What is a mushroom?
When I first saw a mushroom in a garden as a child, I thought it was probably a mysterious kind of odorless flower that looked unusually spongy and colorless. And then I discovered that same wildflower inside my mother’s vegetable basket. That kind of gave me an idea that this strange-looking thing is undoubtedly edible but definitely not a vegetable due to its peculiar structure.
But what exactly is a mushroom? Mushroom technically belongs to kingdom Fungi which is neither a plant nor an animal. These wild-looking flowers are basically the above-ground fruiting bodies of a much larger fungus whose main part grows underground.
Types of mushrooms
There are more than 10000 species of mushrooms in the world. Although mushrooms have gained a lot of worldwide popularity in various types of cuisines, not all of them are edible. There are certain varieties of mushrooms that have dire poisonous effects if consumed by humans and animals. Therefore, certain acceptable varieties of mushrooms are commonly cultivated across the world for consumption. Some of the popular mushrooms are button mushrooms, paddy straw mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, and many more. Across the world, several research-based evidence is there to back up the fact that mushrooms have many health benefits due to their high nutritional value, and thus it is sometimes called a superfood.
Health benefits of mushrooms
Mushrooms are gluten-free, do not contain cholesterol, and are very low in sodium. It is believed that mushrooms have the ability to boost metabolism by directly regulating the levels of blood sugar.
Based on scientific studies, it has been found that mushrooms contain beta-glucans which is a type of fibre and is mainly found in the walls of the mushroom cells. Beta-glucans are believed to have a role in reducing cholesterol levels in blood and also exterminating the diseased cells, thereby boosting the overall immune system.
Mushrooms are naturally enriched with Vitamin D. Some other important elements that mushrooms contain are selenium, potassium, phosphorus, copper and iron. This makes mushrooms a very desirable food for vegans to be taken as a source of supplement in their diet.
Mushrooms are also a very good source of Vitamin B which is primarily responsible for breaking the food into energy. This vitamin is required to ensure optimum functioning of the body cells e.g. brain cells, skin cells, and different types of body tissues. Hence, it has a direct impact on maintaining the health of our brain. Studies have shown, appropriate consumption of mushrooms may have the effect of reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by improving the growth of nerve cells.
Mushroom as an antioxidant
A group of researchers has studied the antioxidant effect of mushrooms. Their studies suggest that mushrooms are fairly high in two important antioxidants i.e. ergothioneine and glutathione. Ergothioneine is a sulfur-containing antioxidant and a powerful anti-aging agent. Antioxidants are required to control the free radicals in our body which eventually damage the body cells. An optimum amount of ergothioneine and glutathione in diet may have to alleviate the effect on diseases that happen due to the damage to the nervous system e.g. Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Read about the benefits of turmeric here.
Mushroom for Heart
Mushrooms up to a certain extent have the capability to improve cardiovascular health because of the high levels of Vitamin C and potassium. Potassium is an important mineral that has a key role in regulating the function of nerves, heart, contraction of muscles and balancing the fluid. For proper functioning of the heart, several worldwide associations for cardiovascular health management, highly recommend the consumption of foods that are high in potassium.
Mushroom for Cancer
In the Asian subcontinent, mushroom is regarded as an age-old natural medicine that has been in use in treating several types of diseases. In Japan, for more than 30 years, mushrooms are being used in immune therapies and treatment of certain types of cancers like breast cancer and prostate cancer. Among all the varieties of mushrooms, the Turkey Tail mushroom is the most potent one which has shown significant efficacy in suppressing the growth of cancerous cells. This is due to the scientific fact that the Turkey Tail mushroom contains a powerful by-product i.e. protein-bound polysaccharide K (PSK) which fortifies the immune system of the body to regress the growth of tumorous cells. Several clinical researches have been conducted with the approval of the FDA to establish the effectiveness of Turkey Tail mushroom in boosting the functioning of the immune system of the body during chemotherapy.
How mushrooms are consumed?
Mushrooms are generally consumed in cooked and powdered forms. Although a very few varieties of mushrooms may be eaten raw, the majority of health experts advise against it. As per findings, mushrooms in raw form don’t contain any additional nutritional benefits, rather some of them may have toxic substances which can make people fall sick. Across the world, mushroom is being substantially used in cooking of popular cuisines due to its unique earthy and umami flavor. Mushrooms are considered to be a good vegetarian alternative to non-veg dishes due to their classic fleshy and meaty body texture. These are used in cooking endless recipes in Asian, European, Japanese, and Korean cuisine.
Raw mushroom vs mushroom extract powder
In recent years, powdered mushrooms have gradually started gaining popularity all over the world. Search for mushroom powder on the internet has increased manifold in the past couple of years. This may be due to the fact that mushroom powder is a highly concentrated form, and just by adding a single spoon of mushroom powder to the food its nutritive value directly gets amplified. Extraction of powder from mushrooms is simply done by drying the mushrooms and then converting them into powder. The entire process of powdering mushrooms doesn’t lessen the potency of the nutrients. Also, the powder doesn’t have any specific taste which makes it fit to get mixed with any type of food.
These days several brands of mushroom powder are being sold in general stores and supermarkets considering the demand due to the immense health benefits it offers. People add this powder as a seasoning ingredient in their smoothies, cooked vegetables, egg recipes, protein shakes, soups, etc. There are certain beverage brands which have blended version of tea, coffee and drink mixes with mushroom powder. The greatest advantage of having mushroom powder is that we can have more of the health benefits of this superfood in a very simplified way without altering the taste of the food.
Risks and side effects
Optimum consumption of mushroom powder should be essentially maintained. This is because of the fact that powder has the concentrated form of mushrooms and excessive intake than recommended may have a negative effect on health. It should be consumed as per directed doses.
Generally, there are not so known side effects of taking this supplement in food, but if any adverse effect is felt then it should be immediately discontinued.
People with autoimmune diseases must consult doctors before adding mushroom powder in their diet.