Offal is hitting the markets, internet and being added to therapeutic diets as a weekly rotation for a myriad of health reasons.  It turns out, organ meat offers an excellent source of ubiquinone (CoQ10), minerals, including iron, magnesium, selenium, folate and zinc, essential fatty acids, fat and water soluble vitamins. Furthermore, they are both an excellent protein source and boost for our mitochondria – the powerhouse of our cells!  This is especially important for those battling an autoimmune disease.

According to Webmd.com, potential benefits of consuming organ meats include a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, increased energy, reduced risk of cancer and heart disease and a stronger immune system.

Both cheaper and offering more health benefits than the muscle cuts of meat, you may want to consider adding offal to your twice a week dinner rotation.  Only 6oz a week has been shown to offer benefits the way our hunter-gatherers received two million years ago.

So how do you make liver, tongue, heart, kidneys, brains and intestines palatable?  Try cutting beef liver into ½ inch chunks and placing into a food processor with sautéed onions and some ghee or grassfed butter.  Add this mix to your ground beef in a ratio of ¼ liver to a pound and a half of ground beef.  Use your usual meatball or hamburger seasonings and enjoy!  You’ll likely hardly taste the difference.

Added to your list of organ meat variety includes cockles, muscles, oysters, sardines and clams.  Why are shellfish considered organ meat?  It’s because you’re eating the whole animal and therefore receive the same benefits.  What’s even better, you can easily find these items in cans and jars making it easy to pack for lunch or to take along on travel.  For a bonus, purchase bone-in sardines and you’re also getting a wonderful extra calcium boost!

If cooking with organ meat is a “no can do”, based on your personal preferences, I suggest Paleo Valley Grass Fed Organ Complex.  Paleo Valley freeze dries their product that consists of heart, liver and kidney so the benefits are equivalent to cooking them at home.

Additionally, many online food companies are doing the work for you.  Try trubeeforganic.com; forceofnature.com; northstarbison.com or togetherfarms.com.

Have you created an offal recipe that’s anything but awful?  Email me and share your recipe, I’d love to hear from you!

meri@rebuildhealthcoach.com