Amazing health benefits of organ meats showcase the nutritious versatility of organ meats and their health effects both good and bad.
The thought of eating organ meats might sound so distasteful to many people. But organ meats are popular in many dishes and can be a great addition to your diet. This is because they’re packed with nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and folate. Equally, they’re a first-rate source of iron and protein.
What Are Organ Meats?
Sometimes referred to as offal, organ meats are the organs of animals you prepare and consume as food. Steaks drumsticks or minced meat are not the only edible part of an animal. There are various types of organ meats such as liver, heart, kidney, intestines, tongue, and tripe. Others are the brain, sweetbreads, testicles, foot, and intestines. These come from goats, cows, pigs, lambs, chickens, and ducks.
Amazing Health Benefits Of Organ Meats
The nutrition profile of organ meat varies slightly, depending on the animal source and organ type. But most organs are extremely nutritious. Most are more nutrient-dense than muscle meat.
Organ meats are particularly rich in B vitamins, such as vitamin B12 and folate. They are also rich in minerals, including iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc. As well as important fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K. Vitamin K is the powerful nutrient missing from your diet.
Additionally, organ meats are a first-rate protein source. Equally, provides all the nine essential amino acids that your body needs to function effectively.
Why It’s Healthy To Add Organ Meats To Your Diet
Eating organ meats has several benefits:
- Great source of iron: Meat contains heme iron, which is highly bioavailable, so it’s more easily absorbed by the body than non-heme iron from plant foods.
- Fill you up for longer: Many studies have shown that high-protein diets can reduce appetite and increase feelings of fullness. They may also promote weight loss by increasing your metabolic rate.
- Help retain muscle mass: Organ meats are a source of high-quality protein, which is important for building and retaining muscle mass.
- A fabulous source of choline: The liver is among the world’s best sources of choline, which is an essential nutrient for brain, muscle, and liver health that many people lack.
- Reduce wastage and less expensive: Eating organ meats also reduces food waste. And they can be found at a bargain price. But in some countries, organ meats are more expensive than muscle meat. Because in these parts, organ meats are delicacies consumed as special treats.
https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/heme-iron/
The Bad Side of Eating Organ Meats
Despite the excellent health benefits of organ meats, caution in consumption is advised if you are prone to the following underlying health issues. Likewise is the need to watch out to avoid the mad cow disease (BSE):
High cholesterol
Most organ meats contain a large amount of cholesterol, regardless of the animal source. For instance, 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of cooked beef brain contain 2000 milligrams of cholesterol, while the kidney and liver have 716 milligrams and 381 milligrams, respectively.
This being said, in healthy adults, it’s unclear whether a cholesterol-rich diet can increase heart health risks. However, if you have a high blood cholesterol issue, health experts recommend eating high-cholesterol foods with care.
How Healthy Is Your Cholesterol Level?
Gout and Birth Defects
A gout is a form of arthritis characterized by severe pain, redness, and tenderness in joints. So, if you suffer from gout, your consumption of organ meats should be in moderation.
Also To avoid birth defects, if you’re pregnant or lactating, you should be cautious of your intake of liver because of its richness in vitamin A.
Mad cow disease or BSE
Mad cow disease or BSE can cause a rare, fatal brain disease in humans. Symptoms may include anxiety, apathy, or nervousness. Other experiences of mad cow disease are sensory, cognitive, muscular, and psychological.
How to Include Organ Meats in Your Dishes
Organ meats are already found in many cuisines. Similarly, they’re becoming increasingly popular in fine-dining restaurants due to their strong and unique flavors.
Therefore, if you haven’t tried organ meats before, it can take some time to develop a taste for them. It may be best to start with the more mildly flavored organs like the tongue, kidney, and heart.
You can also try grinding up liver and kidneys and combining them with ground beef or pork in dishes such as Bolognese.
Alternatively, add them to a slow-cooked stew with other meats such as lamb shank. This can help you gradually develop a taste for these stronger flavors.
Bottom Line
On a final note, the amazing health benefits of organ meats include their rich source of many vitamins and minerals that can be difficult to get from other food sources. So, if you enjoy eating meat, you may want to substitute some muscle meat with organ meat.
Organ meats will provide you with some extra nutrition, kind to your pocket, and benefit your environment.
Photo Credit: Creative Commons
