Raw Meats & Organs

Organ meats are the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. Liver has more vitamin A, copper, zinc, and B12 than any plant or muscle meat. Kidney is rich in selenium and B vitamins. Heart is packed with CoQ10. But heres the thing - you dont actually need them to thrive on carnivore.

Muscle meat and fat alone provide all the essential nutrients humans require. The idea that you must eat liver or youll develop deficiencies is mostly a marketing story. Traditional cultures prized organs because they had to use the whole animal - not because muscle meat was somehow incomplete.

That said, organs are a tool. Some people feel better with them - more energy, better skin, faster recovery. If you want to experiment, this guide covers what you need to know.

The Nutrient Profile

Beef liver is the most popular. One ounce delivers more than 100% of the RDA for vitamin A, copper, and riboflavin. Its also one of the best sources of heme iron and contains active B12 (the form plants cant provide).

Kidney is extremely high in selenium - one serving can cover your entire daily requirement. It has a milder flavor than liver and works well as a starter organ.

Heart is essentially a muscle, so it tastes closer to regular meat. Its dense in CoQ10, which supports mitochondrial function and energy production.

Brain is uniquely high in DHA, the omega-3 fatty acid critical for brain health. It also contains phosphatidylserine and other phospholipids.

Spleen, pancreas, thymus (sweetbreads) are more niche. They provide organ-specific nutrients but are harder to source and prepare.

Raw vs Cooked

Some nutrients in organs are heat-sensitive. Vitamin C, certain B vitamins, and enzymes degrade with cooking. This is the main argument for eating organs raw.

Raw liver is a traditional food in many cultures. The Inuit ate raw seal liver. The Maasai ate raw animal parts. If you source from a trusted butcher (grass-fed, healthy animals), the risk is very low.

Cooked organs are safer from a food safety standpoint and easier to digest for some people. Light cooking - seared on the outside, rare inside - preserves most nutrients while killing surface bacteria.

If youre new to organs, start with cooked. The texture and flavor are alot more approachable than raw.

Hacks to Get More Organs In

Lets be honest - most people dont like the taste of liver. It's metallic, mineral, and the texture can be off-putting. Here are tricks that actually work:

Freeze and grate. Freeze raw liver, then grate it frozen over your ground beef while it cooks. The liver shreds melt into the meat and you barely taste it. Start with a small ratio - 10% liver to 90% beef - and work up.

Mix into ground beef. Blend raw liver (or kidney) into ground beef at a ratio of 1:10 or 1:5. Form into patties or meatballs. The flavor is well masked by the beef, especially if you add salt and cook in tallow or butter.

Desiccated organ supplements. If you really cant handle the taste or texture, freeze-dried organ capsules are a convenient alternative. Heart & Soil makes blends that combine liver, heart, kidney, and spleen - one capsule gives you a broad nutrient profile without any chewing.

Chicken liver pate. Saute chicken livers in butter with salt, then blend until smooth. The flavor is much milder than beef liver, and the pate texture is approachable. Eat it cold or spread on... nothing (no bread needed). Just eat it with a spoon.

Heart is basically meat. If you want the easiest organ entry point, try heart. It looks and cooks like a lean cut of beef. Slice thin, sear hot, eat rare. Most people cant tell the difference.

Sourcing

Quality matters more with organs than with muscle meat. The liver is a detoxification organ - if the animal was raised on a feedlot with antibiotics and hormones, those compounds concentrate in the liver. Look for:

100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef. Pasture-raised poultry. Wild-caught fish for cod liver. Local butchers often sell organs cheap or will give them away if you ask. Farmers markets are another good source.

ButcherBox includes grass-fed beef liver in some of their boxes. Heart & Soil sources from regenerative farms if you prefer the capsule route.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy something through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.