The rough and tough early days and late-night schedule of construction workers require them to fuel their bodies with the most nutrient-dense foods possible if they want to perform at their best.
While you may be pounding back chicken, sweet potatoes, and veggies on your 15-minute break, there’s one thing you’re probably missing from most of your lunches (and dinners): organ meats. Organ meats are some of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet—and for anyone doing manual labor, they’re a huge must.
Ready to learn why? Keep reading and find out!
Why construction workers need to eat organ meats
Organ meats are some of the most nutritionally rich foods on the planet, and eating a small portion every week or supplementing daily is one of the easiest ways to work towards good health.
They’re exceptionally high in B vitamins, such as vitamin B12 and folate, along with minerals—iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc—and essential fat-soluble vitamins like vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Consuming organ meats isn’t just recommended for people in the construction industry—it’s important for everyone. But health statistics are pretty bleak when it comes to people under a hard hat.
Here’s a rundown of just some of the facts:
Those numbers are alarmingly high—and that doesn’t even touch on most diseases. Here’s what accounts for them:
- Long commute times
- Long work weeks
- Lack of physical activity
- Poor food choices
- High stress levels
- Poor lifestyle choices
- Lack of sleep
It all adds up to major health trouble. But when it comes to improving and maintaining health, food choices are an easy place to start.
Health benefits of organ meats
While you might consider popping back a multivitamin every morning to ensure you meet your nutrient needs, organ meats are often more absorbable than supplements—and come with more health benefits.
1. Weight management
Manual laborers have some of the highest rates of obesity, diabetes, and CVD than any other profession. Studies find that construction workers are more likely to be overweight compared to the general population (46.2% compared to 39.2%) and have higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption, both of which increase the risk of being overweight.
Since diet and lifestyle are primary indicators of weight, choosing the right foods can go a long way to managing weight and reducing obesity and diabetes risk.
High-protein diets are one place to start.
Research shows that high-protein diets can reduce appetite and increase satiety by slowing gastric emptying and increasing metabolic rate.
Although organ meats might not be as high in protein as muscle meats, they contain valuable nutrients like vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, and B12, selenium, iron, copper, phosphorous, zinc, all of which play a role in building and maintaining muscle mass, metabolism, and body composition/
2. Muscle growth
Anyone who dawns a hard hat knows that jobs aren’t always easy. Some jobs require serious strength and endurance, which require sufficient muscle mass. Because muscle mass tends to dwindle with age—sarcopenia is a primary concern for aging men—adequate protein and nutrient intake is a must.
Organ meats are a source of high-quality protein, crucial for building and maintaining muscle mass.
Here’s how organ meats can help with muscle growth:
- Protect against age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia)
- Provide leucine, an essential amino acid required to stimulate muscle protein synthesis
Although muscle eats contain amino acids that support muscle growth, organ meats tend to have a more balanced nutrient composition and are more financially friendly.
3. Brain health
Want to keep your brain healthy throughout your career? Eat organ meats. They’re some of the richest sources of choline, a key nutrient for the brain, muscles, and liver.
Choline is converted to acetylcholine—an important neurotransmitter involved in various brain functions, such as memory and attention, and body functions, such as muscle contractions, blood pressure, glandular secretions, and intestinal peristalsis.
On top of that, organ meats are also high in the highly-absorbably heme iron, which is crucial for proper brain function.
4. Detoxification
Organ meats and detoxification? Yep, you read that right. Say goodbye to your detox green juices and say hello to offal.
Organ meats are loaded with co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), one of the most powerful natural antioxidants in the human body. In addition to that, you also have another crucial coenzyme: molybdenum. This nutrient plays a role in converting sulfites into sulfates, helping the body break down alcohol and other toxins and improving drug and alcohol metabolism. Studies have shown that high levels of sulfites can be harmful to health.
5. Energy
Apart from supporting detoxification, CoQ10 is also an energy powerhouse. It serves as an essential compound for mitochondria to produce ATP (cellular energy). CoQ10 is found in nearly every cell but predominantly in organs with high rates of metabolism, such as the heart, kidney, and liver, where it functions as an energy transfer molecule.
So, eating organ meats high in CoQ10 can support more efficient energy production—something that’s important for people working in the construction industry.
6. Reduce homocysteine
With rates of heart disease and cardiovascular issues as high as they are in some of the construction fields, homocysteine is something you’ll want to get familiar with.
Homocysteine is a non-proteinogenic amino acid produced in the body that’s normally broken down by vitamins B12, B6, and folate to make other chemicals. A lack of B vitamins can lead to abnormally high levels of homocysteine, which can damage arteries and increase the risk of diseases like dementia, heart disease, and stroke.
Organ meats are a rich source of essential B vitamins necessary to break down homocysteine and keep levels in check.
8 types of organ meats you can try
If you’ve never ventured into the world of organ meats, there are plenty of places to start. Here are eight different organ meats to try!
1. Liver
Liver is by far the reigning champ when it comes to organ meats.
Here’s what’s packed into just a three-ounce portion:
- 162 calories
- 24.7 grams protein
- 4.5 grams of total fat
- 337 mg of cholesterol (don’t panic‚—cholesterol isn’t the devil)
- 2,694 IU vitamin A
- 0.963 mg vitamin B2
- 19.84 mcg vitamin B12 (more than 800% RDI)
- 71.16 mcg folate
- 4.02 mg copper (over 400% RDI)
- 1.84 mg iron
See why we love liver? You get a massive bang for your buck with one or two servings a week. Beef liver can have an iron-y taste if not prepared properly. If you’re not a fan, grind it up and blend it with other meats to mask the taste.
2. Heart
As we mentioned earlier, the heart is a highly metabolic organ that contains high levels of CoQ10, a powerful antioxidant that has profound effects on maintaining cardiovascular health by preventing LDL oxidation. Its antioxidant properties are also beneficial for reducing inflammation.
And although chock full of vitamins and minerals, heart tastes more like muscle meat than organ meat, so it’s much more palatable for people who aren’t fans of organs. Beef or chicken hearts can easily be marinated and grilled for a delicious lunch or dinner.
3. Tongue
Tongue is more similar to muscle meat than organs in terms of nutrient composition. While it contains abundant essential minerals—B vitamins, iron, zinc, choline, and protein—it’s also relatively high in fat, giving it an incredibly tender texture.
4. Brain
If you’re feeling brave, why not give brain a try? If sourced from grass-fed animals, the brain is a rich source of bioavailable omega-3 fatty acids, along with choline, vitamin A, vitamin E, and selenium.
5. Kidneys
Kidneys are another popular organ meat with a similar nutritional profile to liver. They’re also very high in selenium—256% of the daily value in a 3.5-ounce serving—which acts as an important antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
6. Tripe
Most people think about dog food when they hear tripe, but many cultures incorporate tripe into cooking. It’s full of nutrients—protein, selenium, iron, B vitamins, and choline—but unlike liver, tripe doesn’t contain vitamin A, so you don’t have to be as mindful of how often you eat it.
Tripe is the lining of an animal’s stomach. You’ll find tripe in the stomachs of ruminants, such as cows, sheep, and deer. But because tripe is the stomach lining, it often needs to be cooked for a while to become tender.
7. Gizzard
The gizzard is an organ found in the digestive tract of some animals, such as poultry and birds. It’s made of a thick muscular wall that grinds up food and debris ingested by the bird.
Gizzards are generally cheap and are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and protein.
A 100-gram serving of chicken gizzards contains about 30 grams of protein, 60% RDI of selenium, and 15% RDI of vitamin B12, zinc, phosphorus, niacin, and riboflavin.
While classified as an organ, the gizzards are more like muscle meat, so they should be cooked longer to ensure they’re tender and not chewy.
8. Sweetbread
And then we have sweetbreads—a 16th-century term that refers to an animal’s thymus gland or pancreas. They have a rich, slightly gamey flavor but are tender and succulent.
Unlike other organ meats, sweetbreads are high in vitamin C, giving them amazing antioxidant and immune-boosting properties. A 100-gram serving contains more than 50% RDI of vitamin C, 35% RDI of vitamin B12, 26% RDI of selenium, and 20% RDI of riboflavin (vitamin B2).
Conclusion
If you can’t stomach the thought of eating a heart, liver, or kidney, organ supplements are the next best option. Beef liver or beef organ capsules are suitable alternatives offering just as much bang for your buck.
If you’re opting for capsules over the real deal, do your research and ensure you’re buying pure products that are 100% grass-fed and finished.