How To Travel With Liver
If you’re crunchy, it’s likely that you consume liver as part of your diet.
You already know that it’s one of the MOST nutrient-dense foods available.
Maybe you even refer to it as nature’s multivitamin.
It has protein…and vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin B3, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, iron, zinc, copper, selenium, and so many other nutrients.
It’s muscle meat with benefits.
Unlike kale or blueberries, liver can be considered a GENUINE superfood!
It contains MORE vitamins and minerals than the latest powdered mushroom trend, hands down.
And while you could swallow frozen liver cubes in the morning, or slip a couple of pâté cubes into beef chili for dinner, how does one consume liver while traveling?
Travel Is A Health Stressor
There are SO many challenges we encounter when away from our routine.
Those are the ones that move you backwards on your health journey, little by little.
You get less SLEEP due to early flights, late nights, and new time zones.
There’s more EMF exposure from airports, planes, hotels, and big cities.
And you can forget about eating meals made with HEALTHY ingredients.
Even when traveling is purely for fun, it’s a MAJOR health stressor.
Most of us either get sick while on the trip, or right AFTER we return home.
Travel is exactly the occasion where we NEED the benefits of organ meat in our diet, specifically liver.
Organ meats like liver, kidney, heart, and tongue used to be REGULAR components of human food throughout human history.
Nowadays, there is BARELY anyone that eats them.
Rarely, you might see offal on a menu – mostly ethnic restaurants and expensive farm-to-table establishments.
Most of us didn’t grow up eating them, and have only heard stories of older generations being FORCED to eat liver and onions.
When I ate liver for the first time ever, it was cooked beef liver.
It was…INTENSE.
But I was determined not to stop there since there were so many benefits of consuming organ meats.
And eventually tried all sorts of offal, even starting to LIKE it?
Knowledge is power, and in this case “mind over matter” was the way to go on this one.
How To Eat Liver
Although part of the liver’s function is to break down toxins, it doesn’t store them.
This is a common misconception.
Still, if you have the choice, opt for liver from healthy animals that are pasture-raised instead of grain-fed.
Liver can taste vastly different depending on the kind of animal it came from, how it was raised, and how the liver is prepared.
Fortunately for crunchy folk like us, most “regular” people aren’t interested in liver.
YET…
You can still buy it at a fairly reasonable price, even pasture-raised.
The general public is still ignoring it and going for PREMIUM STEAK CUTS instead.
Pâté For Beginners
A slice of sourdough slathered with salted butter and pâté is a really easy and delicious way to eat liver.
It’s a savory, robust, and nutrient dense snack or breakfast side.
If you’ve never made pâté before, it can be pretty simple.
Here’s a no-recipe method to get you started.
First, fry up a batch of bacon and onions.
Then, quickly sear small-ish pieces of liver so they’re still pink in the middle.
Combine everything in a food processor with ghee (or butter), salt, and your choice of spices to taste.
You can change up the seasonings to what you like, but a good combination would be something like rosemary, thyme, tarragon, and summer savory.
If the texture is too thick for your liking, add a little bit of bone broth to thin it out.
Make a big batch and split it into two portions: freeze half in silicone molds or an ice tray, and the other half gets frozen in glass jars.
To avoid cracked jars, use jars without shoulders (they should be straight up and down) and only fill about 2/3 full.
Frozen pâté pucks can be added to meals like stew, meat sauce, chili, and curry while they’re cooking.
This is the BEST way to hide the flavor of liver if you are a newbie…sneaking them in meals with bold herbs and seasonings is the way to do it!
Jars of pâté can be brought out one at a time to enjoy as a side for any meal, or even added to a fancy charcuterie board!
For no-nonsense liver consumption, small liver chunks can be frozen and swallowed just like a pill!
Liver On The Go
The easiest way to benefit from organ meats while traveling is by taking freeze-dried or desiccated liver capsules.
No handling raw liver, no cooking, no refrigeration required, and no taste.
Look for high-quality ones made with pasture-raised beef liver, with no fillers added.
There are even formulations with OTHER organs in addition to liver.
Think liver PLUS…heart, kidney, spleen, bone marrow, or brain!
If you have picky eaters in your household, these supplements might be a great start for them.
Capsules can be easily opened up and mixed into a smoothie, soup, or entrée.
It’s great to be able to eat nose-to-tail even with limited dining options on the road.
How Much Liver To Take?
Because these are considered REAL FOOD instead of supplements, a single serving of liver is multiple capsules, usually 4-6.
Doesn’t that seem like a LOT?
Just as you might eat only one or two servings of liver a week, you could use a similar amount for a freeze-dried or desiccated version.
Liver is NOT a muscle meat like ribeye or chicken breast.
There’s only ONE per animal.
It doesn’t make sense that you would have to load up on liver EVERY single day.
Offal Is Not Awful, It’s Great
The liver is an ideal package of vitamins, minerals, and cofactors packaged together that deliver optimum nutrition.
It’s so much better than individual synthetic vitamins that only contain part of the whole story, and are easy to overdo.
The benefits of consuming liver and other organ meats should continue even when away from home.
Liver capsules were made for crunchy travel!
Consuming Liver the Crunchy Way
- Ask for ALL the organs and fat trimmings from your cow share
- Make your own pâté or try new offal recipes — It Takes Guts is a great cookbook to try
- Periodically switch up formulations and even brands of supplements
- Keep organ supplements in amber glass or opaque containers to prevent nutrients from degrading with light damage