The Heart of the Matter

Dr. Wahls says that she and Jackie consider heart to be like a fine steak. She suggests cooking it as rare as one can tolerate for the most health benefits and also because organ meats become tough with overcooking. So I was set up for a different experience than what I turned out to have. The flavor was delicious, and the healthful effect was immediate and palpable. It was just . . . so . . . chewy. The effect was of eating a very thick rubber band. The inside was still nice and red, so I don't think I overcooked it. The flavor -- I cooked it with bacon, onion, garlic and coconut oil, and garnished with fresh Italian Parsley -- was wonderful. Bacon and coconut oil are the cooking media at the top of Dr. Wahls' list.

This beef heart was mercifully already sliced and cleaned by the time I got it. I was a full vegan only five months ago, and the psychological shift is still slow and incomplete. This challenge was more difficult than most for me. But we do what we need to do to reclaim our health. Besides a myriad of minerals and proteins which are much more easily and fully assimilated than with other foods or supplements, heart is the best natural source of CoQ10, essential for regeneration of lost neurology and, ironically, heart health.

Vivica at The Nourished Caveman wrote an informative post about sauteing and eating heart which had emboldened me to give it a try. At the bottom of the screen of Vivica's post is a gorgeous photo of Daenarys ceremoniously chowing on a horse heart. When I had watched the scene, from "A Game of Thrones", I remember thinking, "Just get it over with -- how bad could it be?" Now that I, myself,  have ceremoniously chowed only about a third of a heart, to the tune of 30 minutes, I have a new appreciation for Daenarys' badassness. I think I might chop up and stew the rest of the heart.