Episode #25 Scrambled Brains....For Breakfast?!

In this episode I discuss the health benefits of organ meats like brains, liver, kidney, heart, and similar foods.

Organ meats (from pastured animals- not from conventionally grown animals) are exquisitely nutrient dense- they pack a powerful punch of minerals, fat soluble vitamins, protein, enzymes and fat- all things that are sorely lacking in the typical modern diet. Below, I list different Beef organs one can sample (same goes for pastured pork, game animals and pastured poultry.

Liver- This is the big guns of all of the organ meats as it contains nutrients that are difficult to obtain from other sources. Liver is high in the precursor to vitamin A, retinol ( food sources are safe and superior to synthetic sources of vitamin A), B12, Folate, and choline (good for fat metabolism). Liver is revered by boxers as the ultimate endurance food- perhaps all of the B12 ( up to 17 times as much as ground beef)

Beef liver pate: http://www.almostbananas.net/simple-and-best-liver-pate/

Heart- Has a texture and taste similar to muscle meats like brisket so the “organ meat factor” is purely visual as opposed to liver or brain for example. That said, heart is a good source of iron, zinc, selenium, B vitamins, and CoQ10. CoQ10 is one of the primary factors in mitochondrial energy production and a powerful antioxidant (helps clean up oxidative residue from exercise and metabolic functions). Beef and pork heart have the highest concentration of CoQ10 and contain up to 5 times as much CoQ10 per gram as beef and pork muscle meat.

Beef Heart with Herbed Vinaigrette and Arugula: http://blog.ruhlman.com/2011/08/how-to-cook-beef-heart/

Tongue- one of the best tasting and most tender cuts of meat, tongue is also a good source of zinc, iron, choline, B12 and B vitamins in general as well as trace minerals.  Its also composed of up to 70% fat- making it very juicy and tender.

Beef Tongue Recipe: http://thecuriouscoconut.com/blog/how-to-cook-beef-tongue

Kidney: Is probably the most labor intensive organ to prepare- requiring soaking and trimming but it is also loaded with protein and vitamin B12. Cooked properly, the flavor is mild and the texture soft and chewy like mushroom

Deviled Beef Kidney: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/09/nasty-bits-offal-deviled-kidneys-recipe.html

Brain- Probably the one folks are most squeamish about, brain takes a little prep but can pay off in nutritional value. High in Omega 3 fatty acids and minerals (the very things nerve cells are composed of) brain provides the raw materials for our nervous system to repair itself.

Scrambled Brains:

1 set of brains (beef or pork)

1tbsp organic grass fed butter

4 pastured eggs

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Unrefined mineral salt

2 tbsp organic grass fed milk

Parboil brains gently. Drain. Saute gently in butter until browned. Add eggs to milk and beat, lightly  scramble and garnish with parsley.

Don’t discount the value of a good diet that includes raw animal products like pastured eggs, raw cream, and even raw meat and organ meats (from healthy pastured animals- and prepared properly) to not only nourish and rebuild your body but actually correct what didn’t grow correctly in the first place- more on that in my next podcast.