For everyone who wants extra flavour in their food, without adding sodium or fat, choose mushrooms. Fat-free, low in sodium, low-calorie, free of cholesterol, and packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals, mushrooms are a healthy option for taking pounds off sensibly.
Nutritional benefits of mushrooms vary depending on the type, but they are all a reliable source of Copper and Potassium. A cup of mushrooms can provide about a third of the daily recommended amount of copper, to help your body make red blood cells. The same amount of potassium is in 2/3 cup of cooked Portobello mushrooms as there is in a medium-sized banana. Potassium may help reduce blood pressure and water retention.
Is a washed mushroom healthier than an unwashed one? Most grocery store mushrooms, including white button (white agaricus), cremini, and portobello mushrooms, are grown in heat treated compost in which most organisms attached to them have been killed, so we are not at much risk from any deposit left on the mushrooms. But if you eat wild mushrooms, washing is important. "I can tell you," Elizabeth Barron, a mycologist, says, "pretty much all wild mushrooms need to be washed, and in the case of morels, soaked in water for 12-24 hours to get dirt and sand that's embedded in the folds of the mushroom to come out, and also for small insects. You should, at a minimum, wash and probably soak, wild harvested ones,” she says.
Is it safe to forage for mushrooms? We know mushrooms are a healthy option and that wild mushrooms are abundant. Experts know how to identify them, but unless you know for sure that it is a non-poisonous mushroom, please leave it. (My mother-in-law became extremely sick after her unfortunate mushrooming adventure.) The vice president of the North American Mycological Association, Salma St. John, advises, “You should never eat a raw or unidentified mushroom.” Edible mushrooms do have poisonous look-alikes in the wild. Button mushrooms have a dangerous look-alike. The "yellow stainer" closely resembles it. So do be careful. You might be eating a toadstool.
Should we always cook mushrooms? “Like many foraged foods, mushrooms may have insects and parasites that may cause sickness if eaten raw; therefore, they should be cooked well," says St. John. "Of course, some of those creatures may be harmless, and as some may say, they are 'extra protein.' But if you are squeamish like me, you may think twice before welcoming such mortal souls to your unsuspecting stomach."
Join us at TOPS, where you’ll meet a group of friendly people who eat mushrooms for our health and because we like them. We meet every Wednesday morning at the Community Centre, from 9:00 to 10:00. We’re a low-cost, enjoyable, international self-help program that welcomes everyone. (Your first visit is free.) If you want to Take Off Pounds Sensibly with us, please call .
Submitted by Amber Harvey