I often hear people around me chatting about the nutrition of food, and when talking about the nutrition of food, they will say that "four-legged ones are not as good as two-legged ones, and two-legged ones are not as good as one-legged ones". The "one leg" here refers to the mushroom. Is the little mushroom really that amazing? What are its health benefits?
One mushroom a day is also a lot more healthy
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Eating 18g a day can prevent cancer
In 2021, a team from Pennsylvania State University in the United States published a study in Advances in Nutrition that found that eating more mushrooms could reduce the risk of cancer.
This systematic review and meta-analysis covered 17 cancer studies published between 1966 and 2020. Researchers analyzed data from more than 19,500 cancer patients to explore the relationship between mushroom consumption and cancer risk.
The results of the study showed that people who ate 18g of mushrooms per day had a 45% lower risk of cancer compared to those who did not eat mushrooms.
The mechanism by which mushrooms help prevent cancer is not well understood, but scientists speculate that it may be because the mushrooms contain ergothioneine. Mushrooms are an important dietary source of ergothioneine, a unique and potent antioxidant and cytoprotective agent that may help protect against oxidative stress and reduce the risk of cancer, especially breast cancer.
One shiitake mushroom is about 18g
2
Eat more than 12g a day to alleviate cognitive aging
In addition to its anti-cancer effects, regular consumption of mushrooms may benefit cognitive function during aging.
In January this year, a team of researchers from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom published their study in the journal Nutrients:
(1) Consumption of more than 12g of fresh mushrooms per day (equivalent to 1 or more servings per week) is associated with higher scores in several cognitive domains, including episodic memory, prospective memory, reading ability, executive function, and processing speed.
(2) A slightly higher rate of consumption of more than 2 servings per week is also associated with a lower chance of mild cognitive impairment.
The results of the study suggest that mushrooms are rich in phytochemicals such as dietary fiber (mainly β glucan), ergothioneine, and diterpenoids, which have been shown to act as anti-inflammatory agents to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease.
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Eating mushrooms for a long time is beneficial to prevent obesity
蘑菇中富含几丁质。 这种成分，就是让金针菇“see you tomorrow”的“罪魁祸首”。
In 2023, researchers from the University at Buffalo and other institutions in the United States published an important paper in the internationally renowned academic journal Science. The study found that dietary chitin intake can have a significant impact on the immune system, and this positive immune response can help reduce weight gain, lower body fat content, and enhance resistance to obesity.
The researchers experimented with mice in two groups, one was given a high-fat diet (HFD) containing cellulose and the other was an isocaloric high-fat diet (CHFD) containing chitin fiber. The only difference between the two feeds is that the type of cellulose is chitin.
After comparative observation, the researchers found that mice fed with high-fat diets containing chitin fiber had significantly increased their weight compared to mice fed with high-fat diets containing chitin-containing fiber. Surprisingly, chitinase-deficient mice were fed a high-fat diet containing chitin fiber, which showed a downward trend in body weight, obesity and fat mass.
Therefore, eating mushrooms for a long time has a certain effect on preventing and improving obesity.
In addition to the above health benefits, the nutritional value of mushrooms is also very good.
Mushrooms are highly nutritious, and these aspects are masters
Mushrooms belong to the mushroom category of vegetables, and unlike other types of vegetables, mushrooms belong to fungi, not plants, and there are certain differences in nutrition.
In addition to the chitin in mushrooms mentioned above to help you lose weight, mushrooms themselves are not high in calories, low in fat, and rich in dietary fiber. So as long as it is not fried or stir-fried, the mushrooms themselves are also good for weight loss.
Not only that, but the outstanding nutritional benefits of mushrooms include:
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Vitamin D
Vitamin D can promote the absorption of calcium, but most natural foods are not high in vitamin D, and there are too many limiting factors for skin synthesis by sun exposure, so vitamin D is generally deficient in Chinese people.
Mushrooms are one of the very few natural foods that contain vitamin D, and most mushrooms contain less than 50 IU per 100g (IU international units, vitamin D 1μg=40 IU), but that's still a far cry from the 400 IU requirement per day. However, "basking in the sun" of mushrooms can greatly increase the vitamin D content in them. After purchasing, we can choose a sunny noon and bask for 0.5~2 hours, and the vitamin D2 content can easily reach more than 400IU.
Data from: USDA Food Database
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B vitamins
Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, which are essential for basic life activities such as energy metabolism and cell growth.
Mushrooms are higher in vitamin B2, niacin, pantothenic acid, and folate. For example, fresh mushrooms contain 0.35mg of vitamin B2 and 4.0mg of niacin per 100g of fresh mushrooms, while fresh straw mushrooms also contain 0.34mg of vitamin B2 and 8.0mg of niacin per 100g. For example, coarse grains with outstanding B vitamin content have 0.11mg of vitamin B2 and 1.8mg of niacin per 100g of corn, which is much lower than that of fresh mushrooms and straw mushrooms.
It is worth noting that many mushrooms appear on the market in the form of dried products, although their nutrient content is indeed high, but because we do not eat a large amount in daily life, and need to be treated with water before cooking, the loss of water-soluble nutrients in this process is relatively large, which makes the actual intake of nutrients discounted.
Therefore, while enjoying these delicious foods, we also need to pay attention to the loss of nutrients in order to plan our diet more scientifically.
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potassium
The amount of potassium in mushrooms is indeed quite impressive. The amount of potassium per 100 grams of fresh mushrooms generally ranges from hundreds of milligrams to 1,000 milligrams, and the potassium content varies greatly between different varieties of mushrooms.
For example, mushrooms contain a whopping 3,106 milligrams of potassium per 100 grams, which is the highest number among mushrooms and the highest amount of potassium of any natural food. The fresh shiitake mushrooms we usually eat are only 20mg per 100g, not to mention the bottom of the mushroom world, and it is also a crane tail in the entire vegetable world.
Overall, the potassium content of most mushrooms is still very "anti-hitting". The following is a list of the potassium content in natural foods from more to less, and the proportion of mushrooms is still relatively large.
Image source: Quick Facts of Food Nutrients
It is worth mentioning that these values far exceed the potassium content of many other foods in our daily lives, and even those bananas, which are known as "good potassium supplements". The amount of potassium in bananas is about 256 mg per 100 grams, compared to almost several times the amount of potassium in some mushrooms.
Therefore, mushrooms are undoubtedly a good and rich source for those who need to replenish potassium.
Healthy and excellent students, cooking is also a must
The biggest feature of mushrooms is that they are "fresh".
The freshness of mushrooms, on the one hand, comes from amino acids. In mushrooms, the main amino acids include glutamic acid, glycine, aspartic acid, etc. Among them, glutamic acid is an important amino acid that has the effect of enhancing the sense of taste and making food taste richer, which can be referred to the component "monosodium glutamate" of monosodium glutamate.
On the other hand, mushrooms also contain flavorful nucleotides, which interact with amino acids to enhance the umami of food. At the same time, other flavor substances such as sugars and organic acids in mushrooms can also be combined with the taste buds to further enrich the taste of food.
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Different mushrooms have certain differences in taste and shape, so the suitable cooking methods are also different. Common mushrooms available in the market include:
class
peculiarity
Suitable for cooking methods
Enoki mushrooms
Full of toughness, light taste, difficult to "digest" and easy to "see you tomorrow"
Cold salad, soup, hot pot side dishes
Crab mushrooms
The mushroom meat is thick, has a unique crab aroma, and the taste is tender and smooth
Stir-fry with meat, make soup, cold dressing
king oyster mushroom
Soft, juicy and tender
Slice and stir-fry, dry stir-fry, tomato juice, make soup
Kuchikan
The texture is crisp and tender, the meat is relatively loose, and the taste is relatively light
Vegetarian stir-frying, making soup, brewing
Lentinula edodes
有嚼劲，伴有泥土味，肉质厚实
Shabu-shabu, soup, stew, stir-fry
oyster mushroom
The taste is tender and the meat is thin
Stir-fry, dry stir-fry, crispy, soup
Pay attention to the time and heat when cooking, if you cook for too long, the taste of the mushrooms may no longer be tender, and there will be more loss of nutrients. The heat should be moderate, and avoid scorching or rotting.
There are 3 points to pay attention to when eating mushrooms
Mushrooms are good, but they must be eaten with care so that they do not become "threatened" to health.
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Be wary of unfamiliar mushrooms and don't try them lightly
Every year, there are many cases of poisoning caused by ingestion of wild toadstools. The safest way is not to pick the mushrooms on the roadside, let alone eat them rashly. Try to buy common mushroom varieties in supermarkets or markets.
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Don't eat mushrooms that have been soaked for a long time
Soaking mushrooms for too long can lead to nutrient loss. Water-soluble vitamins such as B vitamins of mushrooms can gradually dissolve in water after a long soaking, resulting in a decrease in the nutritional value of mushrooms.
Secondly, mushrooms are rich in protein, and they are easy to breed microorganisms after soaking for a long time. The humidity of the surface of the mushroom in a humid environment for a long time provides favorable conditions for bacterial growth. Especially when the ambient temperature is high, bacteria multiply more quickly, which can cause mushrooms to spoil or even become moldy. Consuming such mushrooms may cause symptoms of food poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, which can pose a threat to health.
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痛风急性发病期，吃蘑菇要谨慎
The purines in mushrooms can be converted into uric acid in the body, increasing the symptoms of hyperuricemia or gout. Depending on the purine content, mushrooms are classified into 3 grades. During the gout attack, do not eat high-purine foods, try to eat less medium-purine foods, and eat low-purine foods appropriately.
Source: Standard Edition of Chinese Food Composition Lists (6th Edition/Volume 2)
bibliography
[1] Ba, DM; Ssentongo, P; Beelman, RB; et al. Higher Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. [J]. Adv Nutr.2021
[2] Cha, S.; Bell, L.; Williams, C.M. The Relationship between Mushroom Intake and Cognitive Performance: An Epidemiological Study in the European Investigation of Cancer—Norfolk Cohort (EPIC-Norfolk). Nutrients 2024, 16, 353. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16030353
[3] Kim DH, Wang Y, Jung H, Field RL, Zhang X, Liu TC, Ma C, Fraser JS, Brestoff JR, Van Dyken SJ. A type 2 immune circuit in the stomach controls mammalian adaptation to dietary chitin. Science. 2023 Sep 8; 381(6662):1092-1098. doi: 10.1126/science.add5649. Epub 2023 Sep 7. PMID: 37676935; PMCID: PMC10865997. [4]杨月欣.食物营养成分速查.人民日报出版社.2006. [5]杨月欣.中国食物成分表第6版第1、2册[M].北京大学医学出版社,2018
[6] Yang Yuexin, Ge Keyou.China Nutrition Science Encyclopedia 2nd Edition (I)[M].People's Medical Publishing House,2019
Source: Popular Science China