Mushrooms are not very popular but they offer some powerful nutritional benefits. Shiitake, for example, contains a compound called lentinan that has an immune-boosting action, and has potent antimicrobial properties. In fact, antibiotics such as penicillin, streptomycin and tetracyclines all come from mushroom extracts.
Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, selenium and naturally generate vitamin D when exposed to light. Scientists have also recently discovered that mushrooms are one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world, in the same league as the red pepper and spinach. Although not classed as a vegetable, they count towards your 5-a-day goal, with 80g, or about four medium-sized mushrooms, counting as one portion.
Mushrooms contain hardly any fat, are low in calories, and have a low Glycaemic Index (GI) yet are surprisingly filling thanks to their fibre content. This makes them a great choice when you are watching your weight. In fact, using white button mushrooms in dishes such as lasagne can halve the calories but provide the same volume and filling power with no loss of palatability. Doing this ten times would help you lose one pound of fat. Doing it once a week for a year would help you lose 5lb in weight!
Comments are closed.