September was National Mushroom month. I’ll go on a limb and say this – in my opinion mushrooms are not as big a deal as they are made out to be.
In my defense, mushrooms were never a staple in the South Indian kitchen that I grew up in. My first initiation to mushrooms happened in my undergraduate Microbiology class where I learnt that mushrooms are not a vegetable but a species called Fungi. That did it for me! No way am I eating a fungus – period!
When I moved to the west, I was amazed at the variety of mushrooms up for sale – white button, crimini, shitake, portabella, enoki, cloud ear, oyster – the list was endless. I learnt mushrooms were a common substitute for meat. As a vegetarian that should have been great news. But much as I tried to embrace it, I simply could not bring myself to munch on a fungus. And so the status quo remained.
Several years later while doing a course in Holistic Nutrition, I revisited my mushrooms saga wondering if this thing was really worth consuming, in spite of my aversion to it. And so I delved into a serious study of the nutrition profile of the shroom – its caloric, fiber and micronutrient contents. And also, why has it taken the vegetarian world by storm.
Here’s what I dug out. Irrespective of the type of mushrooms, they have the following.
Approximately the same amount of protein and carb – not much of either – about 2.3grams per cup of mushrooms.
Sugars 1.2 grams per cup
Zero amounts of cholesterol,
Calories – 15 per cup
Decent amount of fiber – 3 grams per cup
High in B Vitamins – including Biotin
Selenium, 36micrograms per cup,
Modest amounts of copper, potassium, vitamin D
So the good news is mushrooms are a zero cholesterol, low carb, high fiber produce. So it is great if you are on a diet to lose weight; but pretty much “meh” on every other nutrient. Sure it has some decent micronutrients, but nothing that cannot be gotten elsewhere from more “likeable” foods. For example, 2 pieces of dates has more fiber (4gms) than a whole cup of this fungus.
Mushrooms’ claim to fame is Selenium, an important micronutrient that protects the body from damage that might lead to chronic diseases; also strengthens the immune system. The amount of selenium in one cup is equivalent to what one finds in a third of a Brazil nut.
Vitamin D, or the sunshine vitamin is another nutrient that mushrooms are touted as being rich in, because the farmed mushrooms are cultivated in sunlight. However that does not translate into the Vitamin D that your body makes with an exposure to sunlight – just 15 mins a day. I would any day do the latter.
I concluded that mushrooms are far from the superfood that it is claimed to be and is just yet another listing in the pop media created hype in nutrition.
Here’s the bottom line folks – if you like the meaty, earthy taste of mushrooms, certainly go for it, especially if you are on a low cal, low carb diet. But don’t do it if, like me, you dislike it’s taste or texture, just because you may think it’s high in nutrition – because it’s not! You can safely hold this fungus from your veggie bowl.
