The doctors at Grain Integrative Health want their patients to eat organs if they are going to eat meat. In a recent roundtable discussion on medical food or food as medicine, the doctors reflected on the animal kingdom itself. Dr. Oltman reports to the room of doctors, “When a predator kills it’s prey, the first part of the kill that is eaten is often the heart, the liver and other internal organs. It has been known through millennia these are the most nutritious and vital parts of an animal. Like many other pearls of nutritional wisdom, our modern society has lost sight of this knowledge and has reverted to eating almost exclusively muscle meats.”

Medicine in Portland has evolved with clinics like Grain Integrative Health, partnering health recommendations with local fare. Organ meats are a higher level offering at the top restaurants in Portland, Oregon. The heart is a big muscle, similar to the muscle meats people enjoy, tasting like a super tender steak. The Peruvian legend restaurant, Andina, set the trend with their heart kabobs in the Pearl District.

Dr. Oltman informed attendees, “The unique benefit of eating hearts is the content of CoQ10, elastin and collagen. CoQ10 is a micronutrient used to make energy crucial in healthy heart function and for energy levels. Elastin and collagen are what make up joint surfaces and skin. By eating high amounts of elastin and collagen patients provide the building blocks for healthy joints.”

Patients who believe the old adage “You are what you eat” need look no further. Dr. Oltman recommends patients schedule a visit with a physician at Grain Integrative Health or with their locally informed nutritionist to learn how to integrate (or hide) some organ meats in their diet.  When asked to provide a cookbook resource the Grain Integrative Health doctors unanimously recommended Sally Fallon’s book “Nourishing Traditions.”