Emma Higgs Personal Training

Because he was a fungi!   You’ve guessed it, today’s food factsheet is all about mushrooms.  All the types of mushrooms below can be found in most major supermarkets and are easy to throw into most recipes.

Type of Mushrooms 

• Closed cup white mushrooms
• Chestnut mushrooms
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Baby button mushrooms
• Large flat mushrooms
• Portobello mushrooms
• Oyster mushrooms
• Buna-Shimeji
• Maitake
• Eryngii

Why are they good for you?

• ‘Humans are like mushrooms’ – They like us, naturally produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. This elusive vitamin is very important for bone and muscle. We usually get this vitamin through sun exposure (on those rare days the sun shines in Scotland!) however it is difficult to get dietary sources.  Mushrooms, in particular shiitake and maitake mushrooms, are high in vitamin D.  Vitamin D facilitates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus which mushrooms are also an excellent source.

• ‘There’s mush room, for mushrooms’ – mushrooms have low levels of carbohydrate and high protein content. They make a great low calorie addition to any meal and are packed full of loads of vitamins and minerals.

• ‘Holy Shiit-ake, get those LDLs down!’ – mushrooms contain fibre and certain enzymes found in mushrooms also help lower low-density lipoproteins or “bad cholesterol”. This can be very important for promoting good cardiovascular health.

In summary, even the mushrooms sold in the supermarket are magic! They are high in lots of important minerals and vitamins, a good source of protein, easy to cook and tasty too!