Q: Can we eat the internal organs of clean animals, such as beef liver and chicken gizzards?

Yes. There is no biblical prohibition against consuming any part of an animal that God intended humans to eat for meat. However, Leviticus 3:17 states: “[E]at neither fat nor blood.” Compare with Leviticus 7:23, 26. Some doctors today believe these dietary guidelines decreased the instances of disease among the ancient Israelites. In modern times, the bans on fat and blood are well recognized as valuable health practices. Animal fat is high in cholesterol and can contribute to heart disease. God intends us to cut it off the meat and meat organs we eat. We should be careful to trim away fat from the meats we prepare at home. This does not mean that we try to dig out the marbling of the meat, but that we trim away the exterior parts, where the highly saturated fats are stored in animals. Ground beef should also be of a very lean variety. Neither should blood be consumed. See Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 for God’s laws concerning “clean” and “unclean” meats. And for more information on this subject, read our article, “Is All Animal Flesh Good for Food?