benefits of mushroom

Would you believe me if I said that a completely lean protein diet is ideal forlosing fat and building muscle mass? Well, believe it or not, its true. Most fats are burnt to digest proteins found in our food, more so when the protein is accompanied by a very low carbohydrate count, no fat or cholesterol, and a good amount of fiber. This is exactly the combination that mushrooms offer to help in losing weight! Due to their nutrient density, they actually rank higher than most fruits and vegetables, and some researchers say that mushrooms are one of the rare foods that people can eat as often as possible, with no side effects.

Mushrooms can be very dangerous! Most species of mushrooms are not edible, are highly poisonous and look strikingly similar to their edible counterparts. Dont ever try picking mushrooms for consumption from the woods unless you have been trained to identify them very well. Mushrooms have the unique ability to absorb the material that they grow on, either good or bad. This quality is what gives mushrooms so much of their beneficial power, but also their dangerous aspects. Many mushrooms, when picked in the wild, contain heavy metals, which can be very toxic, as well as air and water pollutants.

Many varieties ofmushroomscontain goodforyourbladder selenium and, like us, they producevitamin Dwhen exposed to sunlight. Oyster mushrooms are a good source oriron. It's important to eat ONLY organically grown mushrooms because they absorb and concentrate whatever they grow in. Mushrooms are known to concentrate heavy metals, as well as air and water pollutants, so healthy growing conditions is a critical factor.

White button mushrooms, such as crimini, commonly found in grocery stores and salad bars, help remove excess estrogen from circulation, making them helpful for preventing breast cancer. A tissue culture study published in the November 2010 issue of the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine found that white button mushrooms, along with four other varieties of common and specialty mushrooms, significantly suppressed breast cancer cell growth and reproduction. However, further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results.

Mushrooms are a good source of chitin and betaglucan, fibers that lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. A laboratory animal study published in the 2012 issue of the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms found that pink oyster mushrooms reduced total cholesterol, triglycerides and lowdensity lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol and prevented arterial plaque formation. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary results. A compound in shiitake mushrooms, called critadenine, helps the liver process cholesterol.

Crimini mushrooms are among the only natural food sources of vitamin D, and mushrooms are one of the few foods that contain germanium, a trace mineral that helps your body use oxygen efficiently and prevents against damaging effects of free radicals. Many mushrooms are also good sources of selenium, an antioxidant mineral, as well as copper, niacin, potassium and phosphorous. Additionally, mushrooms provide protein, vitamin C and iron. Because their cells walls are undigestible unless exposed to heat, you must cook mushrooms to get their nutritional benefits.

Betaglucan in mushrooms provides protection against colds, flu and other viruses. The reishi mushroom was found to improve recovery time in herpes patients in a study published in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Reishi may exert its antiviral effects by interfering with attachment of viruses to host cells, according to researchers of a study published in the January 2005 issue of the Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Shiitake, portobello, oyster and reishi mushrooms contain a polysaccharide molecule called lentinan that stimulates production of interferon, which stimulates the immune system .

Mushrooms are the only fruit or vegetable source of this critical vitamin. Like humans, mushrooms produce vitamin D when in sunlight. Exposing them to high levels of ultraviolet B just before going to market converts more of the plant sterol ergosterol into the socalled sunshine vitamin. In the U.S., portobellos fortified with vitamin D are already being sold, with a threeounce (85gram) serving providing about 400 IU of vitamin D (Osteoporosis Canada recommends thatadults under 50 get 400 to 1,000 IU daily). William Stevens, CEO of the trade organizationMushrooms Canada, says, andA couple of Canadian producers are already testing this procedure.

Risk of many common health problemsincluding type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of canceris increased by the presence of chronic unwanted inflammation. Many factors can contribute to chronic inflammation, and these factors include overproduction of molecules in our body that tell it to launch an inflammatory response. If production of these moleculescalled proinflammatory moleculescan be reduced, chronic inflammation can be reduced or sometimes prevented altogether. Intake of whole fresh mushrooms, mushroom extracts, and powdered/dried mushrooms has been shown to accomplish precisely this resultblocked production of proinflammatory molecules. In some studies, crimini mushroom appears to be a better blocker of certain proinflammatory molecules than its fellow mushrooms like shiitake and maitake.

There are two outstanding types of antioxidant support provided by crimini mushrooms. The first type involves their nutrient composition, and the second type involves their impact on oxidative metabolism. In terms of nutrients, you don't have to look far to find key players in antioxidant world: crimini mushrooms provide an excellent amount of selenium, and a very good amount of zinc and manganese. All three minerals are critical antioxidant nutrients and are also required for the functioning of antioxidant enzymes. The antioxidant content of crimini mushrooms also includes some unusual antioxidant molecules. The best studied of these molecules is ergothioneine (technically identified as 2mercaptohistidine trimethylbetaine). Ergothioneine is an amino acidlike molecule that has not only been shown to have antioxidant properties but to also specifically help prevent oxidative damage to DNA (our genetic material) and proteins.