Liver Nutrition Facts

What is liver and why do our moms always tell us to eat liver? Of all the organs found in the gut of animals, liver is only few of those that is considered edible. Supermarkets have livers available from lamb, chicken, calf, goose, pigs, and fish to be cooked and consumed by us. Famous across the world as a popular food, livers of birds and mammals is served in many cuisines. Also, the preparation methods are unique as well such as baking, frying, boiling, broiling, stir-frying, and even served raw. You might have seen restaurants serving liver pâté, liver sashimi (in Lebanese cuisine), chopped liver, foie gras, and Leberwurst. Even though liver is considered to be one of the good sources of nutrients, it is also a power house for toxin storage. The chemicals that can't be transformed into healthy nutrients are acquired in the liver as toxic waste. Any and all toxins that the chicken, beef, or calf were exposed to, will be stored in their livers. Therefore, read the nutrition facts to know what should be included in our diet.

Chicken Liver Nutrition

While preparing salads, soups, or any other chicken recipes, you can definitely include the liver into your cooking. Of course, how you cook your meals and with which ingredients will make a huge difference in the nutrients availed from eating chicken liver. So why don't we try to find out which essential nutrients are available to us.

• Chicken liver is fairly low in calories (1 oz = 47 calories).
• One of the biggest issue about chicken liver is that it has high cholesterol levels.
• It has vitamins like A, C, B6, and B12; minerals include copper, iron, manganese, niacin, and zinc.
• 1 oz of chicken liver has healthy amounts of proteins and fat (7 grams and 2 grams respectively).

Chicken Liver
Serving Size ~ 100 gm	Calories	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Total Fat	Vitamin A	Vitamin C	Cholesterol	Calcium	Iron	Sodium	Zinc
Pan-fried, Cooked	172	25.8 g	1.1 g	6.4 g	14378 IU	0.8 mg	564 mg	10.0 mg	12.9 mg	92.0 mg	4.0 mg
Simmered, Cooked	167	24.5 g	0.9 g	6.5 g	13328 IU	27.9 mg	563 mg	11.0 mg	11.6 mg	76.0 mg	4.0 mg
Raw	116	16.9 g	0.0 g	4.8 g	11077 IU	17.9 mg	345 mg	8.0 mg	9.0 mg	71.0 mg	2.7 mg
Canned	201	13.5 g	6.5 g	13.1 g	724 IU	391 mg	10.0 mg	10.0 mg	9.2 mg	386 mg	2.1 mg

Beef Liver Nutrition

In 1934, George H. Whipple, William P. Murphy, and George R. Minot were awarded the noble prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of treating pernicious anemia with the help of liver. Not only does beef liver help in treating patients with pernicious anemia, but it can also increase the red blood cell counts. The other benefits of eating beef liver include...

• 1 slice of beef liver has only 142 calories which can be a good way to stay on track of your weight loss plan. If you are a low-carb, high-protein diet, then beef liver delivers 16 and 92 calories respectively.
• On the contrary, beef liver has high levels of cholesterol which is bad for the heart (1 serving = 309 mg).
• It's an unbelievable source of vitamin A for proper bone growth, healthy skin and hair, and reproduction.

Beef Liver
Serving Size ~ 100 gm	Calories	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Total Fat	Vitamin A	Vitamin C	Cholesterol	Calcium	Iron	Sodium	Zinc
Braised, Cooked	191	29.1 g	5.1 g	5.3 g	31718 IU	1.9 mg	396 mg	6.0 mg	6.5 mg	79.0 mg	5.3 mg
Pan-fried, Cooked	175	26.5 g	5.2 g	4.7 g	26091 IU	0.7 mg	381 mg	6.0 mg	6.2 mg	77.0 mg	5.2 mg
Raw	135	20.4 g	3.9 g	3.6 g	16899 IU	1.3 mg	275 mg	5.0 mg	4.9 mg	69.0 mg	4.0 mg

Calf Liver Nutrition

Calf or veal liver is available from young cows. The texture of the liver is tender and it tastes better than the liver found in other adult animals. Which is why, you will find lesser amounts of toxins and chemicals in them.

• 4 oz of calf liver delivers at least half the protein requirements for adults.
• Calf liver has rich contents of B vitamins like B12, B6, riboflavin, and niacin.
• Liver stores excess levels of vitamin A and is not recommended for pregnant women; excess vitamin A can be toxic for growing babies.
• With minerals like copper, zinc, and phosphorous, calf liver is considered "one of the world's healthiest foods" by The George Mateljan Foundation.

Calf Liver (Veal)
Serving Size ~ 100 gm	Calories	Proteins	Carbohydrates	Total Fat	Vitamin A	Vitamin C	Cholesterol	Calcium	Iron	Sodium	Zinc
Braised, Cooked	192	28.4 g	3.8 g	6.3 g	70599 IU	1.1 mg	511 mg	6.0 mg	5.1 mg	78.0 mg	11.2 mg
Pan-fried, Cooked	193	27.4 g	4.5 g	6.5 g	66981 IU	0.7 mg	485 mg	7.0 mg	6.0 mg	85.0 mg	11.2 mg
Raw	140	19.9 g	2.9 g	4.9 g	39058 IU	0.7 mg	5.0 mg	334 mg	6.4 mg	77.0 mg	12.0 mg

It is advised that you try to avoid eating liver from the older animals and opt for younger ones. Although it may seem that there are only few liver nutritional facts that are useful, eating small portions of liver can be a good source of minerals, vitamins, and proteins for a healthy lifestyle. Remember, liver does contain high amounts of fat and cholesterol which can be harmful for the heart, so if you wish to introduce liver as part of your daily diet or exercise regime, take professional advice from your family doctor.