Humans have been consuming mushrooms, both for nutritional and medicinal benefits, for more than 5,000 years. Mushrooms come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors, containing vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

Mushrooms have been increasingly popular over the years.  More people are enjoying the taste of mushrooms and finding ways to incorporate them into their diet. They give rich flavor to any dish and on top of that have beneficial nutrients. Many people are learning the ways mushrooms benefit the body, but some still are surprised to find out just how beneficial they can be.

Health Benefits 

Mushrooms are a low-calorie addition to your meals and very nutritional. They are very rich in fiber, contain some proteins, and have a variety of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. Some of the health benefits of mushrooms include lowering blood pressure, aiding in weight loss, and boosting your immune system. According to some studies consuming them may event help prevent some types of cancer. In Japan and China, they are used along with standard cancer treatment.

Mushrooms have a lot of potassium in them which is known to lower blood pressure by aiding in the absorption of sodium in the body. The antioxidants in mushrooms may aid in weight loss by reducing the risk of metabolic disorders. Studies have shown that eating mushrooms on a consistent basis mixed with exercise will aid in weight loss. 

Eating mushrooms consistently has also shown a dramatic effect in our bodies ability to fight off diseases or be less susceptible to serious illnesses. In turn, boosting our immune system. 

There are many different types of mushrooms, each with their own unique benefits. Let’s look at a few and discover their health benefits.

Chaga

Chaga mushroom is known as the king of mushrooms. It has many anti-inflammatory benefits. It is rich with nutrients such as vitamin D, potassium, and magnesium. These aid in reducing inflammation and improving bone health. 

Chaga has been studied to help protect against or even aid in recovery of illnesses. It can’t be said that Chaga can cure diseases, but studies have shown that it aids tremendously more than most other efforts. Chaga mushrooms are traditionally made into a tea for medicinal purposes. 

Reishi

With every king there needs to be a queen and that is the reishi mushroom. Grown in Asia, it thrives in hot and humid climates. Reishi also has strong anti-inflammatory function, improves immune function and mental clarity including depression and fatigue. Along with promoting longevity, it has been shown to have anti-cancer benefits. When questioned, one breast cancer study found 60% of 4,000 cancer survivors consumed reishi mushroom. 

Taking reiki in supplement form could potentially benefit your quality of life and be supportive for depression and anxiety. 

When it comes to side effects of taking reiki as a supplement or food form, it really doesn’t have any. The only side effect seen to date is an upset stomach and indigestion.  Unless you have a specific allergy to mushrooms it does not appear that there are any contraindications from adding them to your diet.

Shiitake

These are one of the most popular mushrooms because they are rich in flavor.  Shiitake mushroom have been described to have a meaty taste to them. These are the ones you see more often in grocery stores and which tend to be highly used in recipes. 

Shiitake mushrooms have the greatest number of vitamins to help your bones, your heart, and your immune system. There are little to no side effects again when ingesting these unless you have a mushroom allergy. 

Lions Mane

This particular mushroom has been studied to possibly help protect against dementia, anxiety, and depression. It has strong antioxidant qualities which help promote a strong immune system, healthy nervous system, and may lower the risk of heart disease. 

Ways to Enjoy Mushrooms

Mushrooms can be enjoyed raw in salads, grilled, sauteed, or roasted for wonderful additions to your meals. They can also be added to soups, sauces, egg dishes, and casseroles. 

Mushrooms are on the Environmental Working Groups (EWG) “Clean 15” list coming in at #13. Even though they are on this list, they can have pesticides on them when tested, just less than a lot of other produce. If this is a concern, choose organic. It is important to note that mushrooms have the unique ability to absorb much from the material they are grown on, either good or bad. This quality is what often provides for the strong mineral content but can also be a problem if they are grown on contaminated mediums.

Adding mushrooms to your diet can add amazing flavor along with many health benefits. Here is an easy and delicious recipe to add some of the wonderful benefits of mushrooms to your diet.

Recipes

Colcannon Mushrooms

I was watching an episode of Cooking Up A Story where they made Irish Twice Baked Potatoes and it looked so good that I just had to make some for dinner.  

Casting around my kitchen I realized that we only had one very large baking potato.  But we had two medium sized sweet potatoes.  Thinking back to  my childhood I remembered how my mother would make Mixed Twice Baked Potatoes by mixing together mashed sweet and baking potatoes and then restuff the shells.  I decided that this would be a good alternative to plain twice baked potatoes and it would give me two very stuffed halves of the baked potato.

Rummaging around in my fridge revealed some of the Russian Red River Kale from this week's farm share.  I also had one last onion from the farm share.  I made the stuffed potatoes and still had a fair amount of stuffing left over.  Back to the fridge I found three good sized portobello mushroom caps, cleaned and stuffed them and popped everything into the oven.

The sweet potatoes added so much flavor that I didn't need nearly as much butter as the original recipe called for.  I also left out the buttermilk and didn't feel that I needed the cheddar cheese on top.  

Oh my goodness was this good.  So good in fact that the next time I make it I am thinking of bypassing the stuffed potato part altogether and just stuffing mushroom.  Yes it takes time, but trust me, it's worth it.

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Ingredients

  

• 6-8 leaves kale
• 1 medium onion
• mushroom caps (how many depends on what size they are)
• 2 T. organic butter
• 2 T. olive oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350F

  Wash and prick with a fork one large baking potato and two medium sweet potatoes

  Bake one hour or until done
• 30 minutes after you start the potatoes:

  Wipe mushrooms with a damp towel to clean them

  Dice the onionCut the kale into medium-fine chiffonade

  Add 1 T. olive oil to a large pan

  Saute onions on medium heat until golden brown

  Add remaining olive oil and kale

  Saute until kale is wilted

  Add salt and pepper to taste
• Remove potatoes from oven

  Peel and mash with butter

  Add in onion and kale mixing well

  Stuff mushroom caps and bake 30 minutes

  Enjoy!