If you've been following me for a while (or you're a patient of mine)–you know how much I love to recommend eating liver. In fact, just the other day I had a new patient in the office and we discussed her eating liver and she asked me, “Aimee, why would you recommend eating liver? Isn't it the most toxic organ in the body?”
Aha. Another great misconception.
Yes, the liver is the “detoxifying” organ. However, the liver does not hold onto these toxins.
A main job of the liver has is to remove impurities from blood and lymph however the liver does not hold onto these impurities–rather it transforms these impurities into “non-toxic” substances and rids your body of them (by passing them along to organs like the kidney for excretion).
So, you see, the liver is not toxic. Nor will eating liver introduce toxins into your body.
Basically, if you're liver is toxic, every tissue in your entire body is toxic. And, when it comes to choosing the source of liver to eat, you must keep this in mind.
Make sure you are picking liver from grass-fed animals. As livers from animals that are commercially raised and eat a grain fed diet have shown to have a high heavy metal load and will introduce those heavy metals into your body. But a liver from a grass-fed animal has a much lower risk of containing such heavy metals.
The take-home: eat liver from grass fed sources and don't be scared. Liver is one of the best sources of vitamin a, b12, folate and all the other b vitamins–it is like natures b-complex.
And, remember–you shouldn't be eating a lot of liver… just a few ounces a week does the body good.
For more on this topic, check out this article from one of my favorite bloggers: Marks Daily Apple.
P.S. I am so sorry for falling off the blogosphere.. it's been quite hectic here getting ready for the launch of book#2! Can't wait to share it with you guys! xoxo
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