Liver meats nutrition

(M) #1

In my search for bison organ meat nutrition, I couldn’t find any real data. Seeing whereas bison are similar to cattle and the meat has even more b12 is it safe to assume the liver has as much b12 if not possibly more than beef liver? One website with a bison supplement claims bison liver has only 5mg per ounce. That doesn’t seem right since beef liver has about 17mg per ounce. I’m really surprised there is no data for bison organ meats as well as elk or deer.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

Five milligrams in an ounce is wildly high.

Most of the sources I’ve seen measure B-12 in bison meat in micrograms (μg) per 100 g. (For reference, 1 oz. = 28.4 g.)

(M) #3

Certainly 5mg is high compared to most meats but look at beef liver, it has way more than 5mg in 1 oz. Beef liver has like 17-18mg in just 1 oz. What I am wondering is If the b12 content is similar in the meat portions of beef and bison, wouldn’t it be similar in the organs as well?

(Michael) #4

I just use beef nutrition stays for bison if bison are unavailable. They will be at most slightly different I would think.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #5

Again, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database gives the B-12 values for beef liver in micrograms (μg) per 100 g, not milligrams (mg).

The U.S. National Institutes of Health provides these recommendations for B-12 intake:

Table 1: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin B12

Age Male Female Pregnancy Lactation
Birth to 6 months* 0.4 mcg 0.4 mcg
7–12 months* 0.5 mcg 0.5 mcg
1–3 years 0.9 mcg 0.9 mcg
4–8 years 1.2 mcg 1.2 mcg
9–13 years 1.8 mcg 1.8 mcg
14–18 years 2.4 mcg 2.4 mcg 2.6 mcg 2.8 mcg
19+ years 2.4 mcg 2.4 mcg 2.6 mcg 2.8 mcg
*adequate intake (AI)

Since these recommendations are all in micrograms, any nutrition source that contains B-12 in milligrams is going to be giving you over 1000 times the amount you actually need, so I wouldn’t worry about getting enough. In other words, if the 5 mg / 28.4 g (1 oz.) figure you cite is actually accurate, then 1 oz. will give you 2082.3 times the amount of B-12 you need. And even the USDA figure of 70 μg / 100 g will still give you 19.99 / 2.4 = 8.283 times the amount you need from 1 oz. of meat.

So I wouldn’t worry about getting enough B-12.

(M) #6

I was mistaken when writing mg instead of mcg. The website claimed it had 5mcg. If bison is on the same level as beef liver which I would think it is, it should be about 15mcg.

5mcg is still high but even when I ate sockeye salmon with that amount I couldn’t keep my b12 from dropping. I seem to need at least 10-15mcg per day to make it go up or stay steady.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #7

That makes sense. The Dudes say that we not only need to know the science, we also need to figure out how our own body responds best.

(M) #8

I didn’t want to make another thread. I am wondering what are the most tender organ meats besides liver? I didn’t really care for kidneys taste but maybe I’ll give it another try. How is beef heart?

(KM) #9

I guess tongue is not an organ, is it. It is absolutely amazing so tender.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #10

To me, beef heart tastes just like any other roast beef.

@kib1 I don’t know whether tongue counts as “organ” meat, either. But if by “organ” we mean all offal, I guess it counts. And it is amazingly tender, isn’t it?

(KM) #11

I’ve only had it as a prepared coldcut -giant stuffed Jewish deli sandwiches. Almost enough to bring back bread. :smirk: When I looked it up, tongue has nearly three times the fat of roast beef. 16g v 6g in 100g serving. Could be the perfect keto food?

(M) #12

I’m not sure about tongue yet. I may give bison pancreas a try. It has same fat to protein ratio.

#13

I think tongue is an organ, I vaguely remember looking it up. Even skin is an organ so why not tongue? It has its special role and everything, it’s not just a muscle next to others attached to skin and/or bone…

Tongue is great and tender, the tip is leaner and less so but heart is chewy. It’s still one of my favs, chewiness is good (as long as it’s not excessive so I can chew it. though I like some very chewy items where I must use a knife to put it into tiny pieces. but that is raw smoked pork, the fat part. that’s chewy), I like variety in texture :wink:

(M) #14

I read heart was the same texture as steak. Is that true?

#15

Not quite from what I remember, I remember it as more tender.

(Michael) #16

Heart is the softest of all the meats, without being also spongy. I find bison to be the best flavor. I eat my heart quickly fried on the outside and otherwise raw other than a thin layer. IMHO, the less cooked the better tasting, and the softer the texture.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #17

For me, it tasted and felt more like lean roast beef, not so much like steak, which is generally a different cut.