Importance of well balance diet
All food contains all of the nutrients we need to be healthy, it is necessary to eat various foods in sufficient amounts. A good diet will include many different foods, and sufficient in quantity and quality to meet an individual’s need for food energy and other micro nutrients.
ORGAN MEATS
Typical serving size:
3 to 4 oz or about 85 g to 113 gHOW THEY HARM
Toxins Gout High cholesterol Vitamin A toxicity Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease riskWHAT THEY HEAL
Anemia Vitamin B12 deficiency Protein deficiency Despite high nutritional value, organ meats, or offal, have never achieved in North America the popularity that they enjoy in EuropePâtés and popular luncheon meats, such as liverwurst, are often made from organ meats and perhaps other variety cuts, such as the feet
Organ meats vary in nutrition, but most offer high amounts of vitamin B12 and potassium—tripe and heart contain both
Many organ meats are low in fat but most are high in cholesterol, for example, beef brain and pork brain contain more than 2,000 mg per 4-oz (113-g) serving
Liver, probably the most popular organ meat in North America, provides more than 10 times the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin A, 50 times the RDA of vitamin B12, and 50% or more of the RDAs for folate, niacin, iron, and zinc
One drawback, however, is that liver is high in cholesterol
Health Benefits
Helps with anemia and vitamin B12 deficiencyBrains, heart, kidneys, and tongue all provide large amounts of iron and vitamin B12, which is necessary for keeping the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy
It also prevents a type of anemia called megaloblastic anemia, characterized by weakness and fatigue
Provides high-quality protein
Not all organ meats are high in fat or cholesterol
The heart, liver, and kidneys are leaner than other types, and also contain such useful minerals as iron
Health Risks
Dangerous toxinsBecause one of the liver’s main functions is to metabolize and detoxify various chemical compounds, it may harbor residues of antibiotics and other drugs fed to meat animals as well as environmental toxins
For this reason, some doctors advise against eating liver on a regular basis
Gout attacks
Organ meats are high in purines, which break down into uric acid in the body
An excess of uric acid causes painful inflammation that characterizes the trademark symptoms of gout, such as joint pain and toe tenderness
Therefore, organ meats are best avoided by those with gout and those who have a genetic predisposition to the disease
Cholesterol
For most people, eating organ meats regularly will not affect their cholesterol levels
However, for people with heart disease or who are on cholesterol-lowering diets, the American Heart Association recommends consuming organ meats only occasionally
Vitamin A toxicity
Liver is one of the richest dietary sources of vitamin A
When a person consumes more vitamin A than is needed, the excess is stored in the body; over time, vitamin A buildup can result in liver damage, fatigue, and other problems
Normally, it’s difficult—if not impossible—to consume toxic amounts of vitamin A from an ordinary diet
But because liver is so high in this nutrient, an individual who regularly consumes it several times a week may develop toxicity
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Organ meats from animals infected by mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalitis) can contain prions, abnormal protein cells related to the disease
Although a link has yet to be proved, there are concerns that eating infected organ meats could lead to a similarly fatal new human variant of the brain disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Allergies
Buying Tip
s
The butcher can cut or trim the organs to your liking
This label means the meat has undergone safe processing and includes handling and cooking tips