Cancer Fighting Mushrooms

Do you consider mushrooms as vegetables? They should be, since they are such perfect blend with most vegetables in soups, stir-fries and salads. Wrong! Mushrooms are in fact fungi which grow and feed on decomposing plants or on trees.

Interestingly, some mushrooms grow only on certain trees or under certain conditions such as truffles. Truffles are so rare and difficult to find that their prices are many times more than that of shiitakes.

Furthermore, Chinese medicinal practices often use mushrooms such as reishi/lingzhi or shiitake for pain relief, allergies and colds.

Nutrition

Mushrooms are abundance in fibre and contains almost no fat, sugar and salt. In fact, five pieces of shiitake mushrooms contain

v 1 g of protein

v 0.1g fat

v 2.7g carbohydrate

v 0.5g fibre

v 16 calories

Because of their nutritional values, mushrooms are suitable for most people, including those suffering from heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Essential vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin,pyridoxine, biotin) and minerals (iron, selenium, potassium, phosphorus) can also be found in mushrooms. For example, selenium works well with vitamin E to prevent prostate cancer. Potassium helps to lower blood pressure and reduce risk of stroke.

Proven studies

More and more studies worldwide have proved the effectiveness of compounds in mushrooms against viruses, diseases and cancers.

1. Middlesex University in UK

Mushrooms may relieve fatigue caused by viral infections such as chronic fatigue syndrome, hepatitis C, or even the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) due to its anti-viral components.

2. Penn State University in US

When it comes to antioxidant level, Portabello and crimini mushrooms are as powerful as carrots, broccoli and red peppers. Antioxidants are useful in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, atherosclerosis and cancer. These two mushrooms contain two kinds of antioxidants, polyphenols and ergothioneine.

3. University of Illinois in US

Six specific mushrooms, white button, crimini, portabella, maitake, shiitake and enoki, are rich in dietary fibres like chitin and beta-glutan.

Chitin lowers cholesterol while beta-glutan is good for the heart.

4. Oral Roberts University School of Medicine in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Reishi mushrooms can reduce blood pressure and strengthen immune system

5. National University of Singapore

A complex carbohydrate compound, lentinan, found in shiitake mushrooms has anti-viral and anti-cancer properties. Another protein found in enoki also increases our immunity to fight allergies, viral infections and cancer.

What is the best way to eat them ?

Eating deep-fried mushroom tempura or cheesy portabella mushrooms are not the healthiest way to enjoy the delicacies.

Each type of mushroom has its own distinct aroma and taste. Hence, they should be lightly stir-fried with a bit of olive oil to best retain its nutritional value and taste. You can even toss some mushrooms into your salad bowl – they sure can liven up your palate.

Dried and canned mushrooms provide almost the equivalent amount of calories, protein, fat and fibre as fresh mushrooms. The only thing you have to take note is the high salt content in canned mushrooms which is added during the processing. They also contain lower vitamin B and potassium content compared to fresh and dried mushrooms which are lost in the water during processing.

As for dried mushrooms, be sure to soak them in water after a quick rinse. What do you with the mushroom water full of the mushroom nutrients and flavour? You can either use it in cooking or feed it to your plants.

So can we eat mushrooms in abundance?

If you’re healthy, it’s absolutely fine to add mushrooms to any dish you love.

But though mushrooms are armed with lots of nutrition, they should not be eaten as a meal. That’s because mushrooms still lack certain nutrients such as vitamin C. Since it’s low in calorie, mushrooms also do not provide adequate energy for a normal person’s daily activities. Hence, for all its goodness, a healthy person can still eat mushrooms in moderation daily as part of a well-balanced diet.

Due to high potassium content of fresh mushrooms, people with kidney disease, especially those serious cases and those on haemodialysis, should avoid eating this fungus.
Kidney patients can still eat canned mushrooms and dried mushrooms which are lower in potassium, but eat in moderation. Be sure to soak and drain the mushrooms well before cooking.

Those suffering from gout and urate kidney stones should also cut down on mushrooms, which contain moderate amounts of the organic compound purine. Excessive intake of purine may lead to an accumulation of uric acid, leading to the formation of urate crystals in the joints and kidneys.

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