What Is The Nutritional Value Of Mushrooms

Exercise Daily – If you are unaware of the nutritional value of mushrooms, then this article is where you will find all the information. Mushrooms are edible fungus well known for their health benefits and can efficiently help you to bridge several nutritional deficiencies. 

There are a variety of mushrooms and among them Cremini mushrooms are excessively used because of their health benefits and taste. The other edible types of mushrooms are oyster, chanterelle, porcini, and button. However, there are also some types that are not suitable for eating like death cap mushrooms as they can cause stomach pain or vomiting.

In this article, we will discuss in detail various aspects of mushrooms like their nutritional value, health benefits, and risk involved in eating them. Let’s get started:

Health Benefits and Nutritional Value of Mushrooms

Research on mushrooms is increased in order to examine more health benefits and nutritional value of mushrooms. They are not just being used in diets but also as a potent ingredient in many traditional medicines. 

In fact, mushrooms are enriched with nutrients and fall within the category of low-calorie food. Essentially, they are jam-packed with antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins beneficial for boosting your health. 

Below we have enlisted all the known health benefits of mushrooms that you should acknowledge in order to know their nutritional value.  

• Prevents Cancer: 

The major health benefit of antioxidants in mushrooms is that they help in preventing different types of cancer which include breast, lung, prostate, etc. Moreover, research also shows that the presence of a small amount of Vitamin D in mushrooms serves for the prevention or the treatment of some kinds of cancer.

In addition, choline is another antioxidant that reduces the probability of some kinds of cancer as well. You may confirm this fact by viewing this “research”. However, as mentioned earlier, there are also a few risks involved with consuming mushrooms, and studies found that choline is the antioxidant that may induce a risk of prostate cancer.  

The best way to make mushrooms beneficial for your health is to consume them as a nutritional supplement and not in the diet. In addition, exercising daily is another way you can fight chronic diseases like cancer. Here, read our article to find out “How“. 

Besides, some evidence also shows that neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s can be treated and managed with the help of mushrooms. 

• Helps in Fighting Aging: 

Antioxidants in mushrooms hold significant importance. They are primary components that provide mushrooms with incredible nutritional value. The presence of two antioxidants, glutathione and ergothioneine help fight aging. Both of these ingredients contain anti-aging properties. 

According to Professor Robert Beelman, “What we found is that, without a doubt, mushrooms are [the] highest dietary source of these two antioxidants taken together, and that some types are really packed with both of them.” (Source)

However, the amount of antioxidants in each type of mushroom varies. Ideally, wild porcini mushrooms contain the highest amount of antioxidants. 

• Support Weight Loss: 

Consuming mushrooms along with daily exercise and a healthy lifestyle can serve efficiently in weight loss. For instance, during some studies, people were asked to replace 20% of their beef consumption with mushrooms, and in a short time, positive results were achieved in the form of improved BMI. Above all, the risk of hypertension and other metabolism disorders is minimized due to the presence of antioxidants in mushrooms. 

• Promote Heart Health: 

Studies found that mushrooms embody therapeutic properties that are beneficial for controlling cholesterol levels, especially in overweight adults. In addition, it also includes phytonutrients that prevent cells from forming plaque build-up by stopping the cells from sticking to blood vessel walls. . 

• Prevents Diabetes: 

Consuming dietary fiber reduces the risk of developing 2 types of diabetes and studies prove this claim. However, if you are already dealing with it, then consuming mushrooms can effectively help in reducing your blood glucose levels. 

Raw mushrooms weighing around 70 grams can deliver your body with 1g of fiber. (Source)

In addition to mushrooms, there are several other foods like brown rice, beans, whole-grain food, and a few vegetables that can assist in fulfilling your daily fiber requirements. 

• Boost Immune Health: 

The mushroom anti-inflammatory effect has shown significant improvement in the immune system’s effectiveness. Moreover, Study showed that mushrooms tend to activate immune system macrophages, increase the capacity to resist external bodies, and reduce the vulnerability to serious conditions.

Besides, you can read our article if you want to know effective ways to boost your immunity. 

• Helps In Pregnancy: 

Many women are unaware of the fact that consuming mushrooms can be very beneficial during pregnancy. They take supplements to get folate and folic acid, while a better and more effective alternative than supplements is mushrooms. Mushrooms can deliver their body with enough folate. 

• Strengthen Your Bones: 

Whenever you go to the market to buy mushrooms, always buy the package that is labeled “UVB”. Why? Because at the time of development UVB-labeled mushrooms are exposed to the sun. This process specifically converts the compound known as ergosterol into vitamin D. Therefore, when you consume just 3 ounces of UVB-labeled mushrooms that ensures that you have met your daily requirement of vitamin D. In conclusion, mushrooms assist in strengthening your bones. (Source)

• Lower The Cholesterol: 

Another significant health benefit of mushrooms is that it helps in lowering your cholesterol. Although mushrooms are cholesterol-free, they are a good source of beta-glucan and chitin. These two fibers keep your cholesterol level low. Besides, Shiitake is one of the types of mushrooms containing compounds that assist the liver to remove cholesterol from the bloodstream by processing it.  

• Other Benefits and Nutritional Value: 

Various types of B vitamins are also found in mushrooms. They are as follow:

• thiamine, or B-1
• riboflavin, or B-2
• niacin, or B-3
• pantothenic acid, or B-5
• folate, or B-9

Several B vitamins seem to be essential for improving brain health. Above all, B vitamins help in the development of red blood cells and assist the body get energy from food. 

On the other hand, the choline in mushrooms is another viable nutrient that improves memory, muscle movements, and learning. 

Another added advantage of eating mushrooms is that it is a vegan diet. It delivers your body with a number of essential minerals that you might not obtain from other vegan diets. These minerals include iron, copper, selenium, phosphorus, and potassium. 

Nutritional Content and Recommended Intake: 

As mentioned earlier, mushrooms have different types and many of them are edible. The nutritional value of each type remains the same irrespective of their size and shape.

Below we have made a nutritional table that will help you know how much nutrients you should consume everyday. The below table is made in accordance with the 96-g cup of raw mushrooms. 

What is the Best Way to Serve Mushrooms? 

You can find mushrooms in almost all the grocery shops near you. You can eat raw mushrooms, however, there are a few methods that prove to increase the nutritional value of mushrooms. Among these methods, most people prefer to either grill or cook in a microwave. These two methods increase mushrooms’ antioxidant activity significantly.

Try the below mentioned methods to incorporate mushrooms into your diet. 

• When you make pizza at home, include mushrooms as one of the ingredients.
• You can add sliced mushrooms to your salad, omelet, sandwich soup, stir-fries, and much more. 
• You can even use mushrooms as an ingredient in different sauces. 

There are plenty of more methods where you can use mushrooms. We have told you a few if you have more ideas, do try them. 

Health Risk:

The benefits of mushrooms outweigh their disadvantages. However, we cannot overlook the possible health risk involved with eating wild mushrooms. Wild mushrooms include heavy metals in large amounts and other harmful components that can be fatal. Therefore, to avoid such risk, we would recommend you to buy mushrooms only from the trusted sellers. 

Bottom Line: 

Mushrooms are undoubtedly one of the most nutrient-rich foods. Including them in your diet will only deliver you numerous health benefits. Providing that you are using the right type of mushrooms. 

Having said that, the article ends here. With this article, we aimed to provide you with all the essential details related to the nutritional value of mushrooms. We hoped that we were successful in our aim. You can leave us your feedback in the comments below, as we really appreciate it.