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Everyone keeps telling me to eat liver and seafood. I just can't. I hate everything about them. The texture, the smell, the taste. I even hate tuna. What are some good alternatives to get similar nutrients into my body? I eat my fair share of beef and eggs, but I get a little gaggy on those at times too. I definitely have meat texture issues, and I can't eat big chunks of any meat. I was a vegetarian for two years because of these reasons, but I just got too chubby and unhealthy.

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im with ya...well, i love seafood, but i tried liver for the first time last night and it was nasty! its unfortunate because its so good for you, but i literally couldn't even choke it down. and that was even after i cooked it in bacon fat. bacons supposed to make everything better! – Laura Jan 25 2012 at 23:41

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Don't force yourself to eat anything! Your tastes will mostly like change over time, as mine did, and a couple of years from now you may get insatiable cravings for liver pate or sushi.

The big thing about seafood is their mineral and Omega-3 profile. However, you can get O-3's from pastured eggs (think Eggland's Best or other commercial brands if you don't have a local egg source). I'm not a huge seafood eater either, although I love raw tuna & salmon, and enjoy shrimp and whitefish when I can get it. I can take or leave canned tuna. I went through a spell where I was eating a small can of it nearly every day. Got sick of it and just haven't had any desire to eat it since then.

I'm also not too big on organ meats either. Sure, it would be great to include them in my diet (and uber-Cavewoman!), but I have no problems whatsoever getting my nutrients from other foods (foods that I like, lol).

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Burny,

I agree with The Loon. Give braunschweiger a try. I recently started eating it myself. It kind of tastes like bologna with a little bit of liver mixed in. It doesn't cost much so give it a try.

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Cook tiny, tiny amounts of these meats and have a little piece for breakfast each day. That's how I started to eat liver. Now I can cook and enjoy three or four ounces.

Also, if it's a mindset type of thing, seriously think about what your great grandparents would have been thinking if they were presented with this food to cook: Like as not they would have enjoyed it. If they could enjoy it, so can you. You just have to convince yourself. :)

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Excellent advice. When I was first forcing myself to eat fish I constantly reminded myself that most of the world's population survives on fish. A little perspective goes a long way. And starting slowly makes the whole experience practical. – bonefed Sep 19 at 19:10
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I was vegetarian for 12 years because all types of animal produce icked me out. I especially hated red meat and seafood. Shrimp and beef was the worst. When I realised how horrible I was actually feeling and how much better I got with eating meat, I decided to "man up" so to speak and jus scarfed it down. At first I couldn't make it myself because it was too disgusting and only ate out, but ow I'm making everything myself after four months. it takes time, but give things a try! If eating something you don't like, try it once at a good restaurant.

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you are not alone, and believe it or not i couldn't eat a hot dog or baloney befor going paleo. just eat the meats you do like and make you feel good and dont worry about it and you will stay on the diet forever. forever is the key word here.

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Sorry that this is written as a sort of streak of conciousness post - I tried to add as many tips as I could, but they aren't the most organized.

I was vegetarian for about 12 years and could not stand the smell of fish. I am now pescatarian and like most types of seafood, though some canned items and smaller fish like herring, sardines, and anchovies I don't like (even though it would be great if I did since most of them have great omega 3s and low mercury.)

Supplements - You can supplement with Megared Krill Oil - smaller and less fishy than fish oil pills. If you do regular fish oil, I actually think that the ones that are not enteric coated are better (personally, less digestive issues and no fishy aftertaste, even though that is what they are supposed to prevent!) Some fish oil supplements have lemon flavor to make sure you don't get a fishy aftertaste, and it does help.

Can't help with organ meats, but I can say that I found vitamin A supplements from animal sources, and that seems like a good option to me.

If you do attempt to integrate seafood, here are some suggestions:

Safeway and other grocery stores will often steam and season shellfish for you - we always get shrimp and crab legs there - order when you get to the store, and it's done in 5-10 minutes. No cooking or cleanup, and faster and cheaper than a restaurant. Also lessens fishy smell compared to cooking at home.

Try shellfish like crab to start out with. Delicious and not fishy tasting. Blue and alaskan snow crab are especially good - I am from Maryland so blue crab and MD crab soup is what got me to start eating seafood again in the first place. Steamed with butter, old bay, crab cakes (personally broiling with the recipe from Old Bay is the best option.) Snow crab is sweeter tasting and cheaper than blue crab.

For fish, go with fresh or frozen, not canned, if texture is an issue. I stick frozen in the oven or fry in olive oil and/or butter. Paprika and garlic too.

I never liked salmon with honey glaze or citrus like many restaurants want to serve it, but I love it if you treat it like a steak - with stuff like barbecue sauce, montreal steak seasoning, or A1, or teriyaki sauce. Chaka's MMM sauce makes everything better (though it is soy sauce based - but no oil or sugar)

I also had a tuna aversion, though am ok with Albacore sometimes now. (though watch mercury levels, because they are higher than in chunk light) I havent had chicken in years but albacore tastes more like what I expect chicken does, and not fishy - a big difference from chunk light tuna.

When I first started eating seafood, shrimp was another big texture issue for me - but now I love them steamed with some Old Bay and butter.

Tilapia is pretty safe in terms of taste - good, but not fishy.

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I hear a lot of people recommending Old Bay. I'll have to try this. I might give crab cakes a try. I tried salmon once and I nearly lost it. – Jeda Jan 26 2012 at 6:41
enteric coating only goes so far. if the pills are old/rancid, you will still get fishy burps. – Moonablaze Jan 26 2012 at 7:30
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Hey I'm a Marylander too! Crab FTW! – Jules K Jan 26 2012 at 14:07
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I was raised on liverwurst sandwiches. I forgo the bread these days, and do a liverwurst salad. If you're into mayo (home made of course cough *cough*) take it with some tomatoes. Tomatoes really do kill the taste pretty well. If this is too unpaleo for your desired diet, maybe there is a liver mousse recipe that might work.

Perhaps other organs? Chicken hearts are kind of fun ;-) Brains?

Fish wise, for many years I could not tolerate cooked fish of any kind (unless it was fish-sticks). But I could stomach sushi. Cooked salmon still smells bad but I find raw delightful.

Have you tried salmon roe?

Someone pointed out to me once that there are a huge amount of fish in the sea. They don't all taste alike. Comparing two different fish may be just the same as comparing a chicken to a cow. Unless you are allergic, maybe you haven't found your fish. Did I just alter euphemism for men?

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You don't need fish or organ meats! You can get omega 3 from grass-fed meats that you like. Good luck.

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There's a recipe in the Primal Blueprint Quick & Easy Meals for pork loin salad with a sauce that combines dates and anchovies. I was skeptical, but it was delicious. I think the dates really take the edge off the anchovies.

The Japanese use wasabi partially to mitigate "fishy" tastes I believe.

But I'll be honest, my approach with foods that I know are good for me, but I don't have a taste for yet, is just to grin and bear it for a while. If a food supplies nutrients your body wants then I think you'll develop a taste for it over time. That's what I did with natto in Japan, and more recently beef liver. I couldn't stand the taste of either one to begin with, but now liver is delicious, and I ate natto every day for a year and a half.

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I feel the same. I get icked out easily (I just stopped having to wear yellow kitchen gloves when I handle raw chicken). I'm seriously considering dessicated liver, in pill form. I've read through all the amazing recipes people post for liver and other organ meats, but just cannot bring myself to try it. I'm hoping that my tastes change, like someone answered already, but I'm not sure I'll ever lose my ick-o-meter.

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so would the dessicated liver pill be the same as eating liver? Because I'd be on board for that. – Jeda Jan 26 2012 at 6:38
That's what I hear-- definitely worth a try, huh? – legup Jan 26 2012 at 15:29
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If you're up for it, make your own sausage and grind some liver in with ground beef or lamb. You probably won't even notice the taste. Smoked liverwurst is awesome, and while it's processed, the good of the liver outweighs the rest.

You could also try cutting the liver up into small pellets, freezing it, and swallowing the pellets, but that's a little extreme. :)

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Like liversurst from the grocery store? Interesting. I might give that a try. Does it look like bologna? – Jeda Jan 26 2012 at 6:39
It looks a lot more like pate. It's in a small loaf, or most delis have it as well. Boar's Head is the best I've tasted so far, and there are other brands. It's not very popular. – Eric P. Feb 1 2012 at 2:08
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You might try braunschweiger instead of straight liver. Try some stir-fry's with small pieces of meat and plenty of veggies that you are already used to. I agree with others here who say don't ram stuff down your throat that you hate.

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I keep seeing that suggestion on here. What does it taste like? How is it texturally? The liver averse wonder... – syrahna Jan 26 2012 at 3:49
The texture is slightly different, and it tastes like salty bacon. It doesn't have that greenish/grey quality of liver, which I sometimes fine unappetizing. – The Loon Jan 26 2012 at 16:13
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Oooh I so feel you on this one! My solution is to add fish sauce (which is made with anchovies) to soups. It doesn't add a "fishy" taste just a slight salty flavor. If you've had Southeast Asian curries, they almost always have fish sauce (aka Nuoc Mam).

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Great suggestion. I love it in my meatloaf (got the idea from Nourishing Traditions). – legup Jan 26 2012 at 3:23
Does this help with actual nutrients though? – Laura Jan 26 2012 at 6:18
Laura, anchovies have a lot more Omega 3s than many other types of fish. The sauce I have doesn't list how much Omega 3 is in a serving, but each tablespoon serving has 2 grams protein and no calories. So, yes, I think you would get some of the benefits but I wouldn't use it as my only source of protein! – Paleo Designer Jan 26 2012 at 11:14
Fish sauce doesn't have any fat, so no omega 3s. It's also loaded with MSG. Now I don't think that's a bad thing, but I know a lot of people on PH are afraid of it. – bonefed Sep 19 at 18:52

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