Pork liver is one of the most iron rich foods you can eat as it contains 18 mg of iron per 100g of liver or about 15 mg in a single 3 oz serving. That single serving is about 85% of your daily iron value. Which is great.
Pork liver is also a rich source of protein, vitamin A, vitamins B12 and and other essential nutrients. In terms of calories a 3-oz serving of pork liver gives you 140 calories – around the same number that you’d get from a portion of skinless chicken breast of the same size.
Not bad.
However, one issue with pork liver is that like all other organ meats it is high in cholesterol.
A single serving of pork liver will give you some 300mg of cholesterol or 100% of your daily value. That is about the same amount of cholesterol as 1½ egg. When it comes to the cholesterol levels in your body, they are not greatly influenced by the amount of cholesterol you eat, but in fact much more by the amount of saturated fat in your diet. Still you want to keep your daily cholesterol intake within the limits.
So, I would say that eating pork liver occasionally is a good idea as it is a great source of vitamins A, B6 and B12 which are very important and often difficult to get. And of course pork liver is a great way to get a quick iron fix.
But watch those portion sizes.
One last reason not to over do it with eating pork liver is that it is very high in vitamin A and overdosing on vitamin A can actually be very damaging. From that perspective it is often recommended not to eat liver more than twice a week. If you’re pregnant of trying for a baby don’t eat liver or liver products at all.
If you’re trying to lower your cholesterol levels or have heart disease or diabetes, this is probably one iron rich food to avoid. But more important than that, if you have any of these conditions you really need to cut down your saturated fats.
Quick and Easy Tips to add Pork Liver into Your Diet:
- Next time you make yourself a sandwich try a piece of toast with liver sausage instead
- Add in some chicken livers next time you make meatloaf
Great Iron Rich Recipes with Pork Liver:
- Links will be added soon
- Links will be added soon
- Links will be added soon
