Based on this article, "a single slice of 68 grams of braised beef liver contains 21,565 International Units or IU's of vitamin A" - which means that 8oz should contain just over 70,000 IU.

Though the tolerable upper limits of consumption are listed at 10,000 IU, the acute toxicity levels I've found are anywhere from 660,000 IU all the way up to 25,000 IU/kg and the chronic toxicity levels are at least 100,000 IU daily over several months. I didn't see mention of vitamin D's role in the situation from any of those sources.

I'd say that one probably shouldn't eat more than 3 - 4oz per serving if planning on eating liver multiple times a week. Listen to your body, you'll know something is amiss if you get to the point that toxicity is starting to develop.

I'd advise against eating it more than once a week. It is extremely high in Vitamin A. Yes, Vitamin D will protect against vitamin A toxicity but you'd need more than 2000 IU if you plan to eat liver every day, which like I said, I wouldn't do. It will build up overtime.

I agree that your body will likely tell you when enough is enough. When I started eating meat again a few months ago, liver was like this gold mine that I'd never discovered before, and I couldn't get enough, and also felt like eating it for breakfast made me a super hero.

So I was plowing through a pound a week, sometimes more. Then this morning, I had bacon and eggs and, per usual, a side of liver, and after chewing it for a little while I actually, to my own shock, spit it out. I am NOT a food spitter-outer.

It still tasted just as good as it always does, but my body literally rejected it and just screamed "do not swallow!". So, there you have it. I'm sure in a few months I'll suddenly have a bit and then suddenly think "this is the most amazing thing, where has it been all my life!" and start the cycle anew. I find the same thing happens with eggs.

I eat about 3 ounces of liver two or three times a week for breakfast - followed by my daily vitamin D3 2200iU. I feel great on it. Have done this for years - liver is a great tonic.

Way too much copper too. I don't have a link this time but that is an absurd amount of copper to be getting, and it tends to contribute to Alzheimer's disease, at least according to many.

If liver really helps you feel better, then try eating 2oz or so a day of chicken liver, which is lower in Vit A. Also make sure you are not eating Vit A fortified foods or taking a multi vitamin. You might think about getting some blood work done to see if you have any vitamin def.

Liver is one of those foods you might call "low reward" and I think very few people will seriously over-dose themselves as long as other foods are available.

I had a spell a few months back where I ate liver every day (2-3 oz) for weeks and it tasted fabulous. Then, fairly suddenly, I lost all interest and since then I only get hungry for it once every week or so. I'm pretty sure I needed it back then because I hadn't been eating enough bone broth and organ meat.

raney's calculations are very helpful but in general eat it when you're hungry for it and don't force it when you aren't.

I had the same experience as Nance - for a while I was crazy about it. Now, I still like the flavor, but I could take it or leave it, leaning towards leaving it (and have had several good quality livers sitting in the freezer for a while).

I think that if you mix it up at least a day or two a week (so that you are't driven to eat it by force of habit), don't hide it in stuff to disguise it, and follow your body's inclinations, you're unlikely to eat too much.

Great posts..I have been craving liver..Have not eaten it for years..My mother used to cook it for us a children..Same thing with eggs..Stay away from them then crave them..Thank you all for your posts..I'm going to find good organic liver tomomrrow..

For those who do not like the taste or remember dry tough liver from childhood, do this:- slice up fresh chicken livers and fry with olive oil or sunflower oil and lots of garlic or garlic puree - you can never use too much garlic - but fry only for long enough to JUST cook it - even a little undercooked inside. It will be soft and moist and delicious. Chicken liver has a finer taste than other species - the larger the animal the coarser the taste.

Depends on the liver. CAFO beef liver from your local chain grocery store? Not so much. Grass-fed beef/calf/lamb liver from a local, pasture-centric farm? Hurrah!

Good thread, considering I just got 10 pounds of local grass-fed liver. We originally got it to feed to our lab, but she and I may be growling over it. I learned about the high vit A in it, and all the other vitamin, mineral, and protein content, and have come to look at how much to eat it in a paleolithic way: - sporadically. An animal/hunter doesn't kill and eat liver EVERY day, but a little along the way is more natural.

Having said that, perhaps when one is in poor health, it may be good to load up for a stretch!

Jack LaLanne lamented on multiple occasions that he ate beef liver tablets every day for most of his life.

Also who here has experienced Vitamin A poisoning symptoms, what are they like?

Ive been eating raw beef liver about once a week for 3 months now and I feel like I was given a 1000mg shot of Testosterone the rest of the day after ingestion. I would venture to say that our ancestors ate much more liver than the average person today.

Isn't liver gross tasting. How do you make it less gross?

honestly, your body will tell you if you're eating too much of it, the same way that the face you wanna eat it all the time right now probably means that you have mineral deficiency you're trying to correct. our bodies are so wise --- <3 the body!!!!

I think the studies on the toxicity of Vitamin A were done on the supplement form, not the real food form. Apparently you have to watch your beta-carotene vegetable form intake and not the intake of the meat form. To a point; don't eat the bits of animals that the Inuits throw to the dogs. Polar bear livers aren't at my local shops anyway.

I love chicken liver right now, I'm going to eat it til it doesn't taste so good, thanks that's a really good guideline.

even if it's grass fed it's an organ meat and still accumulates toxins,your best bet would be a liver from young anaimal i.e. calf's liver hence why it's not cheap at all i.e. 10x the price of regular beef liver

we eat too much green vegetables and avoid alcohol and medicine daily habit water so our liver can be safe other decease.

I eat a couple of pieces everday like taking a mult-vitamin.

Paul Jaminet of PerfectHealthDiet.com recommends no more than 1/2 lbs per week of beef liver.

"We recommend consuming in the range 1/4 to 1/2 lb (100 to 200 g) ruminant (beef, lamb, or goat) liver per week for copper, vitamin A, phospholipids, and other nutrients. This eliminates any need for copper supplementation, and provides a great bounty of other nutrients.

If you eat more than ½ lb (200 g) per week of ruminant liver, copper toxicity becomes a real danger. If you intend to eat liver in larger quantities, switch to chicken liver once your ruminant liver intake gets above 150 g or so in a week. Finally, we recommend avoiding pork liver, for reasons we’ll get to in the next (or next two) science posts."

He also recommends that you get any livers from pastured sources:

"We would recommend beef or lamb liver (not pork liver – see the upcoming conclusion to the pork series) from a naturally pastured and fed animal. Chicken liver is also good, but again should be from a healthy naturally raised animal. We don’t normally insist on grassfed for most cuts, but it’s worth insisting on grassfed when you eat liver. The liver is a detoxification organ and unhealthy animals can easily have livers that are rich in toxins and inflammatory molecules.

Supporting that judgment, we have found that grassfed beef livers have a noticeably better taste than conventional livers. Fortunately, organ meats are inexpensive even from organic farmers. We typically pay $4.99 per pound for grassfed beef liver. (Here is the price list of a Massachusetts farm we’ve bought from recently).

Leila’s trick is to soak the liver in milk beforehand, which helps remove things like blood that may contribute to a bad taste."

I don't know what you mean by safe but it is not... healthy.