3 Reasons to Eat Grass-Fed Bison Liver

There are myriad reasons to eat 100% grass-fed bison liver and Paleo-Plex. Someone could probably write a book about it; liver has been touted as a performance-enhancing food since pre-historic times, and obviously continues to be touted that way now, even going as far as to be a modern dietary fad. However, eating liver (and specifically grass-fed bison liver) is certainly not a fad here at Folsom Point Nutrition. Whether charlatans like the so-called “Liver King” push liver or not, we will continue to eat it at the same rates we always have.

I’ve made a point to consume liver and liver-based supplements for over a decade now (still no Vitamin A toxicity to report in my blood tests, but that’s a blog post for another day), and fully plan to continue to do so until death. These are my top three favorite reasons why I do so.

1) Nutrient density (without the b.s.)

Gram for gram, pound for pound, or whatever metric you prefer—there is no food more nutrient-dense than ruminant liver. Beef liver, yak liver, buffalo (water) liver, sheep’s liver, and of course bison liver fall under this category. While you can always find “clean” sources of these, I tend to think that bison is better. For one, bison consistently scores higher in vitamins and minerals on nutrient bioassays when compared with beef (I haven’t seen similar comparisons to all of the species I mentioned above, to be totally fair). It also tastes better (don’t believe me? try it—the flavor is much more mild and more palatable than most other livers). And certainly, these livers are higher in nutrients than poultry livers.

In addition to the exceptionally high vitamin, mineral, and nutrient content, bison liver is low in all the bull—excuse me, bison—s#*%. Bison cannot legally be raised with hormones of any kind, and frequently are not even treated with antibiotics. Bison also eat grass, generally their whole lives (in contrast to cattle that are grain-finished in feedlots), which has not been treated with pesticides, herbicides, and the grass is certainly not Round-Up-Ready (unlike much of the corn, oats, wheat, and soy which are fed to cattle at the end of their lives). That means that most bison is void of glyphosate and atrazine. Keep in mind, the bison we source are NEVER fed grains, and so are NEVER exposed to Round-Up-Ready GMOs.

It should be clear that bison has everything beef does (and usually a little extra), without any of the non-sense and garbage.

2) bison are sustainable and regenerative

Unlike beef, sheep, pigs, and virtually all other domesticated animals, bison are regenerative by nature. Bison impact land much differently than beef do, or lambs or pigs. They are native species to the North American continent, and are meant to be here in a fundamentally different way from all of the above-mentioned species.

Bison have special hooves that can bring up old grass seed stored in the soil, and they also create small holes for water to puddle up and germinate these seeds. Bison also graze grass to appropriate length—their bodies and tongues demand it. Bison do not bite grass, but instead wrap their tongues around it to break pieces off. This is in stark contrast to sheep, which are known for chewing grass right down to the turf—oftentimes so low that the grass cannot recover and grow back. Additinoally, bison have special enzymes in their saliva which stimulate growth of the grass. So, bison have a symbiotic relationship with native grass species. When bison graze native grasses, they actually enhance and improve the health of the grass, and increase the speed at which it grows. Through the grazing and defecation cycle, bison will actually sequester carbon by merely existing—this is something that can only be boasted by bison and other native fauna.

Unlike other rumens, bison also don’t linger around waterways. Anyone who has spent time on a ranch has seen cattle, sheep, or other such species linger around watering holes. Whether they’re natural waterways, or solar off-grid well pumps that keep cattle hydrated, cattle and other species spend their sweet time drinking and defecating around the water. This produces highly concentrated areas of defecation—not at all aligned with the natural rhythms of grazing. In contrast, bison have evolved to spend as little time near water as possible. Traditionally, watering holes were places of predation for bison. So, they have a strong instinct ingrained in them to avoid waterways, natural or otherwise. Bison get nervous around water and prefer to get what they need to drink, and then get out. This avoids issues of toxic waste-water or run-off that even 100% grass-fed beef operations sometimes have (did you know over 80% of New Zealand’s rivers are polluted to the point of being unsafe to enter due to beef and dairy?).

Bison evolved on the Great Plains of North America for hundreds of thousands of years, and have a secure and solid ecological niche. They are necessary for the health of the grass, the soil, and the waterways. Bison are native species here in the US, and the plains are their native lands. They have been sustainable much longer than human society, and will continue to be so. Anyone who poo-poohs bison because they’re “red meat” and contributing to climate change is simply misinformed and ignorant to the realities of bison-landscape interactions.

3) It’s alpha af

This seems ridiculous, but obviously this reasoning has made my top three. Eating bison liver is simply alpha AF. Why?

If you’re reading this far, you’re probably the educated type who is aware that alpha wolves will eat the liver of kills in front of the pack to establish and maintain dominance in the hierarchy. You’re probably also well aware of just how amazing liver really is for health. And, I am guessing the reader is experienced and aware that after exercise or completing a significant challenge, they have felt the rush of endorphins, testosterone (even if you’re female), and other hormones.

Consuming liver makes me feel like I accomplished something. It’s a bizarre feeling that can’t be captured or quantified in a lab, and I’d speculate it is due to the nutrient interaction with innate metabolic processes, but it is a very real phenomenon. The feeling is only compounded if I eat liver after a difficult workout, cold plunge, or some other physically-demanding event.

Maybe like wolves, eating liver runs deep in our human DNA in ways we don’t yet understand. Maybe it really is that we’re supplying our bodies with missing nutrients and minerals, and the body rapidly upregulates hormonal & endorphin production. Maybe it’s something else entirely. The bottom line, is that I (and countless others) feel like a capable, confident badass after eating liver.

I’ve personally eaten liver from many species of animals, ranging from domestic poultry to wild pre-historic creatures like Pronghorn in Colorado. Bison liver, from grass-fed bison consistently makes me feel alpha.

When you supply your body with everything it needs, in addition to supporting your local rancher, the ecological landscape, the literal landscape….you can’t help but feel Alpha.

key takeaways

• While many animal livers are healthy to consume, bison (and specifically 100% grass-fed) is one of the most nutrient-dense while containing the smallest amount of potential toxins.

• Bison impact land in a fundamentally different way from other species, especially domesticated ones. They improve natural landscapes rather than stripping and degrading them like beef and other species.

• Eating liver from animals as badass as grass-fed bison makes you feel, well, badass.

• If you haven’t yet—try some grass-fed bison liver today!