Nutritional value of mushrooms

These fungi have some very special minerals and vitamins; and they're found in one of my very favourite foods. The mushroom is not only delicious but very nutritious. What's more it adds appeal to almost any dish. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fibre.

This page was last updated by Dr Barrie Lewis on 31st August, 2019.

Nutritional value of mushrooms in a frying pan.

A meat substitute

Because mushrooms are zero in cholesterol and a helping contains only about 20 calories, only a few grams of carbohydrate and is virtually fat free, it makes an ideal substitute for red meat in your cooking.

Whether you are making a lasagne or a just a delicious breakfast, they are a very nutritious and tasty alternative to mince or a steak.


If you are wanting to lose weight, mushrooms are an excellent way to go about it. They are low in carbohydrate. Why is that important?

Because it is the best way to lose those unwanted pounds and there is a growing body of scientific opinion that a high carbohydrate coupled with a low fat meal-plan is one of the causes of the very serious conditions like motor neuron disease.

Actually it is more probably those that are refined that are problematic.

So, when you want to enjoy your mushrooms, it is not a bad idea to sautee them in a healthy fat like olive oil. Do not be too stingy with the 'good' fats; you will only damage your nervous system because every fibre must be coated in a fatty sheath, consisting mainly of a mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) called oleic acid.

But do cut down on your refined carbohydrate if you are overweight. That is where the problem lies with obesity: bread, potatoes, rice, cookies, puddings and cakes, and of course all the colas.

Lies, damn lies and statistics

Unscrupulous food companies often use damn lies and statistics to fraudulently mislead you on the contents of their products. There is a company that makes a delicious mushroom-based sandwich spread, but fiddle the figures to suggest there are no trans isomers ..

Prostate gland health

Research has proved that there is a "marked, statistically-significant reduction in the rate of prostate cancer for healthy men - those with a with normal PSA (blood test for prostate cancer) - receiving anti-oxidant supplements."


Nutritional value of Mushrooms

Nutritional value of mushrooms is about some very special minerals and vitamins found in one of my favourite dishes.

Antioxidants

  • Vitamins C and E
  • Minerals SELENIUM and ZINC ...

A large group of healthy men were given either Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium or zinc and compared with a control in this 2005 study reported in a prestigious medical journal.

Read more about why all men should be eating foods rich in anti-oxidants …

Selenium

Selenium is a power antioxidant.

So, the nutritional value of mushrooms lies, in part, in the fact that they are rich in Selenium, a quite difficult mineral to get in adequate amounts from the average diet, and is certainly very low in any junk food diet. Worryingly, a Baltimore study of aging men found that men with low selenium levels were FIVE TIMES more likely to get prostate cancer. It's the most common serious cancer in men.

Now, one helping of mushrooms will give you about 30 percent of your daily requirement of selenium.

It's even more true as we get older. One other finding in the Baltimore study is that older men seem for unknown reasons to have lower blood levels of Selenium. We are not sure why, but it's certainly makes sense for older men to regularly have a good helping of mushrooms. They're delicious anyway, so that should be no sweat!

Also every man should be having pumpkin seeds in their muesli and enjoying tomatoes regularly. Phytosterols too help prevent another male misery: Benign Prostate hypertrophy.

Mushrooms are also a good source of another anti-oxidant mineral, zinc.

There is much research (Fujita 2005, Nogushi 2008, Liu 200i, Weng 2010) reporting that extracts from various mushrooms inhibit the growth of a prostate malignancy.

Other Vitamins: B complex

The nutritional value of Mushrooms is also that they are particularly rich in three vitamins from the B-complex, vitamins that you can't survive without. We have to eat foods rich in them daily for healthy nerves, amongst many other things.

They are B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin) and B5 (Pantothenic acid).

Leg cramps

Some blood pressure tablets leach the body of potassium, causing terrible cramps in the legs. Mushrooms are particularly rich in potassium, higher even than a banana.

FIBRE

Mushrooms are also rich in both soluble and insoluble fibre, both of which are strongly associated in their own right with lower rates of bowel cancer, and a happy colon. An important part of the nutritional value of mushrooms.

Constipated? You are at serious risk of a heap of bowel diseases including cancer of the colon and rectum. By all means eat more mushrooms, but our favourite for this mean condition is the humble beetroot.

Useful site: http://mushrooms.ca/good/nutrition.aspx#fibre

Constipation may on the loo.

Sauteed Mushrooms Recipe

Here are two of my favourite slow food cooked fast recipes; mushroom soup recipes for dinner and Sauteed mushrooms recipe for breakfast: nutritional value of mushrooms done the easy way.

But if you have a tendency to gout, one or two helpings a month is enough.

By the way, did you know that any food turned into a soup will help keep your weight down? Scientifically proved. It stays longer in your stomach, reducing hunger pangs, so you are less likely to snack between meals. A cold mushroom soup for lunch? Yum! Don't forget the NUTRITIONAL VALUE of MUSHROOMS. Read more: SAUTEED MUSHROOMS RECIPE ...


Other uses! FOR THE EYES ONLY!

Fly agric mushrooms are deadly poisonous.

Sourdough bread recipe

The sourdough bread recipe is also invaluable for its yeasts and probiotics; learn here how to make your own starter from just rye flour, unchlorinated water and raw honey.

Healthy living tips

Healthy living tips have the specific aim of significantly increasing your chances of reaching a healthy, ripe old age in fine health. Just a few mushrooms a couple of times a week to stop prostate cancer dead in its tracks; it's not rocket science.

IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS

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