Offal has been part of the diet for thousands of years and is still eaten regularly in many countries today.
When it comes to supplying essential nutrients, it makes a lot of sense to eat offal regularly. Offal is one of the most nutrient-rich foods there is. Compared to most other foods, it provides significantly more essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, trace elements and high-quality protein.
In our culture, however, offal has become a rarity. Today, we eat mostly muscle meat. Although liver is considered a delicacy, it is relatively rare to see it. Other organs are even harder to find.
For our ancestors, however, it was the other way around. They preferred offal such as heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, tongue, brain and other organs. Muscle meat was eaten last and was also the meat most likely to be fed to dogs.
What nutrients do offal contain? Each organ has its own nutrient profile.
liver
Liver is by far the best source of vitamin A. Liver is also rich in vitamin B12 and other B vitamins . 1
In our article about liver you will learn more about which nutrients liver contains and why it is so healthy.
kidney
Kidney is incredibly rich in vitamin B12. 100 g of beef kidney contains almost 5 times the daily requirement of vitamin B12! 2
Kidney is also a good source of vitamin B3, selenium , iron, zinc , copper, potassium and phosphate. It even contains some vitamin D.
Heart
Heart is one of the best sources of coenzyme Q10 . Coenzyme Q10 has important functions in energy metabolism and is also an effective antioxidant. The body can produce coenzyme Q10 itself, but production decreases significantly with age.
Heart is also rich in collagen and the amino acid glycine.
spleen
Spleen contains a lot of iron. 3 The iron in the spleen is heme iron, which has a much better bioavailability than plant-based iron. This means that the body can absorb and utilize it much better.
For this reason, it is difficult to meet iron requirements on a vegetarian or vegan diet. This is particularly true for women, as they have a higher iron requirement than men.
pancreas
The pancreas also has a lot to offer in terms of nutrients: it is very rich in vitamin B12 and vitamin B5. It also provides considerable amounts of selenium, phosphate and zinc. 4
Include more offal in your diet
There are many good reasons to eat more offal. The problem is that it is not for everyone. We are simply no longer used to eating offal and its taste and consistency are very different from muscle meat.
The heart and tongue are very beginner-friendly as they are also muscles, so if you want to try offal, this would be a good place to start.
Liver has a relatively strong taste of its own, but is still good for beginners. It is considered a delicacy. For this reason, it is relatively common to find it in restaurants. There are also many good recipes for liver. Liver sausage is also a good way to incorporate liver into your diet.
