NOW Liver Powder Grass-Fed!

[FairyRae]

I've been looking for ways to add in more liver into our diets. We do pureed cubes of it in chili and sauce and any ground meat stuff (burgers, breakfast sausage, etc.) but I still want to get more in. (Of course, eating it straight would probably be best/easiest, but I'm just not there. ) I found this in a search online:

NOW Liver Powder

NOW® Beef Liver powder provides a convenient way to obtain all the legendary health and nutritional benefits of liver without the inconvenience. Our powder comes from fresh, hormone-free Argentine Beef Liver carefully processed to preserve all the fragile nutritional elements. Enjoy the results!

I wrote to them and asked if the cows were grass-fed or grain-fed/grain-finished, and whether or not they were ever given antibiotics. Here is their response:

Hello Lauren,

Yes the Argentinian sources are grass fed and do not use antibiotics.

Thank you for your inquiry,
NOW Science & Nutrition Group

Woo Hoo! I'm thinking to get some and put it into some kind of baked good, maybe smoothies, etc. (Whatever I can sneak it into!) I've made chocolate liver cupcakes b/4, and the chocolate totally covered up the liver taste. (I was using dr. Ron's liver pills then and actually used the dessicated liver in the cupcakes instead of actual fresh liver--this is a way cheaper option I belive!) Once I buy it, I'll certainly share any edible recipes I come up w/!

[dogmom327]

I need to get some ordered and encapsulate it. I really should just swallow raw liver...but I really hate it.

[kl5]

I have absolutely no source for this, but remember reading somewhere that there was a concern with Argentine beef liver and arsenic contamination. Does that sound familiar to anyone? Something to look into maybe before making a big order.

[FairyRae]

Darn! Thanks for the heads up kl5!

http://www.cheeseslave.com/2008/05/2...liver-tablets/

I did a little research online and found that there are very high levels of arsenic in the groundwater in Argentina.

In the region of Cordoba, Argentina, Arguello et al. (1938) reported maximum levels of arsenic of between 0.9 and 3.4 mg/litre. Source
“In his presentation, Professor Smith cast some doubt on the role of nutrition in combating poisoning. His study in Argentina showed that Argentinians of European origin, on high protein diet (beef steak), have also been suffering from Arsenic poisoning since the 1930s.” Source
In Argentina, groundwater arsenic concentration in some places ranges from 100 to 2000 microgram/l. Reports from epidemiological studies in Argentina indicated that 0.3mg/l arsenic in drinking water resulted in increased incidences of hyperkeratosis and skin cancer with an increased consumption of water (Trelles, et al., 1970). Source

I'll write to NOW asking about arsenic testing and report back...

[dogmom327]

Thank you for e-mailing them!

Subbing...

[Koalamom]

Subbing too!
How pricey is this stuff?
My HFS can order any NOW brand stuff.
Just anote that may not apply to this liver is in the past when I have gotten sea greens that are usually heavy metal carriers, I have contacted NOW and they have said that all their products are thuroughly tested and free of conyaminates/metals. I hope this apples to the liver. I await the answer.

I wonder if this is A1 or A2 liver?

[FairyRae]

The response from NOW (I haven't checked the links but am totally hopeful!)

Hello,

Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, cadmium, and total heavy metals all are checked and have to be within out specifications. See here for our heavy metal requirements and inhouse testing capabilities:


http://www.nowfoods.com/Quality/Qual...cat=NOW%20News
http://www.nowfoods.com/Quality/Qual...cat=NOW%20News

Thank you for your inquiry,
NOW Science & Nutrition Group

It's not too expensive (esp. compared to Dr. Ron's!)--between 6 and 8 dollars for a 12 oz, 33 serving (I think that's what I read!) bottle...

[Vaquitita]

subbing

[ginnybee]

just ordered this online from Lucky Vitamin. It was 6.95 for 12 oz.

[FairyRae]

According to the NOW links,

Heavy Metal Specifications for Finished Products

Because there are no universally accepted standards for heavy metals in dietary supplements, and in accordance with cGMPs (21 CFR Sec. 111.70), NOW Foods has established interim standards for heavy metals in the finished dietary supplement products that it manufactures or distributes based on interim specifications set by the American Herbal Products Association. Reference: http://www.ahpa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=69&aId=490&zId=1

NOW Foods applies these interim specifications to all finished dietary supplement products, including those that contain herbal ingredients, that are labeled to be consumed in amounts of 5 grams or less per day. NOW Foods uses the analytical technique Ion Coupled Plasma Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS) to measure heavy metal levels.

Heavy Metal Daily Limit (micrograms/day)
Arsenic (inorganic) 10.0
Cadmium 4.1
Lead 10.0
Methylmercury 2.0

According to this random link I found on google: http://www.dcnutrition.com/minerals/...ecordNumber=57

Consumption of water containing 0.8 mg of arsenic/liter over extended periods of time and a dietary intake of approximately 3 mg or arsenic/day for 2-3 weeks have been identified as causes of arsenic intoxication.

I'd be willing to bet that the beef liver powder is at the upper levels of NOW's cut-off of 10 mcg per day. Is this a 'safe' amount of arsenic to take in daily? What are safe levels of arsenic? Anyone have info on this? I've been trying to research it but am having trouble finding a source I trust. One source said it is typical for adults to get 200 mcg arsenic a day, where others say NO amount of arsenic is safe... I'm really confused...

[Theloose]

Based on this article, <1 ppb arsenic in drinking water seems like a good goal.
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~toxmetal/r...s/Arsenic.html

Anyone want to do the math and see about what that adds up to in mcg/day?

[kl5]

The other thing I noticed is that they specified inorganic arsenic. Again, showing my science idiocy, but is this a weasel on their part? Is there an organic (in the true meaning of the word) arsenic that is also a danger that they are not testing for (and/or not disclosing levels of)?

[kl5]

Alright, to sort of answer my own question, it appears that organic and inorganic arsenic are both naturally occurring, and the inorganic is "more" toxic than the organic. That is not a whole answer, but it is a start. See here.

Somewhat relatedly, NPR's Fresh Air ran an interview today with the NYTimes writer who recently published a series of articles on outdated municipal drinking water standards leading to a false sense of security with drinking water that is still quite toxic. Arsenic and the lack of minimum standards set by the EPA figures prominently. It is a good listen, available here.

(Anyone who needs a login ID for the NYTimes website can pm me and I will share mine.)

Kristen

[FairyRae]

Originally Posted by kl5

The other thing I noticed is that they specified inorganic arsenic. Again, showing my science idiocy, but is this a weasel on their part? Is there an organic (in the true meaning of the word) arsenic that is also a danger that they are not testing for (and/or not disclosing levels of)?

That makes sense to me.

Ok, I will *try* to do the math at some point--thanks whoMe!!!

I'm going to keep looking into this further b/4 going for it. Maybe I'll write to NOW again about the organic arsenic stuff as well. Might not be for a bit though, but I'll continue posting any info I find!!

[Sihaya]

Can anyone tell me why Vitamin A isn't listed on the Nutrition Info? That is one of the main nutrients I'd like to get from a liver supplement and it would be nice to know how much I'm getting. Is it just not mentioned because of the propaganda about the dangers of vit A or is it possible there isn't vit A in it?

[WuWei]

Ummm... the nutritional details are rather piddly for LIVER! You'd have to consume the whole jar to get enough B12 or Iron.


Serving Size: 1 Rounded Tablespoon (10 g)
Servings Per Container: 34

Niacin (Vitamin B-3) 1mg 1%
Vitamin B-6 5mg 250%
Vitamin B-12 0.2 mcg 3%
Iron 0.6 mg 3%

Compared to just a smidgen of real liver, which can easily be hidden.

For our "giblet gravy", I pureed the liver in broth in the blender. Totally
invisible liver, no bits, no weird stuff to bite into, no bites of LIVER flavor
to happen upon. Just pureed liver broth to add to the gravy.

This liver pate recipe is said to be loved by toddlers and even husbands:
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/08/5-dish-delicious-flavorful-pate-live\
r-at-its-best.html

And the easiest is to just make 10% of the meat as ground liver in spaghetti sauce, lasagna, meatloaf, meatballs, tacos, chili, burritos, etc. Much cheaper and more nutritive.

Real liver nutrients: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?t...spice&dbid=129


Pat

[ginnybee]

so fairyrae, now that i have liver powder, where can i find the chocolate liver cupcake recipe? i have had little success getting my kids to eat "real" liver, though if it's fried with bacon and served with ketchup my husband will tolerate it. while i'm continually expanding my real liver repetoire, i would love any "sneaky" recipes that use liver powder so i can get it into my kids. they are 2 & 4 and can't take capsules yet.

[FairyRae]

Well, I only made them once, and they were certainly NOT TF.

What I did though, was this...

I used cherrybrook kitchen's gluten free chocolate cake mix. (Did I say it was not TF? ) I mixed up the ingredients, then emptied a capsule of dr. ron's liver pills into the mix--one capsule for each of the muffins I was making. I don't even know how much that is per muffin--maybe 1/2 tsp to a tsp??? So unsure--it was a long time ago. I poured the batter into muffin tins and baked as per the directions. They tasted slightly funky, but still fine--chocolate is a master of disguise IMO. (Ds has been getting oral rashes when he eats chocolate lately so I'm avoiding it for now )

Anyway, I bet you could just add some of the powder to a chocolate cake/cookie recipe you are making and try that? I also add (pureed, raw, frozen) liver to all ground meat recipes I'm making--esp. things w/ lots of spices like taco meat or meaty pasta sauce (hides the flavor).

[I just want to add, my ds has never really eaten 'real' (ie, storebought, glutenous cookies/cakes--always homemade and since he was a little over 1, free of multiple allergens. He is very forgiving about some things, so I'm not sure this would work for everyone! But I liked them too, and they were esp. good cold (I stored them in the freezer.)]

Good luck--I hope this helps! Let us know if you figure out a way to use the powder that works for your kids!