the body uses iron to make hemoglobin and myoglobin, the main proteins in red blood cells that carry oxygen.

2. Beef liver reduces the risk of vitamin A deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency Vitamin A is common in developing countries, especially among children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. It's also common in people with cystic fibrosis. Studies show about 15-40% of cystic fibrosis patients don't get enough essential nutrients, including vitamin A.

Also, those who lack vitamin A are more likely to get anemia andchronic diarrhea and dry conjunctiva (night blindness).

So, one serving of beef liver can give you more than 700% of the daily recommended vitamin A, which stops deficiency and helps prevent many diseases.

3. Beef liver improves eye health

Key nutrients in beef liver like vitamin A, iron, zinc, and copper are linked to lower risk of age-related macular degeneration AMD, which causes big vision loss as you get older.

Many studies found that taking supplements with those key nutrients, plus vitamin E andvitamin C, was tied to a 25% lower chance of getting AMD.

4. Beef liver reduces the risk of diseases

The copper in beef liver might help prevent certain conditions like heart and blood vessel diseases andAlzheimer's disease, also, copper plays several important roles in the body, including keeping blood vessels, the nervous system, and the immune system healthy.

Also, there is some evidence that people with higher copper levels in their bodies have a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Food allergy to beef liver

There are some limited reports of meat allergies, including to beef liver, but they are rare. However, tick bites in animals can cause IgE reactions to red meat.

It is not known if consuming beef liver causes these effects, so if you notice allergy symptoms like swelling, redness, trouble breathing, wheezing, or stomach pain after eating beef liver, you should see a doctor for proper diagnosis.

Storing beef liver and food safety

Beef liver should be eaten within one or two days of buying. If not used within a few days, keep it in the fridge.

Also, you can freeze beef liver by wrapping it tightly in plastic. It stays fresh for 3-4 months this way.

How to prepare beef liver in recipes

Many people find the taste of beef liver strong, often described as metallic or bitter. Some cooks suggest soaking it in milk to remove the bitterness before cooking it in different ways.

Beef liver can be fried, grilled, or mixed with veggies in dishes like Alexandrian liver. It also goes well with grains like rice or in sandwiches and tortillas.

In the end, it’s a good idea to include beef liver in your diet to get many important nutrients and health benefits.

Source of the article.