LiVer: deep nourishment

Liver is the most nutrient dense food on the planet, and such a powerhouse of nourishment for the needs of the reproductive continuum. Seriously, why take a prenatal or multivitamin of clumsily-assmebled and dubiously-effective vitamins (be they synthetic or “naturally derived”) when you have a food like this, which provides exactly the forms and ratios that are best suited to our biology?

One huge reason I love liver is because, being rich in copper and retinol, it assists in the liberation of iron from the tissues, allowing it to be utilized in our in-built iron recycling system, and helping to alleviate iron overload and toxicity (seriously we should not be supplementing with iron!).

Retinol (vitamin A) is more present and intact in raw liver than in cooked or desiccated btw, a point highlighted by Matt Blackburn in one of the @mitolife podcasts, so if you’re predominantly using heated forms of liver then you might consider the benefit of adding in something like Rosita cod liver oil, which is rich vitamins A and D. Retinol is a fat-soluble vitamin (along with D, E, and K) and is also present in foods like full-fat grass-fed dairy, fatty fish, and eggs.

The taste of liver can take some getting used to, especially beef liver, but the benefits are totally worth the adjustment. I like to take beef liver either in capsule form from @perfectsupplements (code SAGE) or frozen raw in small bites (I freeze for 2 weeks before consuming) and rinsed down with raw milk or OJ. Chicken liver, while having a bit less of some nutrients, is much milder. I love making chicken liver pate using the recipe from either @lilynicholsrdn or @copiafarm—and I’ve grown to love the flavor on a good slice of sourdough.

I’ll be posting next about the two most common worries people express to me when I praise liver! #liver #prometabolic #nourishingtraditions #westonaprice #raypeat #rootcauseprotocol #morleyrobbins #copper #retinol #prenatalnutrition #postpartum #postpartumnutrition