The Many Benefits of Mushrooms – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 310
mushrooms
Invite Health Podcast, Episode hosted by Amanda Williams, MPH.
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Did you know that there are over 140,000 species in the fungi family? When we think about fungus, many times we think about mildew, mold, yeast and athlete’s foot. There are all of these different ways in which fungi can become incredibly problematic. Within the fungi family, not only do we have these nasty little things that bring out things like athlete’s foot, but we also have really amazing things like mushrooms. Yes, mushrooms fall into the category of fungi. When we think about the foods that we eat, many times people aren’t thinking about the fact that if you eat a lot of mushrooms, you’re eating a lot of fungus, but indeed you are. I want to talk about some of it’s medicinal benefits.†
The health benefits of mushrooms
Let’s talk about mushrooms in the setting of their popularity when it comes to being a medicinal food, but also in terms of their unique nutritional value. Even if you’re having mushrooms sliced and put into your salad or maybe you cook with a lot of different mushrooms, there are many powerful antioxidants contained within mushrooms. Ergothioneine is one of those very powerful antioxidants. There are a lot of B vitamins that are packed into mushrooms. Vitamin D2, also known as ergocalciferol, is very abundantly sourced in mushrooms.†
We know that mushrooms do many different things when it comes to our overall health. When we look at the immune system and the cardiovascular system, we certainly can see that they contain a good amount of key minerals. Potassium, for example, can actually be beneficial for maintaining fluid balance within the body, hence helping to support blood pressure. We also recognize that mushrooms can be beneficial when it comes to optimizing our overall nutrient absorption. When we get these natural sources of B vitamins and Vitamin D, this can really help the body to better metabolize other nutrients that we get from our foods. Mushrooms have been studied across the spectrum when it comes to all of the ways it can help human health.†
Mushrooms are not known just for their immune-boosting benefits. We also recognize them for their dietary fiber content. This can be beneficial for metabolic syndrome and helping to maintain healthy blood glucose levels, so that high-fiber impact can be very helpful.†
Supporting More Than Immunity With Mushrooms – InVite Health Podcast, Episode 225. Listen Now >>
There are a lot of different ways in which mushrooms have been shown in research study after research study to be beneficial for the body. Oftentimes when you hear us discuss it, we are usually in that realm of its benefits for the immune system. That is because a majority of the clinical research trials out there really do hone in on the consumption of mushrooms, whether that be whole food or via extracted form, and its immune-boosting properties.†
However, I always like to mention other ways in which we know a mushroom can be supportive. One thing I think is really key not to overlook in terms of the medicinal benefits is the way that it can help to downregulate systemic inflammation. Oftentimes, when we think about the immune system, we fail to correlate that with the inflammatory system. The two go hand in hand. Having mushroom extract on board from the Mushroom Hx can be beneficial in those ways.†
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