Health Benefits of Eating Mushrooms

Introduction

Have you ever experienced the excitement of hunting mushrooms after a severe lightning and thunderstorm? It is an exciting adventure through the valleys, crags, and mountains.

Living in the countryside gives you these rare opportunities to experience nature at its best.

I have known for some time that mushrooms suit your physical health. (Can anyone who grew up in rural KwaZulu Natal not understand these culinary fungi?)

The research found that mushrooms support immune function and can help fight cancer and slow ageing, among other benefits. Other studies are discovering mushrooms can help ease depression and anxiety.

What are Mushrooms?

Mushrooms are a saprophage; hence, they don’t have chlorophyll and need no sunlight. They row in mountain crags, forests, and areas with a lot of moisture. Mushrooms thrive on eating rotten stuff.

Mushrooms are fungi that produce spores. They get their food from the outside.

They contain a substance called ergosterol. A transformation of Vitamin D results from ergosterol when exposed to ultraviolet light.

Scientists have identified thousands of mushroom species. But we eat only about half a dozen. Some mushrooms have psychedelic compounds (psilocybin) that cause hallucinations or altered consciousness. I experienced this firsthand. My friends Mike and Zoli went crazy after eating these mushrooms.

Many others in nature, like the death cap mushroom, are poisonous.

Types of Edible Mushrooms

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There are more than 14,000 mushroom species. These include edible, inedible, poisonous, and psychoactive. There are 30 domesticated mushrooms.
Although there are 300 edible mushrooms, only ten are grown for consumers. The most common edible mushrooms are:

• White (includes a white button, portobello, and cremini)
• Oyster: a fan-shaped delicate cap
• Shiitake: a dark brown umbrella cap with a thin cream-coloured stem
• Enoki: long, slender white stems with small white caps eaten raw or cooked.
• Lion’s Mane
• Turkey Tail
• Hen of the Woods
• Beech
• Chanterelle: the cap is a wavy golden trumpet-like shape
• Porcini: a reddish-brown rounded cap with a thick cylindrical stem
• Morel: the cap is a spongy, dimpled, oblong shape

All these are available in supermarkets and are obtainable in restaurants.

Mushroom Nutrition Facts

One cup of sliced white mushrooms offers the following nutritional facts:

• Calories: 28
• Protein: 4 g
• Total Carbohydrates: 4.4 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugar: 0 g
• Total Fat: 0.4 g
• Riboflavin: 29% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Niacin: 22% of the DV
• Pantothenic Acid: 16% of the DV
• Folate: 5% of the DV
• Thiamin: 7% of the DV
• Selenium: 21% of the DV
• Copper: 16% of the DV
• Potassium: 12% of the DV
• Phosphorus: 11% of the DV
• Zinc: 4% of the DV
• Manganese: 3% of the DV
• Magnesium: 3% of the DV
• Iron: 2% of the DV

When you take a single cup serving, it contains approximately 23 IU of vitamin D2. Mushrooms produce vitamin D when exposed to direct sunlight. It shows we are not the only ones that make vitamin D in our skin when exposed to direct sunlight.

Mushrooms produce vitamin D2 from the sun, and lichen is one of the only plant-based vitamin D2 and D3 sources.

What, then, are the benefits of eating mushrooms?

Health Benefits of Mushrooms

Are mushrooms good for you? Are there any health benefits for you?

Mushrooms are a rich source of micronutrients. These micronutrients are antimicrobial, antiviral, antitumor, antiallergic, and immunomodulating.
They also contain anti-inflammatory, antiatherogenic, hypoglycaemic, and hepatoprotective (good for the liver) properties.

Mushrooms are Good for Your Immune System.

Mushrooms activate certain substances in your immune system that can enhance their ability to protect you against infection and disease. Mushrooms also help against the growth of tumour cells.

Mushrooms are a rich source of phytochemicals called beta-glucans. Beta-glucans activate leukocytes, or white blood cells, to help fight foreign substances and diseases.

Mushrooms also contain B vitamins. Selenium is a powerful antioxidant in mushrooms, supporting the immune system.

Mushrooms May Have Anti-aging Properties

Mushrooms are high in antioxidants, which fight free radicals and oxidative stress. Free radicals damage cells from cancer, coronary heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and dementia.

Penn State University 2017 found mushrooms are high in two antioxidants, ergothioneine, an amino acid, and glutathione, whose deficiency can contribute to oxidative stress. And some species contain more than others. Porcini mushrooms are the best source of these two antioxidants.

Mushrooms and Cancer

The National Cancer Institute study shows that the antioxidant in mushrooms helps prevent lung, prostate, breast, and other types of cancer.

Research has found that white button mushroom powder lowered prostate-specific antigen or PSA.

Advances in Nutrition published a study in 2021 that analyzed over 50 years of data from 20,000 cancer patients. The study found that eating 18 grams of mushrooms reduced cancer risk.

Mushrooms May Protect Brain Health and Cognition

Culinary mushrooms contain beta-glucan fibre, which fights inflammation in the all-important gut-brain axis. While other foods, such as oats, also collect this type of fibre, researchers have found that the beta-glucan fibre in common edible mushrooms increased the structural integrity of the human brain’s prefrontal cortex.

The choline in mushrooms can also help with muscle movement, learning, and memory.

Mushrooms are Good for Your Heart

Edible mushrooms are rich in the amino acid ergothioneine. This amino acid is associated with a lower risk for heart disease.

Phytochemicals in mushrooms help protect the heart by maintaining healthy blood pressure and circulation.

Mushrooms and Digestive System

Compounds in mushrooms, including beta-glucan, act as prebiotics. These compounds fuel the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and promote a favourable gut environment. This growth is vital because a healthy gut is essential in maintaining our immune defences, digesting our food, and communicating with the brain through nerves and hormones.

Mushrooms May Stimulate Hair Growth

Some varieties of mushrooms have even promoted the healthy growth of hair follicles. For instance, Chagas is commonly used as a shampoo in Mongolia to maintain healthy hair.

Various types of mushrooms can benefit hair growth. Like Paddy Straw, mushrooms can help stimulate hair growth and promote new growth. The Reishi mushroom can also help improve blood and lymphatic fluid circulation, which can help improve hair growth.

How to Prepare and Cook Mushrooms

Mushrooms are almost always available in the produce section of our supermarkets, Checkers, Shoprite, Woolworths, Spar, and Boxer.

You can eat Crimini mushrooms raw or cooked, sliced or unsliced. They can be simmered in water for about 5 minutes until soft or sautéed in a hot skillet. When sautéing, cook the mushrooms in a nonstick pan.

Before cooking mushrooms, wash them thoroughly.

Side Effects of Mushrooms

Are mushrooms safe for everyone? It would be best if you realized that not all mushrooms are edible. Consuming some mushrooms, like magic mushrooms, can harm you.

Although there are good wild mushrooms like Chanterelle, some are poisonous. It will be better for you to stock your mushrooms from reliable sources.

Psilocybin

Psychedelic mushrooms contain a naturally occurring compound called psilocybin that gives them their “magical” effects of causing hallucinations.

Minor Risk of Foodborne Illness

Mushrooms show a connection to a few cases of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with pathogens.

In early 2020, a report in the USA of an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes crossed multiple state lines that affected 36 people. Its source was Enoki mushrooms, often used in East Asian dishes.

Foodborne illnesses concerning mushrooms have been sporadic.

Raw Mushrooms May Contain Toxins

Various raw edible mushrooms, like the white button mushroom, appear to have a naturally occurring compound called agaratine. Agaratine may be toxicological or potentially carcinogenic. But agaratine is sensitive to heat. Try to avoid raw mushrooms; cook them for your safety.

Mushroom Allergy

Mushroom allergy is very rare unless you react to some foods.

If you have any suspicions of having a mushroom allergy, consult your nearest healthcare provider.

Healthy Mushroom Recipes

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You can use mushrooms as a topper to a meal or in any other way to add flavour to your dish; your palate will thank you.

Conclusion

Mushrooms are a good source of potassium and other vital nutrients. Consuming mushrooms will be of significant benefit to your health.

Refrain from magic mushrooms and stick to mushrooms available in your supermarket, and you will thank me.