Surprising Health Benefits of Mushrooms for Your Skin, Brain, and Bones
Mushroom is a great source of nutrients that are cultivated from many years ago. Mushrooms have low calories, no cholesterol, no fat, no gluten, and it is low in sodium. In addition, mushrooms have vitamin D, niacin, riboflavin, potassium, selenium, etc. According to a research in 2021 released in the Journal of Nutrition, mushrooms contribute to the healthy diet and it provides important nutrients for health. If you want to have a healthy diet, you should have mushrooms every week. In this article, Lifezfood will show you the health benefits of mushrooms and hope that you will add mushrooms more in your diets.
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Health Benefits of Mushrooms
Mushrooms may help keep you young
Mushrooms contain a super-high concentration of two antioxidants, ergothioneine and glutathione, according to a 2017 Penn State study. When these antioxidants are present together, they work extra-hard to protect the body from the physiological stress that causes visible signs of aging.
Balance Cholesterol Levels
Mushrooms have lean proteins, free-fat, free cholesterol, and low in carbohydrates. Mushrooms also have enzymes and fiber that can reduce cholesterol levels and balance the good and bad cholesterol level in the body. There are a lot of healthy recipes that you can try with mushrooms and you can try to eat every week. Mushrooms not only help you lower bad cholesterol, but it also helps you prevent other diseases such as stroke, heart attack, atherosclerosis, etc.
Mushrooms can assist in strengthening your bones
At the supermarket, grab a package marked “UVB”. How come? UVB-labeled mushrooms have been exposed to sunlight during their growth period (as opposed to mushrooms that are grown in the dark), and therefore have converted a compound called ergosterol directly into vitamin D. This means by eating just 3 ounces of UVB-exposed mushrooms, you’ve met your daily vitamin D requirement and given your bone health a leg up.
Mushrooms Are Immunity-boosters
We now know that lentinan can boost your immune system, but it has a helper, too. Beta-glucan is a sugar found in the cells walls of fungi (among other plants) that also helps boost your immune system. Lentinan comes from shiitake mushrooms, but beta-glucan is found in many varieties, namely the common button mushrooms.
Weight Management
Many varieties like portobello have a meaty taste, making them a favored choice with vegetarians and vegans. Their low-calorie, low-carb content also makes them a preferred choice among people who are following the ketogenic diet or the paleo diet. A review published in 2008 studied the impact of substituting mushrooms for higher calorie food, beef, in a 4-day diet intervention for overweight or obese adults. While the volume of food was similar, the energy content of meat and mushroom lunches varied (783 calories versus 339 calories). While there were no differences in ratings of hunger, satiety, or palatability between the mushroom and meat weeks, the average daily calories and fat were lower with the mushroom meals.
What is the best way to cook mushrooms?
While mushrooms can be eaten raw and may have a beneficial effect on the digestive system, certain cooking methods have been shown to increase their nutrient value, especially if grilled or cooked in a microwave.
New research by the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition looked at certain mushroom types (namely white button, shiitake, oyster and king oyster mushrooms) along with different cooking methods and found that when mushrooms are exposed to short cooking times they retain more of their vitamins and nutrients.
Microwaving or grilling mushrooms significantly increased their antioxidant activity, even when grilled in a small amount of oil, when compared to boiling or frying.
What is the best way to store mushrooms?
Mushrooms can start to deteriorate quite quickly and, if bought pre-packaged, they are often best kept in their original packaging in the fridge. If you buy loose mushrooms then they should be stored in a paper bag or in a container (without the lid) wrapped with plastic that is punched with a few air holes and stored in the fridge.
However, there could be a way to boost the vitamin D in your mushrooms naturally at home. Place them on a windowsill for just 1-2 hours to give them an extra shot and place them ‘bottoms up’ so that the underside of the caps is exposed. This is the area most sensitive to light.
