Liver is a love it or hate it food, and often gets neglected. However if you are looking for a powerful nutrient punch then liver delivers!
100g of Liver is going to give you around 30g of protein and virtually no carbohydrate, so a hit for the low carb days. But where liver really scores is from vitamins and minerals. The first big hit is from vitamin A; measured against the daily recommendations you could get over 680%, (between 10 and 25mg depending on where your liver came from).
After vitamin A you get the punch of B12, with up to 110mcg, or over 250% of a daily recommendation. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the synthesis of red blood cells, the maintenance of the nervous system and growth, too little B12 and you have anaemia. In the hard training bodybuilder B12 is in higher demand than for most other people.
You also get folate and riboflavin hammering home the B vitamins. Folate, known to many as folic acid, is essential not only for the proper absorption of iron but also for growth, and particularly healthy nerve cells. Riboflavin is important for growth, aids antibody production in the immune system, helps to maintain healthy skin, hair and nails, assists in proper thyroid function, and is also beneficial in preventing eye disorders. If that wasn't enough, riboflavin is a co-factor in the production of the antioxidant glutathione, which helps to prevent lipids from free radical damage. Important because it is cholesterol that has been damaged by free radicals that poses the health risk to blood vessel walls.
In addition to the big hits from vitamins A, B12, folate and riboflavin you are also getting a good dose of B6 and niacin from your liver, as well as healthy contributions from iron, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and copper.
So what do we buy? First of all you need to be buying liver from a young animal, the liver is the body's detoxification unit, and as time goes by in animals just as humans toxic substances can build up in the liver. More importantly older liver is tougher when you are eating it. The strongest flavoured liver is pigs liver, which is also the toughest in texture; chicken liver is tender and mild. The liver should be a rich pink colour and have a moist not slick surface. It should also have a clean smell, so if it smells bad, it is bad. Liver is most commonly sautéed, although it also gets to be stewed.
For all of you that like liver, and for those that are willing to give it a go, rest assured this tasty morsel comes with the nutritional clout to justify its inclusion in any bodybuilder's diet.