Health Benefits Of Mushrooms

There are so many health benefits of mushrooms that it's difficult to believe these tiny power packed fungi taste good too. Mushrooms contain multiple nutrients, vitamins and minerals as well as have antioxidant and anti biotic qualities. There are many different types of edible and medicinal mushrooms but they all have one thing in common. They are Saprophytes. This means they have no chlorophyll to make their own food so they live off the nutrients found in decaying plant and animal matter.

Adding a few mushrooms to your meal can do so much for your health besides simply add more flavor. Mushrooms help prevent breast and prostate cancer, lower blood cholesterol levels, are beneficial for diabetics, improve the immune system, aid in weight loss and provides selenium to build bones, nails and teeth.

The Chinese and Japanese have used many different types of mushroom in their medical treatments. Recent studies in Japan led their equivalent to our FDA to declare the Shiitake mushroom as an anti-cancer nutrient. The shiitake contains lentinan. In various studies, the lentinan reduced benign tumor also.

The populace of Asian countries has long revered both the healing qualities and flavor of the Maitake, also known as the Rams head or dancing mushroom. In fact, it was once a form of currency. They used the maiitake mushroom as a remedy for various ailments and today shows promise as not only a method of lowering blood pressure but also warding off cancer. 

Mushrooms are a rich source of vitamin D. New studies show that increased amounts of vitamin D in the body might help curtail certain forms of prostate cancer. In fact, it's only second to cod liver oil and it is far more palatable. The potassium in the mushroom is also heart healthy in that it lowers the blood pressure.

Not only do mushrooms provide antibacterial properties, they also boost the immune system by aiding the body in increasing with the abundance of vitamin B-complex, vitamin A and vitamin C. The anti-oxidants protect the cells and prevent cellular damage that leads to cancer, aging and other diseases. One study with mice by Dr. Keith Martin and his colleagues of Arizona State University in Mesa showed that mushrooms helped the rodents fight tumors. The mushrooms found most effective weren't exotic mushrooms that require a huge outlay of funds but common white button mushrooms.

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The ability to aid dieters is another desirable quality of mushrooms. Sarah Schenker, a leading UK dietician, created a diet for one group that used mushrooms instead of meat in four of their meals a week and a low fat meat in the other group's meals. Everything else in the two diets was the same. The group that added mushrooms to their diet shed far more weight far quicker than the group whose meals contained meat. The mushrooms were relatively inexpensive compared to the meat and the diet, except for the mushrooms was not dramatically different from the normal eating patterns of the participants.

There are many more reasons to add mushrooms to your diet but the best is that they taste good. A yummy sautéed portabella sandwich provides you with a wealth of nutrients and vitamin B as well as selenium and protein. Not only are the health benefits of the mushroom remarkable and the flavor delightful but the more you eat, the less you'll have to worry about your weight.