Mushrooms are often touted as one of the healthiest foods in the world. This is because they are low in calories, high in fiber, and brimming with vitamin D, vitamin B2, selenium, copper, zinc, and other essential nutrients. But the best part? They’re also delicious! Here are 10 reasons to eat more mushrooms in your diet today.
1) How do mushrooms help us?
They are rich in various amino acids, the most important of which is glutamic acid. This amino acid boosts brain function and boosts immunity against many diseases. Not only that, they contain many minerals that help strengthen your immune system by inhibiting the growth of bacteria and viruses in the body.
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Mushrooms also contain a large number of different vitamin complexes that help fight against disease-causing free radicals. Mushrooms can be found in many foods including salads, soups, sauces, stews, rice dishes and pastas. There are so many ways to incorporate mushrooms into our diet!
2) Get rid of common cold and flu symptoms faster
Mushrooms are great for your immune system and mushrooms may help get rid of common cold and flu symptoms. Eating mushrooms during a cold or flu helps because it increases your vitamin D intake, which can be depleted due to your lack of sunlight during winter.
In general, eating vegetables is the best way to take care of yourself when you’re feeling under the weather; but mushrooms in particular offer a lot in terms of nutritional value and their antibiotic properties (specifically antiviral).
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3) Make you healthier in the long run
One of the first ways mushrooms can make you healthier is by providing minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients that most people are deficient in.
All this from a tiny brown piece of fungi! In addition, mushrooms also provide some really special polysaccharides and seleniums that are good for our immune system and protective for our organs. Eating mushrooms also helps produce a very healthy population of bacteria in your gut so try adding them to your diet!
4) Boost your immune system with zink, vitamin D and selenium
Mushrooms are a healthy choice for breakfast. They’re packed with minerals like selenium, zinc and vitamin D that help boost your immune system and keep you healthy.
Selenium helps fight infection and regulate thyroid activity, vitamin D can help strengthen bones and lower the risk of heart disease, while zinc is essential for maintaining skin health. Plus mushrooms can be an excellent source of non-animal protein that also provides plenty of B vitamins!
5) Help protect against cancer
One reason you should eat more mushrooms is that they can help protect against cancer. Antioxidants in mushrooms may help reduce the risk of cancer cells growing, while other substances in them help suppress tumor growth and kill cancer cells. People with high intakes of dietary mushroom extracts also showed reductions in prostate-specific antigen, which indicates a lower risk for prostate cancer.
The best part? There are tons of great ways to get your recommended daily intake (RDI) for these tasty gems! You can enjoy those shiitake on your sushi or whip up a killer pasta dish with crimini and garlic cream sauce. And if you’re just not into cooking, raw portabella slices are one of the healthiest snacks around.
6) Prevent diseases from heart attack to diabetes
A research paper by the Journal of Science reports that:
– In a study, those who ate mushrooms once a week had 46% lower risk of death from heart attack and 29% lower risk of cancer. – The beta-glucans in mushrooms have anti-tumor properties, which means they can help fight tumors. – A 2003 study by Cornell University found that regular consumption of black or white mushrooms increased the body’s antioxidant capacity by 30%. The antioxidants help protect cells from damage, thus reducing our chances for developing diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
7) Improve bone health, including avoiding osteoporosis
In addition to their plethora of vitamins and minerals, mushrooms have special medicinal properties that can help fight the wintertime blues. Research shows that certain mushrooms contain beta-glucans, substances that stimulate production of a cytokine in the body known as interleukin-1.
This is important because too little IL-1 may make people more susceptible to colds and other illnesses by dampening their immune systems while too much IL-1 can cause autoimmune disorders. In contrast, activating the body’s IL-1 production appears to help protect against allergies and infections.
Luckily, simply adding more variety into your diet is an easy way to consume these wonderful fungi!
8) Help slow aging
The Maitake mushroom contains beta-glucans, which stimulate the production of human growth hormone. This can improve and maintain immune system health. In another animal study, betaglucans reduced infarct size by 67% in stroke patients when taken before or after a heart attack.
The most impressive results showed reductions up to 82%. Also, the Beta-glucan increased immunity protection against different kinds of infections and decreased cell proliferation rates.
Maitake mushrooms also show anti-cancer effects. Recently published research found that it killed breast cancer cells by helping stop cells from multiplying and encouraging their self-destruction. It also has been shown as effective against prostate cancer in mice and pancreatic cancer in rats with no significant side effects reported.
9) Slow down cognitive decline as we age
Mushrooms contain high levels of Vitamin D and B Vitamins, which have been shown to slow cognitive decline. They are a rich source of the antioxidants ergothioneine and glutathione which can protect against oxidative stress. Mushrates can improve mood, increase our immune system, have anti-inflammatory effects, help in the battle against diabetes, and even strengthen our cardiovascular system.
10) Fight infections naturally – especially during winter months!
Winter time is a high risk period for many illnesses. People who have regular contact with others, such as at work or school, are more likely to contract any type of illness as germs spread rapidly. One way you can decrease your risk of infection is by increasing your intake of immune-boosting foods, such as mushrooms.
Mushrooms contain polysaccharides and antitoxins that work together to promote a healthy immune system. They also contain selenium and zinc, which help fight infections in the body when working alongside the polysaccharides and other compounds. In addition, mushrooms promote liver health through various antioxidants found in their tough exterior that neutralize damaging free radicals within the body.