Mushrooms

Typically, people either love them or think they’re disgusting. If you’ve ever gone mushroom hunting and seen edible ones in the wild, it does make you second guess their virtues. Mushrooms are a type of fungi after all and fungi is a whole category of organisms that includes molds, yeasts, as well as mushrooms. From fungi we get penicillin, yeast to raise bread, and moldy oranges. If mushrooms are anything like their relatives, are they bad or good for us? Some people avoid eating mushrooms because they don’t like them. Others don’t eat them because they don’t want to like them.

In the forest, mushrooms have an incredible role in forming what has been called the wood-wide-web. Apparently, under the forest floor, in the soil, miles of fungi tendrils, like fiber optic cables, create a communication network between trees and plants. These are underground fungal networks that enable plants to exchange sugars, nutrients, and water. Aside from resource sharing, plants make use of this association to send signals to other plants: “Beware, this part of the forest is being infested with beetles,” or “Hey, the soil over here is lacking certain nutrients. Can you help us out?” (This is how I imagine it, at least.) This allows neighboring plants to raise their defenses and avoid the attack. This picture of a communication network is complex with different plant and fungi species interacting, maybe even trading with each other. Mushrooms perform an incredible service in nature; but they also have been found to be beneficial to human health.

Fungi are largest category of organisms on earth. Reportedly, between 2.2 and 3.8 million species of fungi have been identified in the world. Mycologists say there are over 10,000 different types of mushrooms, and of these, we know of 2,000 species that are edible. Many of them are considered medicinal, too. In fact, the use of mushrooms for food and medicine is nothing new and dates back thousands of years.

Mushrooms possess high nutritional content and the variety of nutrients they contain is quite impressive. Some of the nutrients found in mushrooms include more familiar ones, like B vitamins. Some varieties are a very good source of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12, and vitamin C. Mushrooms also contain fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamins A and E, as well as vitamin D2. “Interestingly, medicinal mushrooms are considered to be the only non-animal raw material that contains vitamin D.” ¹

The average American does not get enough minerals in their diet, and mushrooms happen to provide minerals like magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, and even calcium.

Though mushrooms don’t contain a large amount of protein, the amount they do contain is highly bioavailable, meaning we are able to absorb and use it well. “Numerous studies have shown that mushroom-derived protein has a complete amino acid profile … its nutritional value is even greater than that of milk, meat, or egg proteins. The protein present in mushrooms can be characterised by a high content of essential amino acids ….”² This is not saying that mushrooms contain a large amount of protein, its talking about the quality of amino acids they contain. Some of those amino acids are typically lower in plant-based foods, such as leucine.

Next month, we’ll explore other lesser known but health-promoting compounds found in mushrooms that make them an amazing culinary ingredient (at least for those who like them and don’t mind a little fungi).