Every traditional culture that hunted or herded animals ate organ meats first. Not the muscle meat — the organs. The liver, heart, kidney, and marrow were given to the most important people: pregnant women, children, warriors, and elders. Modern industrial culture took the most nutrient-dense foods in human history, called them offal, and threw them away. Then it filled the nutritional gap with a $180B supplement industry. I eat organ meats. I eat them weekly. And they have transformed my recovery and energy more than any supplement I've ever taken.
Organ meats contain concentrations of vitamins, minerals, coenzymes, and bioactive compounds that no muscle meat, supplement, or plant food approaches. They are not a trend. They are the food our grandparents ate, the food our evolutionary ancestors prized, and the food that disappears from populations in direct proportion to the rise of chronic disease.
This is the full breakdown: what each organ provides, why it matters specifically for a midlife athlete, and how to start eating them.
Beef Liver: Nature's Multivitamin
100g of beef liver simultaneously exceeds the RDA of Vitamin A (retinol), B12, riboflavin, folate, copper, iron, and zinc — while providing significant amounts of B6, pantothenic acid, CoQ10, and choline. No food on earth provides this density of nutrients in a single serving.
Liver provides retinol — true, preformed Vitamin A. This is categorically different from beta-carotene in vegetables, which must be converted to retinol by the body. Conversion efficiency is highly variable and often poor, particularly in those with BCMO1 gene variants. Retinol from liver is immediately bioavailable — no conversion required.
CoQ10 — ubiquinol — is the electron carrier in mitochondrial energy production. It declines with age and is depleted by statin drugs. Beef heart is the richest dietary source of CoQ10, with liver a close second. For a midlife athlete training twice a day, mitochondrial CoQ10 availability is directly related to sustainable energy output.
Choline is essential for acetylcholine synthesis (the primary neurotransmitter for motor control and memory), phosphatidylcholine membrane production, and liver fat metabolism. Most people are deficient. Liver provides the highest dietary concentration of choline — more than eggs, which are the second-richest source.
Pennington JAT & Spungen J (2010) — Bowes & Church's Food Values of Portions Commonly Used. 19th Edition.
Heart, Kidney, and Bone Marrow
Beef heart is the richest dietary source of CoQ10 and also provides creatine, carnitine, and a complete amino acid profile in a collagen-rich matrix — making it one of the most complete recovery foods available. Beef kidney is exceptionally high in selenium — the master antioxidant mineral that activates glutathione and supports testosterone production.
Bone marrow is fat and a very different food from muscle meat or organs. It provides alkylglycerols — lipids that modulate immune function — as well as fat-soluble vitamins and a highly bioavailable lipid profile. Our ancestors cracked bones open to extract marrow. Archaeological evidence suggests marrow was one of the first foods Homo habilis deliberately extracted with tools. This preference is not cultural coincidence.
How to Start Eating Organs
The most important organ to start with is beef liver — once per week, 100g minimum. This single habit addresses the majority of micronutrient gaps in a modern diet. If the taste is a barrier, freeze-dried beef liver capsules from grass-fed sources are a legitimate starting point — not equivalent to fresh liver, but meaningfully better than nothing.
- Week 1: 100g beef liver once — seared quickly, not overcooked (overcooked liver tastes worse and destroys heat-sensitive nutrients)
- Add to weekly rotation: beef heart 1–2x per week in stew, stir-fry, or as a steak substitute
- Bone marrow: roast marrow bones — scoop and eat on sourdough with sea salt
- Kidney: 100g once per week — pairs well with bacon or in a casserole
- If taste is a significant barrier: desiccated grass-fed organ capsules — not ideal, but better than avoidance
We threw away the most nutritious part of the animal and spent billions on supplements trying to replace it. The irony is complete.
— Josh Button · @thatjiujiteiroThe Bottom Line
This didn't come from a textbook or a coach handing me a protocol. It came from years of training hard, getting injured, burning out, and rebuilding — smarter every time. Everything in this post is something I do, have done, or have researched deeply enough to stake my performance on.
Start with one thing. Implement it fully. Then add the next. The compounding effect of doing the basics with precision beats any biohack or supplement stack.
Hard to Kill isn't a slogan. It's the standard.
Stay Dangerous. Stay on the Mats. Hard to Kill in Midlife.
