Liver, how many times? - PaleoHacks.com

Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T18:08:58Z

I really don't like vegetables and I'm thinking of incorporating liver (goat or chicken) into my diet. My diet primarily consist of animal fat, meat, butter, and a little bit of milk and fruits.

According to this: http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/nutrition/All_Foods/Poultry/Goat_liver_fried_or_broiled_no_coating.html

3oz serving has a lot of copper, vitamin B and vitamin A. How many times should I be eating it weekly?

Answer by Dave S. for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T18:43:52Z

Probably no more than twice per week. Vitamin A and iron can be toxic in large amounts.

Answer by Senneth for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T19:09:35Z

I am on a similar diet - I have been told by the provider I am working with, that once a week is the limit. (But no details on how much quantity wise). It is supposed to be functioning as a multivitamin of sorts).

I eat about a large tablespoon worth of organic beef liver cooked in butter. (Did I say eat? I meant choke down, then feel grossed out big time, followed by a bit nausea, then paranoia that I can still taste it, fervent wishes I never had to eat it again, and concluded by dread for the upcoming dose...)

Answer by JS Paleo for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T19:19:19Z

Its seems that your Vitamin A intake in the form of retinol (the type found in liver and eggs; not the beta carotene version found in many vegetables) should be proportional to the amount of vitamin D you are getting. So are you getting a lot of natural sunlight, taking D supplements, or eating vitamin d rich foods (salmon, sardines)?

I get the impression that you want to limit liver to about once a week but I think depending on your vitamin d intake you can play with increasing or decreasing the amount.

From what I have read I would recommend beef or bison liver (even though it is higher in retinol)

Answer by Travis Culp for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T19:43:49Z

I don't buy into the idea that liver is dangerous for someone who doesn't have other deficiencies (particularly the other fat solubles). If you consider that a lamb (sheep less than 1 year old) yields 2 pounds of liver, then we would have had, in our somewhat recent Pleistocene past massive amounts of liver to consume or discard, the latter being highly unlikely. A modern day elephant's liver is 170 pounds. Were there human die-offs every time a mastodon or mammoth were killed? I imagine the aurochs, megatheres, elk, rhinoceroses etc. were yielding fairly substantial amounts of liver, that, even if split among a tribe are going to greatly exceed 100g a week.

There would almost certainly be times where particular individuals would have subsisted purely on liver. I think using the arctic explorer (who was very likely deficient in vitamin D) polar bear story to determine how much liver we should eat is misguided.

That all being said, I think a pound a week is completely safe.

Answer by Josh M for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T21:04:01Z

I eat about 6oz of fresh, raw liver 1-2 times a week. No ill effects, tastes better than cooked and little fuss.

Answer by Rhubarb for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T22:26:02Z

I eat about 150grams of liver (lamb or beef) twice a week. I feel strong.

Answer by ricechek for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-02T23:52:43Z

Veal liver, once a week....FTW!!

Answer by sage_ for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-03T00:00:33Z

i eat calf's liver twice a week, a half pound a sitting.

Answer by jess6 for Liver, how many times?

2011-09-03T00:33:30Z

You could look at liver as a percentage of total usable body part weight to get a rough estimate of how much paleolithic people would likely have been eating. This doesn't necessarily indicate how much is safe to eat (and "safe" may depend on other factors, such as the species or the animal's diet), but liver is a fairly limited commodity compared to the rest of the body, and I find it unlikely that every paleolithic person would have been eating large amounts of liver on a regular basis.

(I love liver and will happily eat it in whatever quantity is available, so I'm not trying to be down on it, but the idea that there was tons and tons of liver lying around for everyone to feast on doesn't seem right to me, and my understanding is that liver was commonly saved for those with greater nutritional need or higher status.)

Answer by Marisa for Liver, how many times?

2011-11-09T14:16:48Z

I am eating free range organic chicken liver once or maybe twice a week, but I am not sure how much fat soluable Vitamin we need per day or week.

It is confusing and I do eat a high amount of beta carotene which converts into fat soluble Vitamin A in smaller amounts.

Answer by Akman for Liver, how many times?

2011-11-09T15:54:01Z

I sautee a whole onion in butter, then fry slices of liver in butter, cover with onion slices and eat--it is wonderful! I eat 1 pound, every 2 weeks. I get the calf liver that is already sliced and frozen in individually wrapped baggies. You have to cook it when it is still a little frozen, if you thaw it out it falls to pieces.

Answer by Nance for Liver, how many times?

2011-11-09T16:25:58Z

I'm somewhere in the middle, I guess. I fry up a whole package at a time; when I cook it, I eat a full 6-8 oz serving although I usually have other meat as well.

I cut the rest up into 2-3 oz portions and grab one when whenever I feel hungry for it; there have been times when I ate it for a week straight and other times when I grabbed it once per week or less.