Why you should ditch your multivitamin for beef liver supplements

Why you should ditch your multivitamin for beef liver supplements

Updated: Mar 26, 2024Veronika Larisova

Beef liver supplements are a convenient way to obtain the abundant essential vitamins and minerals found in this true superfood. Just 100g of raw beef liver covers the daily recommended dietary intake (RDI) or adequate intake (AI) for many nutrients, making beef liver supplements a valuable option.

These supplements provide concentrated doses of key nutrients, including vitamin A, riboflavin, vitamins B6 and B12, copper, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Additionally, they contain more than half of the RDI or AI of niacin, folate, choline, iron, and selenium, as well as smaller amounts of vitamins E, K, and chromium. Incorporating beef liver supplements into your diet can help you meet your nutritional needs efficiently.

Liver is also packed with good-quality protein. 100g of beef liver provides 23g of protein, easily absorbed and not irritating to your gut compared with other protein sources such as pea protein or whey. Beef liver is simply the most nutrient-dense natural food in the animal or plant kingdom.

What are beef liver capsules, and what’s in them?

Chief beef liver capsules are made from organic grass-fed and grass-finished beef liver that’s freeze-dried (to preserve the nutrients) and ground. 100g of raw beef liver makes 33g of liver powder. Our capsules are made from bovine gelatine and contain no additives, just beef liver. I’m pointing this out as many liver capsules on the market contain fillers, binders and dehydrated liver, which is not as nutritionally dense as freeze-dried because some vitamins, such as B12, degrade when heated.

The meat we are using is organic, grass-fed and grass-finished Aussie beef with no added hormones, antibiotics or GMOs. It comes from certified farms with high animal welfare practices. Because the liver is an organ that processes toxins, it is crucial only to eat a liver that ticks all these boxes.

Why you should ditch your synthetic multivitamin supplement?

Beef liver capsules are a powerful wholefood supplement better for you than a synthetic supplement because our bodies get the best nourishment from good quality foods. Synthetic supplements are often made from the cheapest ingredients, which are very poorly absorbed, and you are likely to pee them out (hence the yellow urine).

Whole foods rarely cause nutrient imbalances or toxicities, but supplements can. It’s hard to determine how much of a supplement is safe as the tolerances for high doses of nutrients (the case of supplements) vary as much as the risk for nutrient deficiency. For example, high doses of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are toxic to the human body, as well as excessive iron or zinc supplementation.

Who are beef liver capsules for?

Beef liver capsules are an excellent supplement for those who don’t like eating organ meats, those who struggle with vitamin and mineral absorption, or those who don’t like chemically derived supplements.

Beef liver capsules are also more convenient than eating cooked liver. They have a long shelf life and can be stored at room temperature. You can pop a few capsules alongside your smoothies or snack bars if you are always on the run.

Who could benefit the most from regular liver consumption?

Because liver is nature’s multivitamin, it affects all aspects of our health, including hormones, the immune system, the reproductive system, gut function, cardiovascular health, skin and bones. Every adult will benefit from regular liver consumption. However, some of us need this nutrition powerhouse more than others.

You will benefit from liver or liver capsule consumption …

If you are at risk of anaemia
Liver is high in highly bioavailable vitamin B12 and iron needed to produce haemoglobin and myoglobin and to form red blood cells.

If your eyesight is not the best
Liver contains many vitamins and minerals associated with a decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration. The eye-health vitamins and minerals include A, C, E, iron, zinc, and copper. According to science, taking a supplement containing those nutrients is associated with a 25% decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration.

If you want to keep your heart healthy
Consuming vitamins B6, B12 and folate in one supplement is associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease in a general population via lowering homocysteine levels. Homocysteine is an amino acid linked to heart disease when it builds up in excess.

Omega 3s, copper and magnesium are also essential for a healthy cardiovascular system. For example, copper helps maintain healthy blood vessels, the nervous system, and the immune system.

If you want to improve your skin health
Vitamin A nourishes your skin and helps reduce inflammation, shields the skin against free radicals, and aids healing. It also stimulates collagen production and helps improve skin elasticity. It protects the skin against UV damage and other environmental factors and promotes skin cell turnover.

When and how should you take beef liver capsules?

Replace your synthetic multivitamin with liver capsules. To get the most benefit, split the recommended dose (4 capsules) into halves and have one half with each of your main meals to spread the nutrients throughout the day. You can open the capsules and sprinkle the contents over your salads and soups.

Interesting facts

Inuits (Eskimos) get all their vitamins and minerals from organ meats! According to the Science Focus, the traditional Inuit diet supplies all essential nutrients, provided you eat the whole animal and add some berries and seaweed to cover your fibre requirement.


Vitamin/mineral

RDA/AI adult male

100g of RAW beef liver

B12

2.4 μg

59 μg

Vitamin A

900 μg

4970 μg

Vitamin D

10 μg

1.2 μg

Riboflavin 

1.3 mg

4.8 mg

Niacin 

16 mg

9.4 mg

Vitamin B6

1.3 mg

1.1 mg

Folate 

400 μg

290 μg

Thiamin 

1.2 mg

0.23 mg

Choline 

550 mg

333 mg

Iron 

8 mg

5.8 mg

Phosphorus 

1250 mg

397 mg

Zinc 

14 mg

3.6 mg

Selenium 

70 μg

39.7 μg

Copper 

1.7 mg

9.8 mg

Magnesium 

420 mg

15 mg 

Omega 3 

160 mg

561 mg 


RDA- recommended dietary intake

AI- adequate intake



 



    Veronika Larisova
    Co-founder, Nutritionist, Exercise Physiologist
    Follow Veronika on Instagram

 

 

References

Vitamin A Factsheet

https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-HealthProfessional/


Heart disease

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2018.1511967?journalCode=bfsn20&cookieSet=1


Inuits

https://www.sciencefocus.com/the-human-body/how-do-inuits-get-their-five-a-day/

https://vitamindwiki.com/Eskimos+evolved+to+get+and+limit+Vitamin+D+from+food#:~:text=In%20regards%20to%20the%20Inuit,vitamin%20D%2C%20they%20consumed%20it.


Nutrient Gap Assessment

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7947982/


Nutritional Composition of Red Meat

https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1053&context=hbspapers

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