Supporting iron absorption in kiddos with (and without) constipation: sneaking organ meats into our diets

Since I recently wrote a post on Miralax and constipation, I am looking at ways to support iron absorption in kiddos with constipation. One of the best ways to do this is to incorporate more organ meats into our diets (sorry, vegetarians! I’ll have to create another post later to brainstorm that on another day). And even I (a generally not too picky eater) don’t like organ meats. But I like the idea that by eating nose-to-tail, “It’s a valuable way to honor the animal that gave its life for your nourishment.” So I am doing some research today to see what recipes I can find to make them more palatable (Click on each line to see where it came from):

• “Blend or finely mince organ meats in advance, then freeze them in ice cube trays. You’ll have ready-to-go portions you can easily drop into soups, sauces, and ground meat dishes whenever you need a boost of nutrients — without adding any extra prep time during the week.”

• Combine 4 parts ground beef with 1 part liver to make hamburgers

• Meatloaf

• “Blend raw liver in a food processor and mix a small amount (10–20%) into ground meat dishes. You’d be surprised how well it hides in taco meat, meatloaf, chili, burgers, or even pasta sauce — boosting nutrition without changing the flavor much at all.”

• “You can use a cheese grater and while the liver is still frozen and raw, grate one tablespoon  into your hamburger, meatloaf, taco meat or spaghetti sauce. “

• Here’s a “nourishing ancestral liver pate recipe” from a co-op that sells grass-fed organ meat

Whenever possible, I would suggest finding a local butcher who can give a sense of where the organ meat you are buying came from and the farming practices used. The book Good Energy by Dr. Casey Means is a good reference for how farming practices influence health and energy.

Second best would be to find frozen regenerative meat sources online and ship organ meats to your house.

What I want to try next is Pluck Seasonings - grass-fed, organ-based seasoning blends. This seems like a super convenient way to include more (freeze dried) organ meats into your diet without handling organ meats and that hopefully taste good too! It is admittedly more processed than freezing local regenerative meat, but also seems easy and convenient.

What are the pros and cons of eating more organ meat?

Web MD also has an interesting article on the benefits and risks of eating organ meats, as does Cleveland Clinic.

Medical disclaimer: My background is early childhood development, early childhood special education, sleep, and transdisciplinary mental health. The services I provide are not medical in nature and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

AI disclaimer: This post was written by Lara Elfstrand, the Sleep Elf and a real human being. AI was only used for titles and descriptions.

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Miralax, Constipation, and Sleep in Children