Informally categorized under the ‘‘white vegetables,’’ sometimes described as the ‘‘forgotten source of nutrients” – what are we talking about? Mushrooms, of course!
Surprised?
If you not familiar with their amazing health benefits, you should definitely read through the article.
No matter what the reason is, you should go ahead and add mushroom to your diet, if they are not there yet! Hope that following article inspire you to try them out!
White vegetables
Mushrooms’ cell wall, when compared with plant cells, is made from chitin, not cellulose. Chitin is an interesting biological molecule; it is a polysaccharide glucose derivative, which contains ergosterol, rather than cholesterol found in mammalian cells, and insects (Feeney et al., 2014).
Source of nutrients
Mushrooms’ contribution to the daily value for some nutrients may be small, but if you consume them frequently over time, they will help you maintain a nutritious diet.
Vitamin D
Mushrooms are a rich source of ergosterol, which upon light exposure can be converted into vitamin D. Unfortunately, most of the commercially available species, including white bottoms, crimini and portabella are cultivated indoors, might have only 20 IU of vitamin D per 100g; however wild mushrooms, such as morels and chanterelles might have even between 206 and 212 IU of vitamin D, (USDA).
Get the most of your mushroom by exposing them to light before eating
Recent study has shown that, consumers, who exposed mushrooms to daylight, prior the eating, increased vitamin D2 of even 25%! That’s 150 IU in 70g portion (Cheung et al., 2011).
To tip: Don’t hide your mushrooms in the dark fridge! Take them out, close enough to window – the best between 9:30am and 3:30pm to get even 600 IU of vitamin D (Phillips and Rasor, 2013).
Ergothioneine
Ergothioneine, a sulfur-containing amino acid, which seems play an important for in human health (Grundemann et al., 2005). Ergothioneine appears to act similar to potent antioxidant – glutathione and protect cells against oxidative stress, which might cause increased DNA damage, as well as protein and lipid oxidation (Paul and Snyder, 2010). Humans are not able to synthesize ergothioneine, therefore they would need to source it through diet. Foods, which contain that amino acid, are limited to fungi, black and red beans, oat bran, and animal organs, such as kidney, and liver.
Fiber
Mushrooms have favourable for human health carbohydrate profile, which is rich in the fiber-associated monosaccharides, such as chitin, and glucans. Especially, when it comes to glucan, it appears to stimulate immune function to combat cancer cells (Cheung et al., 2011), thus might give you some protection against cancer.
1-serving size (1-cup) of white button mushrooms and its only 16 kcal, that will give you:
- 6% of your DV for Potassium;
- 3% of your DV for Fiber;
- 4% of your DV for Protein;
- 5% of your DV for Vitamin B6;
- 2% of your DV for Vitamin C, Iron and Magnesium;
- 1% of your DV for Vitamin D.
Mushrooms to pick up in the grocery shop
There are more than 2,000 varieties of edible mushrooms, what gives range wide of choice for you as consumer. The most common, the white button mushroom, which belongs to Garicus bisporus species. The other popular choices are crimini, and portabella (Feeney et al., 2014). Other common choices include are Lentinus edodes, known as shiitake, Volvariella volvacea, a straw, Pleurotus ostreatus, an oyster, and Flammulina ostreatus, simply called enoki (Feeney et al., 2014). If you are interested in less popular picks, you might look at seasonal species, such as morels, Morchella esculenta; and chanterelles, Cantharellus cibarius. They are not grown commercially, and can be only gathered in the wild; however, you might get them at local farmers markets (Feeney et al., 2014).
Why you should consider adding mushrooms to your diet:
- They provide valuable for human health nutrients bridging across core food groups.
- Their nutritional profile is consistent with dietary guidance.
- They contribute to overall quality of diet*
- They are an excellent source of several vitamins and minerals.
- They are low in calories.
- They are low in sodium.
- They are sustainable food choice**
- They are widely used in different cuisines across the world.
- They bring potential health benefits***
- They can be used as alternative for ground meats****
*People who consume mushrooms, also eat more vegetables overall, including dark green and orange vegetables, as well as grains. That healthy dietary pattern results in higher intake of many beneficial nutrients (O’Neil et al., 2013).
**Mushroom production is energy efficient and utilizes agricultural waste products, such as crushed corn cobs, cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls, peanut hulls, and cocoa shells. Also, material on which mushrooms are grown can be recycled, what leads to efficient land use and disposal control (Lonie and Phelps, 2011).
***Weight loss/low calorie food; heart disease & high blood pressure/low in sodium.
****Umami savory compounds add synergistic flavor effect and consumer appeal; also mushroom nutritional profile provide nutrients found in meats and grains.
How to fit mushrooms into your cooking?
Now you know, that mushrooms are good for you, for sure you are thinking how you can add them to your meals … Well, but how they can fit in? For sure, you are familiar with pizza and mushroom, mushroom cream soup, English breakfast fry and stew … Is it all? Absolutely no!
Even, getting a good excuse to order pizza, you should try exploring more and try out those cooking ideas!
Miso Soup with Shiitake Mushrooms. You would need: shiitake mushrooms, miso paste, tofu, green onions and vegetable broth. See full recipe here.
Savory Swiss Chard with Portobellos. You would need: portobello mushrooms, leek, red pepper, Swiss chard, Parmesan cheese, chicken broth. See full recipe here.
Grilled Oyster Mushrooms. You would need: Oyster mushrooms, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, carrots, avocado. See full recipe here.
Mushroom Lentil Barley Stew. You would need: button mushrooms, pearl barley, onion flakes, garlic, bay leaves/basil/black pepper. See full recipe here.
Mushroom and Walnut Pate. You would need: shiitake mushrooms, walnuts, shallots, butter/olive oil, garlic puree, parsley/thyme/white pepper. See full recipe here.
Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata. You would need: button mushrooms, asparagus, eggs, Parmesan cheese, garlic, milk, white wine, parsley/black pepper. See full recipe here.
Chicken Wild Rice Soup. You would need: mushroom (of your choice), celery, onion, carrots, wild rice, curry powder, chicken breasts, mustard powder, almonds, parsley. See full recipe here.
Stir-Fried Chicken With Mushrooms and Oyster Sauce. You would need: mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, enoki, and/or oyster), white rice, chicken breast, egg white, sesame/canola oil, oyster/soy sauce. See full recipe here.
Enjoy !
Do you want to learn more about mushrooms?
Check out some good references below.
Feeney MJ, Miller AM, Roupas P. Mushrooms V. Biologically Distinct and Nutritionally Unique. Nutr Today. 2014;49(6):301Y307. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. Available at: http:// ndb.nal.usda.gov/. Cheung PCK, Wong KH, Lai CKM. Immunomodulatory activities of mushroom sclerotial polysaccharides. Food Hydrocoll. 2011; 25(2):150-158.
Phillips KM, Rasor AS. A nutritionally meaningful increase in vitamin D in retail mushrooms is attainable by exposure to sunlight prior to consumption. J Nutr Food Sci. 2013;3:236.
Lonie J, Phelps L. Sustainable production practices in mushroom farming. Mushroom News. 2011;59:4-8.
O’Neil CE, Nicklas TA, Fulgoni VLIII. Mushroom intake is associated with better nutrient intake and diet quality: 2001-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Nutr Food Sci. 2013;3:5.
Gründemann D, Harlfinger S, Golz S, Geerts A, Lazar A, Berkels R, Jung N, Rubbert A, Schömig E. Discovery of the ergothioneine transporter. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2005;102: 5256-261.
Paul BD, Snyder SH. The unusual amino acid l-ergothioneine is a physiologic cytoprotectant. Cell Death Differ. 2010 Jul; 17(7): 1134–1140.
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