For many years, mushrooms have been taken as medicine for their healing and cleansing properties. They're of various types, differentiated by their appearance, but their most outstanding features are a fleshy round cap, gills below the cap, and a stem.
You can get mushrooms from the grocery shops and prepare them at home, and you can also consume them in other forms, like mushroom capsules. This article will highlight the various health benefits of edible mushrooms. Read on to learn.
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Lower Cholesterol Level
Mushrooms reduce cholesterol, fat, and calories in the body through compounds that slow down the production of these substances in the body. These compounds also stop the absorption of cholesterol and, in turn, reduce its amount in the blood.
Mushrooms are said to be an excellent replacement for red meat. Examples of this type of mushroom are shiitake and King Trumpet.
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Keep Blood Pressure Low
Mushrooms contain potassium, among other nutrients, that lessen the harmful effects of sodium in the body. Potassium also reduces the strain on blood vessels, resulting in lowered blood pressure.
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Minimize Cancer Risk
The antioxidant agents found in mushrooms are believed to help prevent a couple of cancer types, including breast, lung, and prostate cancer. In Japan and China, in particular, medicinal mushrooms are consumed to supplement cancer treatment 1https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/mushrooms-pdq .
The antioxidants rid the body of toxic metabolic byproducts known as free radicals. Antioxidant agents in mushrooms include Vitamin C, choline, and selenium.
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Prevent Heart Disease
Heart or cardiovascular disease can be prevented by consuming mushrooms containing potassium, fiber, and other nutrients. As per the American Heart Association's recommendation, boosting heart health requires eating food containing potassium.
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Promote Brain Health
Alzheimer's disease, which is characterized by mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among other symptoms, can be prevented by consuming 1 – 2 cups of mushrooms weekly. In this case, the mushrooms to be consumed are the white button, golden, shiitake, and oyster.
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Improve The Immune System
Mushrooms also contain anti-inflammatory agents which are believed to promote the immune system's effectiveness. In other words, mushrooms energize microphages in the immune system enabling it to fight foreign bodies that may cause illness. Examples of this type of mushroom are Reishi and oyster.
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Good For Pregnant Women
Mushrooms provide folate, also known as folic acid which is critical in promoting fetus health. Instead of taking folic acid supplements, the pregnant mother can consume mushrooms which contain about 16.3 micrograms (mcg) of folate.
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Promote Gut Health
The gut has a microbiome that houses bacteria which is critical for your health. Eating mushrooms encourages the growth of healthy bacteria that, in turn, boosts your gut condition.
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Promote Weight Loss
Eating mushrooms, exercising, and other lifestyle adjustments help shed unnecessary weight. Too much weight could result in metabolic disorders like hypertension. The antioxidants in mushrooms help to burn fat and control the metabolic rate to protect the body against such risks as hypertension.
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Boost Bone Strength
Among the nutrients that mushrooms have are Vitamin D and calcium, which are crucial for strengthening your bones. Particularly when grown outdoors and regularly exposed to sunlight, mushrooms become a good source of Vitamin D.
Mushrooms are among the kinds of food recommended for people with diabetes 2https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mushrooms-good-for-diabetes . Mushrooms have a compound known as beta-glucan, which controls the body's blood sugar level. Beta-glucan also minimizes the chances of acquiring type 2 diabetes. An example of this type of mushroom is maitake.
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Help Relieve Stress
You can be stressed for various reasons, including the daily tasks that you engage in. Together with resting, you can also add mushrooms to your diet. An example of the type of mushrooms that help with stress is Chaga which does away with mental fatigue.
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Promote Skin Glow
The carbohydrates in mushrooms help to maintain moisture in the skin, making it glow. Glutathione and ergothioneine are specifically believed to prevent pigmentation and dryness.
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Help In The Production Of Red Blood Cells
Among the B Vitamins in mushrooms are thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic, and pantothenic acids that promote the production of red blood cells. About 90% of the iron in mushrooms can be absorbed by the human body.
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Help In Digestion
Mushrooms contain insoluble fiber, which helps with food passage in the digestive tract and prevents constipation. Moreover. Mushrooms function as prebiotics that improves digestion.
Conclusion
As in the discussion here, mushrooms have several health benefits. They aid various bodily processes such as digestion, heart health, red blood cell production, skin health, and many more.
Additional resources and citations
- 1https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/mushrooms-pdq
- 2https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/mushrooms-good-for-diabetes
