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RULE NUMBER ONE gras to your plate either; however, it’s possible,
You have been patient long enough, so here’s the secret: You have with some searching, to find “healthy” and even
to start with good liver. I’m going to aggravate some readers here, but humane foie gras these days.)
you gotta call a spade a spade. I recommend you avoid eating all feedlot Confined animals are usually more exposed
liver, which is pretty toxic in all ways. In fact, liver-haters will quickly to manure and bad air as well. You don’t want
remind you that, “Hey, the liver is just a big bag of poisons, toxins and to be eating their liver. If the animals are on
heavy metals.” Well, there’s some truth to that—but what if you kept those antibiotics, wormers, insecticides, hormone im-
toxins out of the animal in the first place? We call that organic husbandry. plants or other drugs, guess where these drugs
The liver of a healthy animal, contrary to popular belief, is not a are concentrated? On the other hand, liver and
“bag of poisons”; it’s the organ that stores fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, other organ meat from deer or elk tends to be
enzymes and other powerful nutrients. The good guys vastly outweigh extremely delicious and nutritious, especially if
the bad guys, too. Ever wonder why cod liver oil or other marine animal it’s harvested and field-dressed properly. Never
liver is such a valuable medicine? waste it. Even liver from trophy-sized animals
Polar bear liver is one of the few species of liver that you cannot eat. (older) is usually delicious.
Why? At certain times of the year, when the polar bear is eating moss,
the liver contains toxins. The other is moose liver. Moose do not have COOKING LIVER
gall bladders so their bile is stored in the liver, making them very bitter. Overcooking destroys nutrients in all foods.
Grass-fed, calf liver is almost always the best place to start. Try for The less one cooks liver, the better the nutrition
“organically raised” or “beyond organic,” if possible. Second, in spite of and flavor. There are only four common cook-
people’s presumptions about pigs, you will find that pastured pork liver ing fats that will hold up under fry heat: lard,
is fantastic; it has a very mild flavor. These pigs probably do eat grain (or tallow, coconut and palm. These are good fats,
acorns) but like chickens, they are omnivorous and can actually digest in spite of what the politically correct doctors
good, non-GMO grain in a wholesome way. If you can find it, also try try to tell us. (On the other hand, don’t overheat
healthy lamb and goat liver. These animals are typically killed when very butter, as it is quite fragile under heat. Butter
young, which means a sweeter, more tender and more delicious eating is fine for lightly cooking eggs under low heat,
experience. Once again, whenever possible with the small ruminants, for example, but nothing more.)
opt for 100 percent grass-fed liver. Do not cook liver in one of the all-too-
When you buy liver, examine it carefully. It should be smooth as prevalent, so-called “vegetable” oils such as
glass and dark colored (a deep purplish red). It should have sharply de- canola, soy or corn oil (they are not really from
fined edges and a distinct firmness—not mucky or crumbly (ick), but not vegetables!), which will break down quickly
hard as a rock either. Avoid liver with yellow spots or blotches, and be when heated. These unfortunately still-popular
particularly careful about commercial, commodity poultry liver, which vegetable oils are also all GMO products, and
is almost always yellowish. Don’t eat yellow snow or yellow liver! Birds they are loaded with inflammatory omega-6
that are truly free-range and organically raised typically have dark, fatty acids. Heart attacks and even strokes were
healthy and delicious livers. virtually unheard of before Crisco and marga-
The so-called “liver smell” that so many liver-haters are quick to rine came into the American diet. Crisco is a
point out is actually not from the liver! This foul odor may be from the made-up word that stands for “Crystallized (hy-
outgassing of poisons, toxins and excess bodily waste products from drogenated) Cottonseed Oil,” a waste product
commodity feedlot animals. The livers of animals raised in this manner that clever marketers turned into “pure white”
are inclined to be filled with toxins such that most of the animals are in death in a can. In fact, all the solid oils except
a state of pre-death just before they are harvested, with livers that are pure virgin coconut and refined palm oils are
slowly becoming necrotic (dying) as well. No wonder people hate the hydrogenated—terrible killers hidden within
smell. As any chronic alcoholic is doomed to discover, the liver—which processed foods.
is the hardest-working organ in the body (we call it the “James Brown In short, saturated fats are the only way to
organ” for a reason)—takes the heat if there is an abusive lifestyle. go, and we need them in our diet. For frying
All feedlot cattle, as well as most dairy animals and confinement liver, I particularly recommend lard or bacon
hogs and birds, have a chronic condition known as hepatic lipidosis grease. However, unless you know the source
(fatty liver syndrome) due to the excess commodity grains in their diets. of the lard, be careful—grocery-store lard is
Yes, I know, I just described foie gras, which almost deserves its own usually hydrogenated and therefore has been
chapter. (Let’s just say that I’m not here to recommend the typical foie turned into junk food. Instead try to buy lard
58 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2020