Mushrooms, Hmm Yummy!!!

I recently stubble upon this mushrooms at a close by farm and took it home for consumption.

I’ve always loved mushroom right from the first day I had a taste of it. Yea, it’s very yummy! There’s this deliciously-earthy flavor I get from it each time I eat it.

While growing, my mum would go to early morning market to buy mushroom as that’s the time of the day when you can get fresh mushrooms. Note: Don't keep mushrooms for too long (especially over night) before cooking as it would melt and being eaten up by its self generated worms!

This song: Mushroom! Mushroom!! I like mushroom, I like mushroom best! Was a giggle for mushroom we heard and learnt while growing up, it was one of our favorite songs then for me and my siblings when ever we’re eating mushroom or hungry of it. I could remember vividly we played the cassette over and over again till the cassette crashed.

My curiosity about how nutritious mushroom is leads me to doing a research on it. Please read along!

Mushrooms, though classified as vegetables in the food world, are not technically plants. They belong to the fungi kingdom and although they are not vegetables, mushrooms provide several important nutrients.

Health Benefits of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins and are also a source of important minerals like Selenium, Ergothioneine, Copper, and Potassium. Mushrooms also contains Beta-glucans, Beta-glucans contribute to resistance against allergies and may also participate in physiological processes related to the metabolism of fats and sugars in the human body.

From my finding, I got to know that consumption of mushrooms could be useful in regulating glucose levels, a benefit that might make it easier to lose weight and exercise longer by controlling blood sugar, especially for women. Mushrooms are very good for Weight Loss.

Mushrooms actually broke the jinx’s that plant foods don’t naturally contain vitamin D as it happens to be one of the few vegetables considered to be a good source of edible Vitamin D. Vitamin D is vital for many aspects of human health, and supplements. This essential vitamin can facilitate the absorption and metabolism of calcium and phosphorous.

For Stronger Bones: In addition to Vitamin D (which is good for bones) mushrooms also contain calcium (the very nutrient that Vitamin D helps you to absorb!) This serendipitous occurrence just increases the benefits for your bones. Eating adequate amounts of calcium has been shown to reduce joint pain, lack of mobility and even osteoporosis risk.

For Diabetes Management: Mushrooms contain natural insulin and enzymes which help the body break down sugar and starch in other foods. Thereby it’s considered as a good tool for dietary management of diabetes.

Immune Health: Mushrooms are one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world. It has been found to stimulate and regulate the body’s immune system. Research also indicates that mushrooms can help reduce risk of breast and prostate cancer.

Scientists recently find a potential link between mushrooms and a decreased likelihood of tumor growth and development in cells and animals.

Like all fruits and vegetables, mushrooms are naturally gluten free, and make a delicious and nutritious addition to a gluten-free diet.

Uses of Mushroom

Apart from mushroom being edible (though not all mushroom are edible), They can be used to make lots of inedible things, like packaging (I watched a documentary recently about how it’s used for packages because its biodegradable  and even houses. But for now, my focus is on what they can do for my health.

 Their flavor is just one reason to love the humble mushroom.

"I am...a mushroom on whom the dew of heaven drops now and then" --John Ford, The Broken Heart (1633).

References:

www.care2.com

http://m.mushroominfo.com/benefits/

http://www.care2.com/causes/5-surprising-health-benefits-of-mushrooms.html#ixzz3eeDdCwTb