What the Research Really Says About Nutrients in Organ Meats (Charts Included)

If you’ve ever wondered whether eating organ meats is actually good for you — modern science says yes. Big time.

In recent years, researchers around the world have been diving into the nutrient density of everyday foods to figure out which ones pack the biggest punch — especially when it comes to fighting deficiencies and improving diet quality on a global scale.

And guess what keeps topping the charts?

Organ meats!

What Is “Nutrient Density” Anyway?

Before we get into the rankings, let’s define the term.

Nutrient density refers to how rich a food is in essential micronutrients (like vitamins and minerals) and amino acids (the building blocks of protein) per calorie or per ounce.

Sure, we need carbohydrates and fats too — but your body can temporarily make some of those on its own if needed. What it can’t produce are critical nutrients like:

• Iron
• Zinc
• Folate
• Vitamin A
• Calcium
• Vitamin B12
• …or essential fatty acids like omega-3s and omega-6s

That’s where nutrient-dense foods come in — and organ meats lead the pack.

Organ Meats Rank #1 (and It’s Not Even Close)

A landmark study published in 2007 by Matthieu Maillot and his team took a detailed look at nutrient density across major food groups. They evaluated foods based on 23 essential nutrients and scored them for comparison.

Here’s how the results stacked up:

As you can see, organ meats came in at a whopping 754 — blowing everything else out of the water.

But What About Bioavailability?

In 2022, researchers Ty Beal and Flaminia Ortenzi took this a step further.

Their study, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, didn’t just look at how many nutrients were present in a food — they also asked: how much of those nutrients can your body actually absorb and use?

That’s the concept of bioavailability — and it’s a game-changer.

Here’s an example:

A serving of spinach has 115 mg of calcium. Sounds great, right? But your body only absorbs about 5% of it — which means you’d need to eat 16 cups of spinach just to match the calcium in one glass of milk!

So even though some plant foods seem nutrient-rich on paper, what your body actually gets is often much less.

Organ Meats Still Win — Even With Bioavailability in Mind

Beal & Ortenzi’s study focused on the nutrients most commonly lacking in diets worldwide:

• Iron
• Zinc
• Folate
• Vitamin A
• Calcium
• Vitamin B12

They ranked foods not just by what’s in them — but by what your body can absorb and use. And once again, organ meats dominated.

In fact, four out of the top seven most bioavailable, nutrient-dense foods were organ meats.

The Takeaway: Eat More Organs (If You Want More Nutrients)

Whether you’re trying to:

• Increase energy
• Improve immune function
• Support brain health
• Avoid nutrient deficiencies

…organ meats are some of the best tools you have.

They’re nature’s multivitamin — but better absorbed, more complete, and available in whole food form.

If you’re new to organ meats, start simple (like liver or heart) and work your way into more adventurous cuts. Or explore high-quality supplements made from grass-fed organs if you’re not ready to cook them yourself.

Our Bovine Liver is a great introduction if capsules are your thing.  If not, we recommend our Bovine Organ Powder – which has Liver, Heart & Kidney.  All our supplements are from Grass-Fed Cattle in New Zealand, and held to the strictest standards of quality (nothing added, nothing removed)…