THE GOD-FOOD: Why This One Ingredient is the GOAT

By YouveBeenGreeked | Some Random Thoughts. | 29 Jun 2025

I'm into my fitness - I've had abs since I was about 14, I think. So naturally, I've come to study nutrition and diet.

When you start studying micronutrients, a noticeable pattern emerges.

Out of the dozens of essential nutrients the human body needs - vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fats - there’s one food that keeps coming up again and again as the richest natural source.

Not kale.
Not quinoa.
Not avocado.
Not some overpriced berry from a remote mountain range.

Superfoods like those are certainly very healthy, but ONE above all - to me, and from what I can tell - seems to not really be a super food, but a GOD food.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the three healthiest things your body can take in would be air, water and this one food.

So, what is it?

It’s Beef Liver.

THE NUTRIENT KING OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

Let’s be blunt: beef liver isn’t just “nutrient-dense” — it’s biologically dominant. Out of the 30+ key nutrients humans require, liver tops the charts (or comes very close) in over a dozen. Here's the summary of what I researched:

("RDA" = Recommended Daily Allowance)

(oz = ounces)

(g = grams)

(mg = miligrams)

(mcg = micrograms)

Biotin / Vitamin B7 (helps the body break down fats and carbs)
RDA = 30mcg
Food with highest amount of B7 per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 30.8mcg (103% RDA)
Copper (Forms red blood cells + maintains blood vessels, bones and nerves)
RDA = 900mcg
Food with highest amount of Copper per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 12,400mcg / 12.4mg (1,378% RDA)
Folate (Helps prevent anaemia)
RDA = 395mcg
Food with highest amount of Folate per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 215mcg (54% RDA)
Iron (Helps move oxygen through the body)
RDA = 8mg
Food with highest amount of Iron per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 5mg (62.5% RDA)
Molybdenum (Processes protein + DNA and breaks down toxins)
RDA = 45mcg
Food with highest amount of Molybdenum per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 104mcg (231% RDA)
Niacin (Helps with enzyme function, aids the skin, nerves and digestive tract)
RDA = 16mg
Food with highest amount of Niacin per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 14.9mg (93% RDA)
Pantothenic Acid / Vitamin B5 (Aids metabolism)
RDA = 5mg
Food with highest amount of B5 per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 8.3mg (166% RDA)
Protein (Builds + maintains muscles, organs and tissues)
RDA = 55g
Food with 2nd highest amount of Protein per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 26g (47% RDA). Chicken breast is highest with 27g / 100g.
Riboflavin (Aids with growth, and red blood cell production)
RDA = 1.3mg
Food with highest amount of Riboflavin per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 2.9mg (223% RDA)
Vitamin A (Promotes healthy skin / teeth / tissues / mucus membranes / retina pigmentation)
RDA = 900mcg
Food with highest amount of Vitamin A per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 6,582mcg / 6.582mg (731% RDA)
Vitamin B6 (Produces antibodies + haemoglobin, aids with nerve function and blood sugar regulation)
RDA = 1.3mg
Food with highest amount of B6 per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 0.9mg / 900mcg (69% RDA)
Vitamin B12 (Aids with nerve and blood cell health + DNA production, prevents anaemia)
RDA = 2.4mcg
Food with highest amount of B12 per 100g = 3oz Beef Liver: 70.7mcg (2,949% RDA)

The other major macro/micronutrients are Calcium, Carbohydrate, Chloride, Chromium, Cholesterol, Fat, Fibre, Iodine, Magnesium, Manganese, Omega 3, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Sodium, Vitamins B1, C, D, E, K, and Zinc. And Water of course.

That totals 32 / 33 macro and micro-nutrients.

So, Liver has the highest amount of 11 nutrients, and the second highest in protein.

Meaning, out of thousands of individual food types, Liver dominates one-third of the nutrient world.

Liver is so rich in vitamins that just one, two or three ounces a day can cover enormous nutritional ground. It’s not a “superfood” — it’s a biological cheat code.

PREDATORS KNOW IT - AND THEY FIGHT FOR IT

What’s fascinating is that wild predators instinctively know this. Lions, for example, are typically cooperative when they eat a kill — each taking turns, waiting their place in the pecking order.

But when the internal organs are exposed — especially the liver — that cooperation can shatter.

Even among siblings, fights break out. They'll risk injury or even death to claim it. Why?

Because in nature, the liver isn’t just meat. It’s the multivitamin of the savannah. The most energy-dense, nutrient-packed part of the kill. One bite can support survival and fertility. For pregnant lionesses, it's even more vital.

It’s no exaggeration to say:

“The liver is worth more than the muscle, the fat — sometimes even more than the kill itself.”

A FORGOTTEN HUMAN INSTINCT

Early humans knew it too.

Hunter-gatherer societies from the Inuit to the Maasai prized liver above all else. In many cultures, it was the first thing eaten, sometimes raw, sometimes reserved for warriors or the elderly. Organ meats weren’t scraps; they were sacred.

Somewhere along the way, modern diets cast liver aside. Too strong a taste, too poor-man’s a cut, too forgotten by the Instagram health crowd.

But if you’re after actual, dense, ancestral nutrition - not marketing hype - beef liver belongs in your diet. Even just a few small servings per week.

DON’T LET THE LIVER KING RUIN LIVER

Unfortunately, in recent years, the word “liver” may have become a meme, associated more with TikTok stunts and shirtless influencers than real nutrition.

Yes, The Liver King was exposed for using steroids, and no, eating liver won’t make you look like him overnight. But here’s the thing:

His dishonesty about anabolics doesn’t change the truth about nutrition.

The science on liver hasn’t changed. It’s still the densest source of essential vitamins and minerals found in nature. The problem isn’t the liver: it’s the branding.

So don’t let one influencer’s ego cast doubt on a food humans have prized for thousands of years. Your ancestors weren’t on gear. They were just eating liver.

DOWNSIDES?

To be thorough and fair: Liver is so full of nutrients that its big downside is nutrient OVERLOAD:

Vitamin A Toxicity: Liver is so rich in Vitamin A that daily consumption in large amounts (especially polar bear liver or even too much cod liver oil) can lead to hypervitaminosis A, which can be harmful. However, 1–2 servings per week of beef liver is generally safe for healthy adults.
Iron Overload: People with genetic disorders like hemochromatosis need to watch their iron intake, as liver is rich in heme iron.
Purines & Gout: Liver is high in purines, which may contribute to uric acid buildup and gout in susceptible individuals.
Toxins Myth: The liver does not store toxins : it filters them. It stores nutrients. The toxin myth is exaggerated but still worth noting for sourcing reasons. Grass-fed, organic beef liver is preferable.

And, frankly, Liver has one BIG disadvantage above everything else... it is absolutely disgusting. Seriously, big ew.

My best recommendation is to either get good at cooking it with a nice sauce and some onions etc. or just finely chop it into a sauce for your regular chicken curry or something - juices and all - so you don't taste it but still get its nutritional benefits.

Or just be one of those insane people who actually enjoy biting into liver. You madman.

A FINAL WORD FOR THE VEGANS

To be clear, not everyone can or wants to eat liver. And while plant-based diets offer fibre and a host of beneficial compounds, there’s simply no plant equivalent to the nutrition found in organ meats.

You can supplement B12. You can mix and match zinc and iron sources. But the bioavailability, the density, the completeness? Only nature’s multivitamin — liver — delivers that in full.