Why I Think Eating Organs Makes Sense — as a Nutritional Sciences PhD
By: Brandon J Eudy
Tags: Offal, Liver, Sustainability, Carnivore Diet, Nutrition

Photo by Bernhard Richter on Shutterstock

When we think about what dictates our food choices, what crosses most of our minds is probably some combination of flavor, nutrition, and price. We love eating the foods we enjoy, especially if we don’t have to pay too much for them. If they happen to also be nutritious, that’s the cherry on top. Organ meats (offal) have the potential to score well in all three of these categories, yet hardly any Americans eat organs.

Here, I want to explore this paradox and describe why I think organ meats deserve a place on your plate.

Why Americans do not eat organs

Organ meat consumption in the United States has drastically declined over the last 100 — 150 years. The reason for this is mostly related to the socio-economical stigma around them. For a long time, organs were considered “poor country folk” food. This idea probably solidified at the turn of the 20th century with the industrial revolution and the boom in meat production. Wealthier Americans were more interested in eating the prime cuts since they were seen as more refined, while the less fortunate would have consumed more organs out of necessity.

This is a shame because organ meats are INCREDIBLY rich in an array of nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds only found at high concentrations in animal products (creatine, carnitine, choline, etc). Our ancestors were well aware of this. For example, Native Americans would collect and distribute the organ meats among themselves before consuming other parts of the animal.

Although it could be argued that the major reason for this was to prevent spoilage, we can look at wolves as another example. After a pack of wolves lands a successful kill, the alpha-wolf rips out the liver of the prey and devours it before the other wolves have a go at their food. I think this image conveys a powerful statement about the nutritional value of organs since wolves are not worried about their meat spoiling!

Nutritional value of select types of offal

Most organs are densely packed with highly bioavailable nutrients. Let’s take a look at this idea using a top-down approach. When compared to plants, animals have physiology much more like humans. For example, we share common organs and nutrient metabolic pathways.

It makes sense that an animal liver would be an excellent source of the nutrients required for a human liver to function well.

This inference is driven by the fact that animal liver is an excellent source of nutrients like folate and choline. We require these nutrients for normal liver functions like methyl group metabolism and prevention of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Liver is not the only nutrient-rich organ. Heart is an excellent source of B-vitamins, zinc, and ubiquinol. Ubiquinol (also called CoQ10) is not a vitamin, but this nutrient is very important for mitochondrial function, which drives energy production in our cells.

Pig trotters (feet) are not considered organs but are not commonly eaten in the United States. I am perplexed by this because they are absolutely delicious. Eating boiled-for-hours pigs feed with a sweet sharp-garlicky sauce in the southern part of Taiwan was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Pig trotters are rich in connective tissue and collagen, which provides molecular building blocks for our own connective tissue. Glycine is an amino acid found in high concentrations in connective tissue and skin but not many other protein sources. We need glycine for several important functions like collagen synthesis, glutathione synthesis, and as a neurotransmitter.

One question I have been pondering is whether eating organ meats could be an excellent way to overcome genetic deficiencies related to nutrient metabolism. For example, if an individual was a poor converter of alpha-linolenic acid into eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), could they just consume foods rich in EPA and DHA to overcome this genetic deficiency?

In this case, the answer is yes, by eating fish. However, I wonder if the same concept could be applied to other metabolites and I plan to research this question in the near future.

Flavor and texture

Although not all organs can be equally delicious as pig trotters, they can still be darn good. The two main obstacles when cooking organs are reducing the chewiness and the “strong flavors”. Here are my solutions:

Reducing strong and barnyard flavors — this is especially pertaining to organs like the liver and intestine. These organs can be soaked for at least 30 minutes in milk or vinegar to make them more “palatable”.

Keeping organs tender — NOT overcooking is your best friend here. Overcooked liver or heart is going to get tough and more difficult to chew. Cooking these organs to the minimum desired safe internal temperature is recommended to keep them more tender (but please don’t expect a texture like a ribeye or a filet).

Now that you know these tips, how can you start cooking organs and make them delicious and flavorful? The preparation of organs will be slightly different based on the type.

For example, pig heart is fairly lean and a bit tough. It can benefit from quick cooking at high heat to sear the outside and might pair well with a fatty yogurt-garlic sauce or guacamole.

Chicken feet, on the other hand, are very collagenous and usually braised for hours to break down the tissue. In traditional Chinese cuisine, chicken feet are braised in a savory, slightly sweet sauce. This preparation works very well for chicken feet because the broken-down collagen combines with the sauce to give the dish a unique sticky mouthfeel that is always delicious!

This website has some excellent recipes and is an overall excellent source for more tips on how to cook offal.

Cost-effectiveness

When it comes to price, it’s hard to beat organs. Where I live in the eastern United States, I can find organs at half or even a third of the price as prime muscle cuts. However, locating them can be tricky. To purchase high-quality organ meats, I usually recommend farmer’s markets. They are more available there compared to supermarkets and the prices are usually more than fair.

The other option is to search for organs in ethnic supermarkets. Other cultures are more accustomed to eating organs than we are in the United States so it makes sense that these products could be found at supermarkets catering to these other cuisines.

Eating organs makes sense

Eating organs can improve your nutritional status while saving you some money. The best part is, you can still have a delicious meal if you put some thought into how to prepare these delicacies!

One last barrier to eating organs that has to be addressed is “expectations”. While beef heart can be delicious, it’s never going to offer the same experience as eating a ribeye. That being said, a juicy charred beef heart kabob has its own unique way of being delicious. Plus, there is the added satisfaction of eating something extra-nourishing that might otherwise go to waste.

Eating organs is not only good for you but also our agriculture system. It only makes sense that we should try to use our slaughtered livestock to their fullest and not waste anything. This type of nose-to-tail eating could really do wonders for agricultural practices, human health, and the environment.

Brandon J. Eudy, PhD

https://www.realfoodexplored.com