Those who love it are conquered by its nutritional value and special flavor, while those who fear it worry that eating too much will be harmful to their health. So, can animal offal be eaten?

Animal viscera have high iron and zinc content

kid-friendly

Animal viscera are rich in fat-soluble vitamins, B vitamins, iron, selenium and zinc, which can effectively supplement the human body's needs for these nutrients.

In particular, the liver is the most concentrated place of nutrients in the animal body, and it is a veritable small treasure bank of nutrition.

Moreover, some gizzards, such as chicken gizzards, contain as much protein as chicken breasts.

Taking pig liver as an example, each 100 grams of pig liver contains 19.3 grams of protein; Liver is rich in iron, 22.6 mg per 100 grams of pig liver, and is mainly heme iron, which is easy to be absorbed and utilized, and eating pig liver regularly helps to prevent or improve iron deficiency anemia.

Vitamin A content in liver is high, up to 4972 micrograms per 100 grams of pig liver, much higher than other animal foods, vitamin A can promote growth and development, maintain normal vision, prevent night blindness, maintain skin health, enhance body immunity and other functions.

The liver is also rich in vitamin B2, 2.08 mg per 100 grams of pig liver. Vitamin B2 is involved in biological oxidation and energy metabolism in the body, maintains the normal metabolic process of protein, fat and carbohydrates, promotes the growth and development of the body, and maintains the integrity of skin and mucosa.

The iron and zinc content of animal viscera is high, and children who are growing are prone to deficiency of these trace elements, and they can often eat some viscera to obtain these nutrients that are easily deficient.

There are also some vitamin A, D nutritional deficiency or lack of people, often eat animal organs can also effectively improve, because the organs are rich in these fat-soluble vitamins.

Food animal offal

What are the health risks?

The fat content and cholesterol content of animal organs are relatively high, and the cholesterol content of pig liver is 288 mg per 100 grams, which is 3.5 times that of lean pork.

Excessive consumption of animal viscera is easy to cause dyslipidemia, hypertension, coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

Eating A large amount of animal offal at one time can easily cause vitamin A or vitamin D poisoning.

The liver is the main detoxification organ of animals, some toxic and harmful substances may remain in the liver, and eating the liver will ingest these toxins.

Drugs given to animals in excess, such as antibiotics, can also accumulate in the liver.

What should I pay attention to when eating animal offal?

With so many advantages and disadvantages of animal offal, can animal offal be eaten? The answer is yes, you need to eat in moderation, not too much. The cholesterol and possibly harmful substances contained in animal organs, as long as they are not consumed in large quantities, our bodies are fully capable of handling them without worry. Overall, moderate consumption of animal offal does more good than harm.

1. Eat in moderation. Animal viscera should not be eaten every day, it is recommended that you can eat animal viscera food 2-3 times a month, about 25 grams each time.

2. To buy fresh, healthy, quarantine qualified animal offal. The organs of dead animals or animals with unknown causes should never be eaten.

3. Careful cleaning helps to reduce residual harmful substances. It is best to rinse with running water first, and then soak in water for about 30 minutes, and then rinse after soaking.

4. Fry and cook thoroughly before eating. Some people pursue tender taste, the internal organs slightly stir fry on the pot, the inside is still bloodshot, this is not desirable, need to be thoroughly heated to ensure food safety.