Everybody knows that greens, berries, and yellow vegetables are good for them.
But fewer people understand the true power of edible mushrooms to boost health and improve longevity.
In many ways, mushrooms are nutritional powerhouses. Not only do they taste great, but they also contain a large number of unique phytonutrients not found in the plant kingdom.
Mushrooms, for instance, contain a very special antioxidant that appears to make the mitochondria in cells work better. They also have a host of vitamins and minerals, including the only non-animal source of vitamin D, other than direct sunshine.
What’s more, according to Out-Grow, you don’t have to get boring old button mushrooms from the supermarket. There’s a world of different cultivars out there, each offering unique flavor benefits.
In this post, we look at some of the underappreciated health benefits of mushrooms and how they can improve your life.
1 – Improved Weight Loss
Are you trying to trim down at the moment? If so, you could benefit tremendously from mushrooms. Eating just one serving of mushrooms per day in combination with exercise helps to lower weight substantially. Additionally, it helps people become healthier overall. Mushrooms contain high levels of antioxidants and other factors that reduce BMI and belly circumference.
2 – Lower Blood Pressure
Mushrooms are rich in a compound called potassium. This nutrient helps to counter the blood pressure-increasing effects of sodium.
Historically, humans got around 4500 mg of potassium from their food every day and just 800 mg of sodium. But thanks to changes in our diets, that ratio has almost completely reversed. Many people are getting just 700 mg of potassium and over 12000 mg of sodium per day, leading to high blood pressure.
Adding mushrooms to your diet, therefore, can increase your potassium intake, helping to restore your electrolyte balance and reducing the risk of high blood pressure.
3 – Improved Immune System
Mushrooms, like brightly colored fruits and vegetables, also have an uncanny ability to improve immunity. Researchers have found that eating mushrooms stimulates the production of macrophages, enhancing the body’s ability to defeat foreign invaders.
The great thing about mushrooms is that there are so many ways of getting them into your diet, even if you don’t like their texture.
For instance, if you’re making spaghetti bolognese, you can blend them into the tomato sauce before you start cooking. They’re also a fantastic addition to burgers. Just whizz them up with some beans, oats, flax, and parsley, and voila, you have yourself the perfect vegetarian patty mix.
If you don’t mind the texture of mushrooms or actively enjoy the taste, there are many other ways to get them into your diet. For instance, you could put them on top of homemade pizzas or sprinkle cooked mushrooms into salads. You can also add them to tasty stir fry meals along with the rest of your vegetables to add a little extra variety and flavor.
In summary, mushrooms are a kind of superfood that you absolutely want in your diet. Adding them can bring a host of unexpected benefits.
She has a B.S.Ed. in Secondary Education/English and a Spanish Minor. In addition, she holds a Certificate in Natural Health from a fully-accredited program and is a Certified Herbologist. She pursued these natural wellness certifications due to her love for herb gardening.
Despite freelancing to make a living, her love is "all things home."
Deborah grew up in a family that grew a large vegetable garden and a fruit orchard, helping her parents pull weeds and can home-grown foods as part of her childhood. In fact, she had no idea that she could purchase veggies and fruits in pre-packed steel cans until she went to college and made a food run.
Today, she lives in Bertie County, North Carolina, an agricultural rural area with more chickens than people. She lives with her husband and two rescue pets a sweet toy fox terrier and a cat who showed up one day and moved into the house. Together, they enjoy DIY projects, furniture refinishing, gardening, and canning.
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