Understanding Why People Like Liver

Liver.

The mere mention of the word gets the gag reflex going in lots of people. There are others whose eyes will light up a room if they start thinking about offal.

Me? I like liver in small doses. I usually make a pate once a year. Every once in a blue moon I'll make a braunschweiger sandwich. I probably WILL order the foie gras, if it's on the menu.

Before you accuse me of ill-informed gluttony, blithely noshing on potentially toxic filter organs while my cholesterol and uric acid counts go off the chart, just stop. Allow me to repeat myself. I like it in small doses. And those small doses usually only happen 2-3 times per year. So while I did enjoy a liver-based delicacy this week, please note that the rest of the week mi esposo complained bitterly that I was feeding him "rabbit food", so much in the mood for vegetarian entrees was I.

So...this gross, slimy, sponge-textured blob that might be full of trace toxins or growth hormones and potentially cultivated under a cloud of inhumanity...why in the world would anyone eat this liver stuff???

I get the internal call to eat liver usually when it is cold outside and when we are all virtually trapped indoors during cold and flu season. Perhaps I crave it because of the incredibly high levels of Vitamin A, which is a powerful immune-booster. I also fancy it served with avocado or real mayonnaise. Perhaps my body is calling out for some omega 3 fatty acids that will help me absorb the many members of the B complex vitamins therein. I may crave those B vitamins especially because I do like vegetarian entrees so much: while veg selections are so wonderfully healthful in a myriad of ways, they are totally devoid of vitamin B12. Liver also contains trace minerals like copper, which can do incredible free-radical-fighting work for your skin and connective tissues. So liver keeps you loose and lovely! Finally, liver is a delicacy that usually has minimal impact on the food cost budget (read: it's cheap).

So that's why some people like liver.

I don't recommend you start eating it if your doctor advises against it and I don't recommend you start eating it if you cannot overcome some bad childhood memory of the stuff. But it you are inclined to indulge, doing so just a few times a year can be a most pleasurable way of taking in a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals.