SUPERCHARGE YOUR FOOD: MUSHROOMS
Jul 25, 2022Now I’ve always been a mushy fan, I love the hearty texture and umami, rich savoury flavour, but from a nutritional point of view it’s hard not to love them when they bring so much to the table (pun intended!). I personally wish the Healthy Eating Guidelines would include mushrooms as a separate guideline to fruit and vegetables because although many consider them a vegetable, they are actually very unique and provide antioxidants and bioactive compounds not found in plants.
So let’s see what all the hype is about! Firstly let’s look at the basics. There are many different types of mushrooms with each having unique nutritional profiles and health benefits so whilst these are the general benefits we’ll be discussing, including a variety of different mushrooms in your diet is a great idea to gain maximum nutritional benefits but also because we know our gut microbiome thrives off variety too (find out more about this here)!
Here are some the key nutritional benefits of including mushies in your diet:
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Wide range of unique antioxidant properties not found in plants. This is great for cellular function, anti-aging and gut health!
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Assists in maintaining blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels (fun fact: the rich savoury umami flavour of mushrooms means that when they are added to meals, the salt content can be reduced by 30-40% without affecting the flavour).
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Supports healthy skin, hair and nails due to niacin, biotin, copper, and selenium and Vitamin D.
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Contain prebiotics, which is a type of fibre that supports gut health.
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They can be a helpful inclusion for those aiming to lose weight as they are low calorie but have fibre to keep you feeling full as well as that hearty savoury flavour which can leave you feeling more satisfied after a meal,
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There is growing evidence that mushrooms may reduce the risk of and provide benefits for those with cancer. More research needs to be done in this area but there is compelling evidence that women who eat mushrooms have 50% less chance of breast cancer than women who don’t eat mushrooms.
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Recent research has found active B12 in the outer peel of button, cup and flat mushrooms - making them the only non-animal fresh food source of B12 - so a fabulous choice for vegetarians and vegans.
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Plus my favourite benefit of mushrooms…..
Supercharge your food: Mushrooms
When you expose mushrooms to UV/sunlight they can naturally generate up to 100% of your daily Vitamin D needs!!
This is really incredible because Vitamin D deficiency is very common and food sources are usually poor with the sun being what we rely on for our best source.
Vitamin D enhances the absorption of calcium which we know is imperative for our bone health. Vitamin D is also essential for muscle functioning and research has demonstrated it is protective against some cancers, respiratory, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Not to mention it is a key player for our immune system too!
If you are not sure about your daily requirements, see below:
· 19-50 yrs old 5.0 µg /day
· 51-70 yrs old 10.0 µg /day
· >70 yrs old 15.0 µg /day
So how does it work? Let’s run through how to supercharge your mushies:
1. Place mushrooms (either sliced or whole mushrooms gill side up) outside in the sun (or at least in a window sill that gets lots of sun coming through) for 15-30 minutes. 1 cup (100g) can generate up to 100% of your daily Vitamin D needs.
2. Once they have been sun baked you can either use them in your cooking (see note below) or store them in a paper bag in the fridge and they will retain the Vitamin D for up to 8 days!
Note: When cooking, to assist in Vitamin D retention, keep the heat low and add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Fun fact: Some research has shown that UV exposed mushrooms might be as effective, if not more, than supplementation for reversing deficiencies. *More research and a detailed protocol is needed here so this is not a reason to discontinue supplementation.
Want to see me sun charging my own mushrooms? Have a look at this Instagram video.
