Offal not so Awful

Offal is a reference for what consider to be the animal leftovers (organs and such). Examples of offal would be brain, liver, kidneys, spleen, heart, pancreas, stomach, tripe (stomach lining), thymus (sweetbreads), tongue, intestines, blood, intestines, and ox tail. Why would you possibly want to eat any of these things? Like all the other featured foods we've had they have many benefits. They tend to be high in iron (red blood cells deliver oxygen) and this iron provides a source of zinc (important for growth, tissue repair, and for proper reproductive function). Also a good source of B vitamins (like B12 that is vital for the production and function of red blood cells and for an efficient nervous system), selenium (work with antioxidant enzymes), and protein (growth, repair, and energy).  Let's look at some of these individually now:

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  Liver: concentrated levels of vitamin A (vision and protein digestion), vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, minerals (zinc, manganese, selenium, and iron), B vitamins (B2, B3, B5, biotin, folacin, B12, and choline), vitamin C, number one source of copper, contains CoQ10 (important for cardiovascular function), and essential fatty acids (omega-3). It is rich, dense, and creamy.
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  Kidneys: good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, iron, all B vitamins and zinc. Strong flavor.
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  Heart: protein, B vitamins, thiamin, folate, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, CoQ10, amino acids (improve metabolism), compounds (promote production collagen and elastin) and iron
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  Tripe: enzymes, omega-3 fatty acids, probiotics, and phytonutrients.

Tomorrow I'll post some recipes if you want to venture out of your comfort zone and try some different animal parts, there are several options (and you can find all kinds of recipes because there use is more common outside of the US especially in Asian cultures where they use the whole animals, but they're used more in European recipes, especially kidneys and foie gras, or in blood 'puddings' and such). Plus it can be cheaper than eating steak all the time, but still provide you with protein.