Why You Should Work Mushrooms Into Your Meal Planning

The antioxidant properties of Trippin morty mushroom bar make it one of the healthiest foods we can add to our diet. Although they contain many nutrients such as selenium and polyphenols that are commonly found in plants, they also contain some antioxidants unique to mushrooms. One is the master antioxidant ergothioneine, which is amino acid containing sulfur. Sulfur is now recognized as very important for human health that many people are severely deficient.

There are 140,000 species of mushroom-forming fungi, but science is familiar with about 14,000. Break that down to only about 100 species that are known for their health-promoting benefits. Only about six are known as their outstanding ability to help the immune system. The one mushroom that we Americans are in love with one, and that is the common button mushroom and its relatives, the Portabello and the Crimini mushrooms. Of the 900 million pounds of mushrooms Americans consume each year, 95% of them come from this species.

Most of us have probably eaten this mushroom regularly, and they are an excellent food that is low in calories. It is loaded with protein, B vitamins and vitamin D2. There are numerous ways we can get mushrooms in our diet, such as in pasta sauces, pizza, sandwiches, with meat dishes and a variety of other dishes. They are a healthy food that serves as a perfect complement to a variety of foods.

You are probably quite familiar with the button mushrooms we find in most of our supermarkets, but there is an entire mushroom world of tasty delights that have even more health benefits. Check out other varieties such as Reishi, Shiitake, Turkey Tail and Himematsutake. They have enormous health benefits that have become common to many diets in different parts of the world.

There are a few things to know about mushrooms that are quite important. First, not all mushrooms are good for your health. Only about 50 to 100 mushrooms are known to be toxic. Which reminds me of a story I heard in France, and how picking wild mushrooms is a big pastime for many French people. Pharmacists in France are trained to identify certain fungi, and people after picking their wild mushrooms can bring them to the local pharmacist to check whether they are edible or dangerous.

Another important factor to remember about mushrooms is they readily absorb whatever they grow in. This is what gives mushrooms their potency. Healthy growing conditions are vital to deriving the health benefits we want from mushrooms. As a result this is one of the items you should always buy organic mushrooms to make sure you’re getting a healthy product.

One more interesting aspect of mushrooms and one of the reasons why they have such important health benefits to humans is because we share similar bacteria and viruses. Fungi as a defense to bacterial invasion have developed strong antibiotics which happen to be effective for humans. Important antibiotics such as penicillin, tetracycline and streptomycin have all been developed from fungal extracts.