Are Mushrooms the Super Food Missing from Your Diet?
Mushrooms can promote a healthy body and spirit.
National Mushroom Day is October 15.
Written by Brandi K McMurry
Mushrooms are a superfood with a long list of health benefits. Always consult your physician before making dietary changes or self-treating ailments.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are substances that can help protect your cells from free radicals. Free radicals are unstable atoms that can cause damage to the cells in your body. Free radicals are linked to chronic inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Electrons from antioxidants can bind with free radicals to help protect the body., boost your immune system, and help protect the body from aging.
Selenium is a mineral found in the soil and the primary antioxidant in mushrooms. A study published by Harvard Health Medical School found that the mineral can help with cancer, most notably prostate cancer.
“Selenium was linked to a significant reduction in deaths from lung, colon, esophageal, and prostate cancer; protection appeared strongest for prostate cancer, with 63% fewer deaths in the men who took selenium. There were no cases of selenium toxicity.”
Beta-Glucan
Beta Glucan is naturally occurring in fungi. It is rich in soluble fiber aiding with digestion. Soluble fiber easily dissolves in water and breaks down into a gel-like substance. Lubricating the colon allows for the easier passing of bulk matter.
Harvard Health reports that beta-glucan is helpful with digestion.
“The primary type of soluble fiber in (mushrooms) is beta-glucan, which has been researched to help slow digestion, increase satiety, and suppress appetite. Beta-glucan can bind with cholesterol-rich bile acids in the intestine and transport them through the digestive tract and eventually out of the body.”
B Vitamins
Mushrooms are rich in the B vitamins riboflavin and niacin.
Riboflavin is important for red blood cells to allow oxygen to be dispersed throughout the body. Riboflavin also helps break down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins to produce energy for the body. It also helps absorb sugar and metabolize glucose.
Niacin (Vitamin B-3) supports the body in a number of ways including strengthening heart health which can lower cholesterol. Skin damage and acne can be reduced with the vitamin either topically or orally. Inflammation can be reduced easing arthritis symptoms. Niacin is also linked to brain health. From a study published in the National Library of Medicine, dementia can be caused by severe niacin deficiency.
Copper
Copper is an essential mineral for the body. It helps maintain the nervous system and the immune system.
Studies show individuals with copper deficiencies are more likely to have osteoporosis than individuals with healthy amounts of the mineral.
Some research suggests that people with higher levels of copper are at a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease.
Potassium
Potassium can help regulate blood pressure and promote cardiovascular health. Mushrooms are on the American Heart Association’s list of foods to eat to improve heart health and reduce hypertension.
Psilocybin
Psilocybin is a hallucinogenic compound found in some (magic) mushrooms. Research is being conducted on treating major depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and alcoholism with psilocybin. The chemical compound in psilocybin is similar to serotonin.
Microdosing small amounts of the compound have shown great potential to treat depression and other mood disorders. In small doses, the hallucinogenic aspects are not present but still greatly impact enhanced mood.
With ongoing research, psilocybin may be an option in place of anti-depressants.
Magic mushrooms are legal in the state of Oregon and decriminalized in Denver Co and Oakland Ca in the United States.
Mushrooms are a superfood with many health benefits and medicinal qualites. Native Americans used mushroom for the spiritual benefits through hallucinogenics, as well as nutritional value. Today you can find mushrooms in nature on a path, or even your own back yard, and are considered a good luck symbol and good fortune.
Sources:
Selenium and prostate cancer - Harvard Health
Selenium is a mineral with a long and interesting history. Discovered in 1817 and named after the moon goddess, it was…
www.health.harvard.edu
Oats
Oats, formally named Avena sativa, is a type of cereal grain from the Poaceae grass family of plants. The grain refers…
www.hsph.harvard.edu
Riboflavin Requirements and Dietary Sources
Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is a water-soluble vitamin that plays a key role in several important functions of the body…
www.verywellfit.com
Dietary niacin and the risk of incident Alzheimer's disease and of cognitive decline - PubMed
Background: Dementia can be caused by severe niacin insufficiency, but it is unknown whether variation in intake of…
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Copper Is an Essential Mineral. Are You Getting Enough in Your Diet?
Do you know that the mineral copper is essential? Your body is able to store only small amounts of copper in the body…
health.usnews.com
Mushrooms: Nutritional value and health benefits
Mushrooms are edible fungus that can provide several important nutrients. The many kinds of mushroom have varying…
www.medicalnewstoday.com
