April 16 is the Day of the Mushroom. Often grouped with vegetables, mushrooms are a fungi. Don’t let the word, fungi, scare you away from enjoying this delicious and nutritious food. For thousands of years, Eastern cultures have revered mushrooms’ health benefits and they have long been celebrated as a source of powerful nutrients. Mushrooms provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans or grains.
Mushrooms are low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, and very low in sodium. They provide important nutrients, including potassium, vitamin D, selenium, B vitamins like riboflavin, niacin, and pantothenic acid, and more. These nutrients play an important role in our nervous and digestive systems. They help provide energy by breaking down proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, help with the production of hormones, help maintain healthy red blood cells, and promote healthy skin. I’ll take some of these with dinner, please!
The Journal of Nutrition published a review of the research supporting mushrooms as a food to help Americans eat healthy, responsible, sustainable diets. Mushrooms are the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle and the leading source of the essential antioxidant selenium. Antioxidants, like selenium, protect body cells from damage that might lead to chronic diseases and they help to strengthen the immune system. In addition, mushrooms provide ergothioneine, a naturally occurring antioxidant that may help protect the body’s cells.
Mushrooms are hearty and filling. Preliminary research suggests increasing intake of low-energy-density foods (meaning few calories related to the volume of food), specifically mushrooms, in place of high-energy-density foods, like lean ground beef, can be an effective method for reducing daily energy and fat intake while still feeling full and satiated after the meal. You could even try grinding mushrooms up with ground meat to cut fat and calories, without compromising flavor.
The white button mushroom makes up about 90 percent of mushroom consumption in the United States. They have a fairly mild taste and blend well with almost anything. Shittake (shh-tah-key) mushrooms are growing in popularity for their meaty texture and flavor. Because there are thousands of varieties of inedible and poisonous mushrooms, it’s important to never eat wild mushrooms without the guidance of a trained mycologist, or mushroom expert. Poisonous mushrooms often resemble non-poisonous mushrooms, so it is best to purchase commercially grown mushrooms from trusted retailers or enjoy them in a restaurant.
Add fresh mushrooms to any dish or salad, serve them as an appetizer, chop them up for a stir-fry or try blending them with ground meat. To blend mushrooms, chop up your favorite mushroom variety to match the consistency of the ground meat in the recipe. Next, cook and season them the same way you would meat. Then just combine the cooked meat and mushrooms and use the mix to complete your recipe. Enjoy your new favorite fungi.
Here’s to a healthier you! For more information please call Stephanie at the Purdue Extension Kosciusko County office at (574) 372-2340, or email at faroh@purdue.edu.