Joe Rogan has taken to Instagram to share one of the most unappetising foods you’ll see this week (but also one of the most nutrient dense).
What is it? Liver.
Rogan took to Instagram to share a photo of his meal-in-preparation, dividing followers into two groups (yum and yuck).
View this post on Instagram
“Liver is a weird thing because it’s not something that most people enjoy, but it’s one of the most nutrient rich foods on the planet,” Rogan wrote. “What’s weird is that we’re not attracted to it, but animals LOVE it.”
“My dog freaks out when I give him some. Like it’s irresistible. Almost orgasmic. In wolf packs the alpha wolf gets to eat the liver of a kill. Most people I know think it’s gross. I don’t prefer it, but I always eat it to avoid waste and because of its nutritional value.”
“I just think it’s strange that a food that’s so good for us doesn’t interest most people.”
Surrealist painter Joel Rea wrote: “Best with fava beans and a nice Chianti.”
Fighter Marlon Chito Vera wrote: “I love it as much as a rib eye.”
Juan Archuleta, another martial artist, wrote: “I love the elk liver and heart some of the best nutrients you can get. I instantly feel the difference every time I eat it.”
Comedian Ali Siddiq commented: “I grow up eating Liver and onions with gravy over rice I still love it My mother doesn’t cook it anymore so I just eat it when I can.”
Not everyone was so fawning though. One user expressed concerns it could taste gross, writing: “The taste and texture. 🤢🤮.”
Another quipped: “Have you heard of vegetables?”
Kimi Werner, freediving huntress from Hawaii wrote: “I wish I liked liver. I keep trying to.”
Another Instagram user said: “My grandma gave me liver one time as a kid. She loves it. I thought she gave me a piece of fried blood clot! I was like grandma, ‘wtf’ is in our mouths. Vegan now.”
For those who are intrigued by this nutrient rich food, but find it gross, Chef Michael Hunter commented, recommending “soaking [liver] in a little salt brine or overnight in milk” claiming that this “pulls out some of the funk.”
“Rinse and pat dry before pan frying.”
Rogan followed the post up with a photo of cooked liver and onions, sarcastically calling the dish ‘controversial,’ perhaps in anticipation of how it would later be described in headlines around the world.
RELATED: Joe Rogan’s Carnivore Diet Could Be Your Ticket To Becoming A Shredded Beast…But At What Cost?
“Fresh elk liver and onions,” Rogan captioned the photo. “Wild game liver is a controversial dish, but this was absolutely delicious. I seasoned it with @meatchurch’s ‘holy voodoo’ and fried it in a cast iron skillet with onions, garlic and butter.”
View this post on Instagram
Joe Rogan isn’t the only one talking about liver at the moment. It seems to be trending, with American man Brian Johnson (AKA Liver King) spuiking its benefits too, as well as even grosser (to those of us accustomed to getting our meat neatly wrapped in plastic and turning it into such meals as Bolognese) habits like eating animal gonads.
See Mr Johnson eating raw balls in the video below (as well as sharing some of his other ‘wild’ health habits).
Healthline says the following about liver:
“Many people have concerns about eating liver and wonder whether it’s unhealthly. One of the most common questions is if its cholesterol content is a problem. While liver is high in cholesterol, this isn’t an issue for most people.”
“People used to believe that cholesterol in food caused heart disease. However, more recent research has shown that this isn’t true for the majority of people. Most heart disease-related cholesterol is actually produced in the body. And when you eat foods high in cholesterol, your body produces less to keep the balance.”
“However, around a quarter of the population appears to be more sensitive to cholesterol in food. For these people, eating cholesterol-rich foods can increase blood cholesterol.”
Healthline also states: “Another common concern about eating liver is that it contains toxins. However, the liver does not store toxins. Rather, its job is to process toxins and make them safe or turn them into something that can be safely removed from the body. In conclusion, toxins in liver are not an issue, and it should certainly not be avoided for this reason.”
Maybe liver really is a superfood, then? You just have to get over the ‘ick’..