Mushroom Nutrition
In case you’re under the impression that ordinary white mushrooms are like white rice and white flour — devoid of nutrients — let me reassure you. The common button mushroom is actually one of the most nutritious varieties out there. In fact, no matter what type of edible species you choose, mushrooms are tremendously nutritious, adding a wide range of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to your diet.
One cup (108 grams) of sliced white mushrooms offers the following nutritional profile:
- Calories: 28
- Protein: 4 grams
- Total Carbohydrates: 4.4 grams
- Dietary Fiber: 2 grams
- Total Sugar: 0 grams
- Total Fat: 0.4 grams
- Riboflavin: 29% of the Daily Value (DV)
- Niacin: 22% of the DV
- Pantothenic Acid: 16% of the DV
- Folate: 5% of the DV
- Thiamin: 7% of the DV
- Selenium: 21% of the DV
- Copper: 16% of the DV
- Potassium: 12% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 11% of the DV
- Zinc: 4% of the DV
- Manganese: 3% of the DV
- Magnesium: 3% of the DV
- Iron: 2% of the DV
Interestingly, mushrooms share a nutrition-related benefit with humans. That single cup serving also contains approximately 23 IU of vitamin D2. We humans aren’t the only clever organism that produces vitamin D in our skin when exposed to direct sunlight; mushrooms can do the same. (Admittedly, however, 23 IU of Vitamin D is only about 6% of your daily value, so although the vitamin D in mushrooms is a fun fact, you’re probably better off getting sunshine or considering supplementation, unless eating 4 pounds of mushrooms per day is your idea of a good time.)
In addition to mushrooms producing vitamin D2 from the sun, lichen is one of the only other plant-based sources of both vitamin D2 and D3.
Mushrooms are also a rich source of antioxidants that counteract the damaging effects of free radicals. And certain types of mushrooms have been studied for their medicinal benefits, including boosting your immune defense, supporting brain health, regulating blood sugar levels, and improving exercise performance.
( Excerpt taken from The Food Revolution Network)