Welcome to the new year and to the time of regrets for everything we have eaten during Christmas and how little we have taken care of ourselves from party to party. Now January is coming, and it’s time to take care of yourself, and, as in Neofungi, we are in everything; we will give you a very good trick to start 2019 taking care of yourself: eat more mushrooms !! It’s that easy … you’ll quickly understand why.
Mushrooms are true gastronomic delicacies and, in addition to their flavour, if you regularly include a small number of mushrooms in your menu, your health will improve thanks to their low-fat content, high protein content and fibre, antioxidants and properties that help to prevent cancer or cholesterol … and long etcetera because more than a hundred possible therapeutic effects of mushrooms are known, and many current drugs are based on medicinal mushrooms. We cannot stop taking advantage of these ingredients in our dishes !!! Thanks to the good reputation of mushrooms, their consumption has increased in recent years. Would you like to know some of its benefits? Aim !!:
#1. Low in fat and calories !!
Do you want to lose some weight and eat healthier? Attention, 100 grams of mushrooms only provide 15 calories, 100 grams of chanterelles 27 calories and 100 grams of boletus mushrooms, 25 calories. How about?
#2. Prevent hair loss
That’s how it is. In case you did not know, mushrooms are a source of iron and other minerals such as selenium and copper, which are very important in the formation of keratin and the supply of vital nutrients to the hair follicles. They are the ones that give strength to the hair !!
#3. Regulate cholesterol
Did you know that mushrooms do not contain cholesterol? Varieties such as shiitake and reishi help blood flow and protect the walls of blood vessels, thus helping to maintain an adequate blood pressure level.
#4. They help you fight cancer
Some anticancer drugs have their origin in fungi since they provide different bioactive compounds with anticancer effects.
#5. Ideal for memory
Protect your mental capacity !! Portobello is especially rich in iron and magnesium.
They have 2 highly valued vitamins for vegans and vegetarians.
One of the main distinctive features of mushrooms is their great richness in nutrients: they are foods low in calories, sodium or cholesterol, but rich in essential minerals such as copper (essential for producing red blood cells), selenium (essential for their antioxidant qualities) and potassium, without which nerve and muscle functions are not understood.
But in addition, mushrooms have two very important vitamins of group B for vegetarian and vegan diets since they are normally found in foods of animal origin. They are riboflavin and niacin.
They make your immune system strong.
In particular, cooked shiitake mushrooms have this superpower, as shown in a study conducted by researchers at the University of Florida and published in the American College of Nutrition. Fifty-two healthy adults between the ages of 21 and 41 were encouraged to eat a four-ounce serving of shiitake mushrooms every day for 4 weeks.
In order not to interfere with the results, the participants also avoided tea, supplements, and probiotics, in addition to limiting their alcohol intake and consuming 7 daily pieces of fruits and vegetables. Blood tests found that the participants had high levels of one type of T cell and fewer inflammatory markers, thereby boosting their immune systems.
They act as a prebiotic for your gut microbiota.
Another animal study conducted by Penn State scientists on a couple of groups of mice (one with gut microbiota and the other without these beneficial microorganisms) yielded spectacular results for the former.
Benefits of mushrooms and mushrooms for your health
Those fed a daily dose of white mushrooms had increased amounts of Prevotella, a “friendly” gut bacteria, which generated more short-chain fatty acids. These can alter the expression of genes involved in glucose management.
In simple terms, the mushrooms acted as a prebiotic for the intestinal microbiota, favouring the balance of blood sugar levels.
They take care of your memory and prevent cognitive deterioration
After analyzing the medical records of 600 people over 6 years, researchers from the National University of Singapore reached valuable conclusions linking mushroom consumption with better cognitive health.
Their findings, which came to light in a report published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, suggest that adults who ate two servings of mushrooms each week cut their risk of cognitive decline by half a lev.
Older people consumed various mushrooms such as oyster mushrooms, shiitake or white mushrooms and in different formats such as canned, dried or fresh. The authors argue that the cognitive benefits of eating mushrooms would extend to more varieties.
Control some complications during pregnancy
Scientists from Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom investigated rats suffering from pre-eclampsia (a severe blood pressure condition that typically occurs after 20 weeks of pregnancy) with the antioxidant ergothioneine, which is found naturally in mushrooms.
According to research published in the journal Hypertension, rats experienced a drop in blood pressure, in addition to fewer harmful substances released in the placenta. Those responsible are seeking the development of a specific drug for the disease from this anti-inflammatory compound.
Prevent breast cancer
An investigation collected in the journal Experimental Biology and Medicine tested 5 varieties of mushrooms such as portobello and oyster mushrooms, finding that they could significantly suppress the growth and reproduction of breast cancer cells, suggesting a chemoprotective effect, according to the researchers.