Many households prepare lamb, chicken, calf, goose, pigs, and fish livers for various meals. The preparation methods are unique as well such as baking, frying, boiling, broiling, stir-frying, and even served raw. Even though liver is considered to be one of the good sources of nutrients, it also has certain amounts of toxins.
The chemicals that can't be transformed into healthy nutrients are acquired in the liver as toxic waste. Any and all toxins that the chicken, beef, or calf were exposed to, will be stored in their livers. Which brings us to the essential part of our article - finding the nutrients in livers. In the following sections, we've provided the nutritional data of chicken, beef, and calf livers.
Nutrition Data
| Serving Size - 100 g |
| Pan-fried
(Cook) |
Simmer
(Cook) |
Raw |
| Calories |
| 172 |
167 |
116 |
| Protein (g) |
| 25.8 |
24.5 |
16.9 |
| Carbohydrates (g) |
| 1.1 |
0.9 |
0.0 |
| Total Fat (g) |
| 6.4 |
6.5 |
4.8 |
| Vitamin A (IU) |
| 14378 |
13328 |
11077 |
| Vitamin C (mg) |
| 0.8 |
27.9 |
17.9 |
| Cholesterol (mg) |
| 564 |
563 |
345 |
| Calcium (mg) |
| 10 |
11 |
8 |
| Iron (mg) |
| 12.9 |
11.6 |
9 |
| Sodium (mg) |
| 92 |
76 |
71 |
| Zinc (mg) |
| 4 |
4 |
2.7 |
While preparing salads, soups, or any other chicken recipes, you can definitely include the liver into your cooking. Of course, how you cook your meals and with which ingredients will make a huge difference in the nutrients availed from eating chicken liver. So why don't we try to find out which essential nutrients are available to us.
• Chicken liver is fairly
low in calories (1 oz = 47 calories).
• One of the biggest issue about chicken liver is that it has
high cholesterol levels.
• It has
vitamins like A, C, B6, and B12; minerals include
copper, iron, manganese, niacin, and zinc.
•
1 oz chicken liver has healthy amounts of
proteins and fat (7 grams and 2 grams respectively).
| Serving Size - 100 gm |
| Braised
(Cook) |
Pan-fried
(Cook) |
Raw |
| Calories |
| 191 |
175 |
135 |
| Protein (g) |
| 29.1 |
26.5 |
20.4 |
| Carbohydrates (g) |
| 5.1 |
5.2 |
3.9 |
| Total Fat (g) |
| 5.3 |
4.7 |
3.6 |
| Vitamin A (IU) |
| 31718 |
26091 |
16899 |
| Vitamin C (mg) |
| 1.9 |
0.7 |
1.3 |
| Cholesterol (mg) |
| 396 |
381 |
275 |
| Calcium (mg) |
| 6 |
6 |
5 |
| Iron (mg) |
| 6.5 |
6.2 |
4.9 |
| Sodium (mg) |
| 79 |
77 |
69 |
| Zinc (mg) |
| 5.3 |
5.2 |
4 |
In 1934, George H. Whipple, William P. Murphy, and George R. Minot were awarded the noble prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of treating pernicious anemia with the help of liver. Not only does beef liver help in treating patients with pernicious anemia, but it can also increase the red blood cell counts.
•
1 slice of beef liver has only
142 calories which can be a good way to stay on track of your weight loss plan. If you are a
low-carb, high-protein diet, then beef liver delivers
16 and 92 calories respectively.
• On the contrary, beef liver has
high levels of cholesterol which is bad for the heart (1 serving = 309 mg); so consumption in moderation is advised.
• It's an unbelievable source of
vitamin A for proper bone growth, healthy skin and hair, and reproduction.
| Serving Size - 100 gm |
| Braised
(Cook) |
Pan-fried
(Cook) |
Raw |
| Calories |
| 192 |
193 |
140 |
| Protein (g) |
| 28.4 |
27.4 |
19.9 |
| Carbohydrates (g) |
| 3.8 |
4.5 |
2.9 |
| Total Fat (g) |
| 6.3 |
6.5 |
4.9 |
| Vitamin A (IU) |
| 70599 |
66981 |
39058 |
| Vitamin C (mg) |
| 1.1 |
0.7 |
0.7 |
| Cholesterol (mg) |
| 511 |
485 |
334 |
| Calcium (mg) |
| 6 |
7 |
5 |
| Iron (mg) |
| 5.1 |
6 |
6.4 |
| Sodium (mg) |
| 78 |
85 |
77 |
| Zinc (mg) |
| 11.2 |
11.2 |
12 |
Calf or veal liver is available from young cows. The texture of the liver is tender and it tastes better than the liver found in other adult animals. Which is why, you will find lesser amounts of toxins and chemicals in them.
•
4 oz calf liver delivers at least half the
protein requirements for adults.
• Calf liver has rich contents of B vitamins like
B12, B6, riboflavin, and niacin.
• Liver stores excess levels of
vitamin A and is
not recommended for pregnant women; excess vitamin A can be toxic for growing babies; hence speak to your healthcare provider.
• With minerals like
copper, zinc, and phosphorous, calf liver is considered "one of the world's healthiest foods" by The George Mateljan Foundation.
It is advised that you try to avoid eating liver from the older animals and opt for younger ones. Although it may seem that there are only few liver nutritional facts that are useful,
eating small portions of liver can be a good source of minerals, vitamins, and proteins for a healthy lifestyle. Remember, liver does contain high amounts of fat and cholesterol which can be harmful for the heart, so if you wish to introduce liver as part of your daily diet or exercise regime, take professional advice from your family doctor.
