Beef Pancreas: Benefits, Nutrition & How to Eat

Beef pancreas is a small organ that is present near the stomach of the cow that helps with the stabilization of blood sugar and digestion. In cows, the pancreas is a part of the endocrine system as well. It releases hormones and digestive enzymes into the small intestine of the cow.

Beef pancreas is categorized as one of the cows’ sweetbreads. Sweetbreads are more savory and have a slightly sweet taste compared to muscle meat.

The pancreas has a unique collection of nutrients such as selenium and vitamin B12 that make it a nutritional powerhouse.

Beef Pancreas Nutrition Facts

The normal serving size of the beef pancreas is 100 g and the per serving calorie value is 230 calories. Here’s a breakdown of the nutrients that are present in one serving:

Nutrient	Amount	% Daily Value
Total Fat	19 g	28 %
Sodium	67 mg	4 %
Protein	16 g	31 %
Calcium	9.0 mg	1 %
Iron	2.2 mg	12 %
Potassium	276 mg	7 %
Phosphorus	327 mg	32 %
Magnesium	18 mg	4 %
Selenium	24.7 µg	45 %
Vitamin C	13.7 mg	15 %
Vitamin B6	0.2 mg	15 %
Vitamin B3 – Niacin	4.5 mg	28 %
Vitamin B2 – Riboflavin	0.4 mg	34 %
Vitamin B5 – Pantothenic Acid	3.9 mg	78 %
Vitamin B12	14.0µg	583 %
Vitamin B1 – Thiamin	0.1 mg	12 %

 

Macros of Beef Pancreas

The beef pancreas is a low-carb, high-protein organ meat. Here is a breakdown of the macros present in the beef pancreas per 100g.

Nutrients	Amount	Daily Value
Protein	16 g	31 %
Fat	19 g	28 %
Carbs	0.0 mg	0 %

 

Vitamin B5

If you take a single serving of beef pancreas, you will get 75 % of all the Vit B5 that you require to get through your day. Pantothenic acid — Vit B5 — has a very important role when it comes to cholesterol synthesis, which is linked to hormones DHEA and pregnenolone that are used in anti-aging therapy and improve your physical performance.

Vitamin B5 is beneficial for your skin too and it helps with recovery and wound healing.

Iron

You get 12% of your recommended daily value of iron from a serving of beef pancreas. There are numerous benefits in consuming iron. Iron is used to make myoglobin and hemoglobin which are responsible for carrying oxygen to all parts of your body. Plus, it’s essential for proper development and growth.

Vitamin B12

Beef pancreas is a great source of Vit B12 as well. In 100 g of pancreas, you get almost 500 % RDV of the vitamin.

B12 is an important vitamin that helps with energy generation in your CNS and PNS. It is also involved in the creation of DNA within your body. If you get an adequate amount of B12, you will noticed an improved metabolism along with increased endurance.

Selenium

When you compare beef pancreas with other animal products, you will not find a better source of Selenium. Selenium helps with your metabolism and also improves your thyroid function.

Beef Pancreas Benefits

There are numerous benefits of beef pancreas (as well as organ meat in general). When you eat pancreas, you give your body access to various unique pancreatic enzymes such as colipase, amylase, trypsin, and protease.

The benefits of pancreatic enzymes are:

• Breakdown fats so that they can be absorbed easily (lipase)
• Keeps the intestine free of bacteria (protease)

These are especially useful for people with a pancreatic enzyme deficiency, who may experience the following symptoms:

• Indigestion
• Cramps after meals
• Gas
• Loose Stools

Moreover, there are pancreatic hormones as well such as insulin, glucagon, and gastrin. The beef pancreas will nourish your own pancreas and will add all of these enzymes and hormones to your system.

This will give you the following advantages;

• Regulates your blood sugar levels
• Improves your appetite

How to Cook Beef Pancreas

There are many ways of cooking beef pancreas. However, the three most common ways are.

• Blanching Beef Pancreas
• Frying Beef Pancreas
• Grilling Beef Pancreas

For blanching beef pancreas, you have to soak it in buttermilk, which gives it a slightly sweet taste. Fried pancreas is also an amazing option and you can eat it with a variety of carnivore diet condiments.

Those who love grilled meat can enjoy grilled pancreas kabobs and derive all the nutrition from the pancreas.

Here are some common dishes that you can make with the beef pancreas.

1. Sweetbread Tacos
2. Sweetbread Piccata
3. Grilled Sweetbread

Image Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/z_PfaGzeN9E

Eating Raw Beef Pancreas & Safety

Many people all around the world consume raw meat and swear by its advantages. Raw meat is a culinary delicacy in Africa, particularly Ethiopia. Ethiopian tribes people started eating their meat raw so that they wouldn’t have to light a fire and get noticed by enemy tribes or wild animals.

However, we don’t recommend that you consume organ meat raw as it comes with a lot of health risks. You can easily contract foodborne illnesses and get sick. It is better that you cook meat so that the animal protein becomes easier for you to digest.

Where to Buy Quality Grass-Fed Beef Pancreas

You can get beef pancreas from veal as well as mature cows. It is hard to get your hands on this organ meat, but you have to do your best to source it from grass-fed animals. You can ask around at your local farmers’ market or buy it from health stores online.

There are organic meat delivery services as well from where you can get your hands on premium, grass-fed, organic meat.

Beef Pancreas Supplements

You can take beef pancreas supplements as well. Before you buy the supplement, you need to check whether it is from grass-fed, pasture-raised animals or not. Moreover, the supplement should be hormone and GMO-free.

There shouldn’t be any fillers and it should be allergen free. Moreover, it should be third-party tested for purity.

Other Beef Organ Meats

Explore a range of beef organ meats and their health benefits:

• Beef brain 
• Beef heart
• Beef kidney
• Beef liver
• Beef spleen
• Organ meats list