Animal liver is hailed as the "king of vitamin A." As the saying goes, "like cures like," and it is widely believed that eating animal liver can nourish and replenish the blood. Some people also believe that since the animal liver is similar to the human liver, the body's largest detoxification organ, it accumulates many toxins and should not be eaten in large quantities. Which one is correct? We won't delve into that, but the nutritional value of animal liver cannot be ignored. However, there are some things to keep in mind when consuming it, paying attention to 6 key points.
Animal liver can be called the "king of vitamin A" in foods. Animal liver is rich in protein; every 100 grams of pork liver contains 21.3 grams of protein, which is twice that of pork. The vitamin A content in commonly eaten animal livers, from highest to lowest, is as follows: sheep liver, beef liver, chicken liver, and pork liver.
Iron is a main component of hemoglobin, and iron deficiency in the human body can cause iron-deficiency anemia. As an excellent food for replenishing blood, animal liver has an extremely high iron content. Based on every 100 grams of edible portion, duck liver has the highest iron content at 23.1 milligrams, followed by pork liver at 22.6 milligrams, chicken liver at 12 milligrams, goose liver at 7.8 milligrams, and sheep liver at 7.5 milligrams. The iron in animal liver is not only high in content but is also relatively easy to absorb. Furthermore, regularly eating animal liver can provide the body with sufficient raw materials for blood production, making one's cheeks rosy and spirits high.
6 Key Points to Note When Eating Animal Liver
1. Be selective when choosing animal liver.
When purchasing, you should choose livers from livestock and poultry that have passed quarantine. Livers from animals that have died from illness or with an unknown cause of death must not be eaten. A healthy animal liver is reddish-brown, smooth, shiny, soft, and tender. It should be easy to insert a finger into the cut, and when cooked, it should taste fresh and tender.
2. Thoroughly clean before cooking.
First, rinse the animal liver under running tap water for a few minutes, then soak it in cold water for 30 minutes, and finally, take it out and wash it clean in fresh water. If you need to eat it immediately, you can cut the liver into pieces, gently wash it by hand in clear water, then take it out and place it in a plastic or metal colander to rinse it clean under a running tap.
3. It must be fully cooked; do not seek tenderness.
When cooking, avoid "quick-frying and rapid-searing," and certainly do not take it out of the pan immediately for the sake of being "fresh and tender." It must be cooked through and thoroughly stir-fried until the pork liver turns completely grayish-brown with no visible blood streaks to ensure it is safe to eat.
4. Be mindful of food taboos.
Animal liver should not be consumed with vitamin C tablets. Animal liver is rich in trace elements such as zinc, manganese, and copper. If consumed with vitamin C tablets, a chemical reaction will occur, causing the vitamin C to be oxidized into dehydroascorbic acid and lose its normal efficacy.
5. Do not overindulge.
Consumption of animal liver should be moderate. Taking pork liver as an example, eating it twice a week, 50-100 grams each time, can meet the body's needs for iron and vitamin A.
6. Reduce intake of other foods high in saturated fatty acids.
When eating animal liver, especially pork liver, you should eat less of other foods high in saturated fatty acids, such as animal fat, fatty meat, cream, butter, and whole milk. This is to prevent the saturated fatty acids in these foods from promoting the human body's absorption of cholesterol from the pork liver. You can eat some soybeans and soy products along with the pork liver, because the stigmasterol they contain has a similar structure to cholesterol and can reduce the body's absorption of cholesterol.
Fenghuang Chinese Medicine Reminder
Although animal liver has high nutritional value, it should not be consumed in excess. This is because animal liver not only has a relatively high cholesterol content, but it is also the main detoxification organ in the animal body. Most toxic and harmful substances in food are metabolized and transformed by the liver and then excreted from the body.