By Sophia Cooper
The mushroom is more than a tasty fungus to put on your salad, or in savory dishes. There is a large variety of them, and they are pretty healthy for you too. Who would have thought? Filled with numerous nutrients, chemicals, antioxidants, and vitamins our bodies thrive on, one would not consider a little thing like the mushroom could possess such health power.
Two such essential antioxidants are ergothioneine and glutathione, which work well together, preventing many adverse health effects such as the effects of stress on the body and mind. This is just the tip of what the mushroom can do for your overall health.
Let’s learn the ten amazing health benefits of the mushroom.
1. Helps Brain Health
Researchers at Penn State say the antioxidants “(ergothioneine and glutathione)” in mushrooms can help protect the brain from future neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Researchers suggest button mushrooms are the best and to consume at least five a day to help lessen the risk of such diseases.
2. Heart Healthy
For those seeking a more healthful diet, you know the reduction of red meat is necessary. Mushrooms are an excellent replacement for meat, along with being endowed with no fat and no cholesterol. Add a bonus of only containing 5mg of sodium.
3. Powers Against Cancer
Research done commanded for the Journal Experimental Biology of Medicine discovered five magic mushroom types that can help lessen the growth of breast cancer cells when consumed. Those five are Maitake, Crimini, Portabella, Oyster, and White Button mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms have an honorable mention also.
It does not stop the cancer cell growth; instead, it helps the immune system improve, thus possibly halting new tumor growth. Shiitake mushrooms house a sugar molecule called lentinan that can help in eradicating viruses and other nasty microbes.
4. Lowers Cholesterol
While mushrooms do not contain cholesterol, studies have revealed that Pink Oyster mushrooms can reduce the bad cholesterol found in rats with elevated cholesterol.
Further studies performed by the director of The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine learned mushrooms harbor phytonutrients. Phytonutrients help stop the plaque build up on your artery walls.
5. Filled with Speciality Vitamins, Minerals, and Nutrients
Mushrooms, for being tiny are stuffed fill of the daily vitamins, such as Vitamin D, B1 (Thiamine), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic). All these B complex specialty vitamins are critical to the way our body processes energy, including how we create new blood cells.
The mineral choline is essential in the maintaining of muscle movement, memory. Hence mushrooms are the only way many vegans can get some of their vital minerals nutrients and vitamins they need in their bodies. Mushrooms pretty much have them all.
6. Helps with Reducing Mental Trauma and Depression
There is no magic pill to cure-all, but there are magic mushrooms, also called psilocybin, due to the element that gives it psychedelic qualities. They are estimated to be about 200 mushrooms that contain the psilocybin element.
The research reported that in testing on patients that were ill and suffering from depression and anxiety, nearly 80% said they felt more hopeful and enlightened. They felt more at ease with people. Even after six weeks, the results were still the same, proving just one dose can help alleviate depression completely.
Neuroscience has discovered the psilocybin reacts somehow with the serotonin levels in the brain. Therefore, it shows psilocybin found in certain mushrooms can help those who suffer from chronic depression, anxiety, and even PTSD (post-traumatic syndrome).
7. Anti-inflammatory Powers
Inflammation in our bodies is harmful. Studies reported that a specific mushroom found in Asia called Reishi mushroom has the highest proven anti-inflammatory properties of all fungi. Reishi mushrooms have been used in Asia for centuries due to its anti-inflammatory benefits.
8. Helps Eases Addiction Withdrawals
Buy magic mushrooms in Canada has been reported in case studies to be quite helpful when easing one-off addictive drugs such as cigarettes, cocaine.
Studies showed a dose could help lessen the anxiety accompanied by ending a long addiction.
9. Memory Booster
You can’t ever forget to eat your mushrooms now! That’s because mushrooms have memory-boosting properties.
Researchers in Singapore at the National University discovered if you eat at least ¾ cups of cooked (not raw) mushrooms a week, it can help negate your chances of mild memory and cognitive decline.
10. Bone Builders
Another way to get a vitamin D for your bone strength is through mushrooms! Next time you’re in grocers produce aisle takes a look for mushrooms with the UVB label. These are mushrooms that have been grown in sunlight, not in darkness like most other mushrooms.
Thus, being raised under sunshine, the ergosterol in the mushroom gets turned into vitamin D! This translates to consuming only 3 ounces of UVB mushrooms. This will give you the equivalent amount of your daily vitamin D.
Final Thoughts
Are you now enticed to incorporate more fungi in your life now? It is effortless to do. There are tasty mushroom recipes out there. If you are vegan, mushrooms can often take the place of red meat. Not that big of a mushroom fan? Still, want to incorporate more mushrooms in your diet? You can chop up a couple of ounces and mix it into your ground meat or sauces to receive that extra mushroom nutrient pow.
It is preferred to cook mushrooms instead of having them raw because a lot of mushrooms contain tiny amounts of toxins too. Cooking helps release some of those toxins. A study in Spain suggests the best way serve mushrooms is to either microwave them or grill them. This way, their vitamins, minerals, and nutrients are preserved better than if you were preparing them in a pan or boil them. Either way, the health benefits of mushrooms are astounding.
