Urban Nutrition

THE HUMBLE MUSHROOM

Although classified as vegetables mushrooms are not technically plants. They belong to the fungi kingdom. Currently they are on the cutting edge of discovering new benefits and a range important nutrients.

The main way to get enough vitamins and minerals in the diet is to eat a colourful variety of fruits and vegetables. In many cases, a food that lacks colour also lacks necessary nutrients, but ‘edible’ mushrooms, which are commonly white, prove quite the contrary.

Health benefits of mushrooms

Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a reduced risk of many lifestyle-related health conditions.

Increasing consumption of whole, unprocessed foods, like mushrooms, appears to decrease the risk of obesity and overall mortality, diabetes, and heart disease.

Cancer

Mushrooms are high in antioxidants, just like carrots, tomatoes, green and red peppers, pumpkins, green beans, zucchini, and other whole foods. Antioxidants are chemicals that get rid of free radicals, a type of chemical that can harm a person's body cells, potentially leading to cancer.

Selenium is a mineral that is not present in most fruits and vegetables but can be found in mushrooms. It plays a role in liver enzyme function and helps detoxify some cancer-causing compounds in the body. Additionally, selenium prevents inflammation and also decreases tumorgrowth rates.

The vitamin D in mushrooms has also been shown to inhibit the growth of cancer cells by contributing to the regulation of the cell growth cycle. Placing freshly cut mushrooms in the sun significantly increases their vitamin D content. The folate in mushrooms plays an important role in DNA synthesis and repair, thus preventing the formation of cancer cells from mutations in the DNA.

Heart health