ADD MUSHROOMS TO YOUR HEALTHY DIET!!

Marianne Miller
(Club Fitness Nutritionist)

           I had often wondered about the nutritional benefit of those delicious (from what I had heard..empty calorie) mushrooms.  Well, as I have discovered, mushrooms are very, very good for you!..(see..and you think anything that is good for you has to taste bad!!)  In fact mushrooms (of virtually every edible variety) have the highest selenium content of any other items in the produce category.  In fact, one serving of   baby portabella mushrooms (known as crimini) provides almost 1/3 of the RDA for selenium.

              

Why is selenium important, you may be asking.  Well selenium became a hot topic in 1996 when selenium studies were done on skin cancer patients.  Even though selenium had virtually no effect with skin cancer, it was found that it decreased prostate cancer by 60%!!  Additionally, a research study known as the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging, found that men with the lowest blood selenium levels were 4-5x more likely to have prostate cancer than those with the highest selenium levels.  Actually, to date, more studies have proven that that people with the lowest amounts of selenium in their systems, actually had a much greater level of “cell carcinoma” or skin cancer.  Selenium has also been shown to lower the risk of bladder cancer.  

 In other studies, selenium has been shown to reduce “peripheral artery disease”, which is when leg arteries clog with fatty deposits, which slows the blood flow & causes cramps and pain. Researchers found that there was a much higher incidence of this disease in people who had lower amounts of selenium in their systems.

Mushrooms are wonderful sources for the three essential B-vitamins: riboflavin, niacin & pantothenic acid.  Mushrooms are also a good source for potassium, which is very important for regulating blood pressure, helps ensure proper functioning of your cells, and helps keep the right balance of water in your fat & muscle tissues.  Get this!….Most people are aware of bananas & oranges being great sources for potassium.  Well, one 3-ounce portabella mushroom cap  provides more potassium than a banana or an orange…yet mushrooms don’t raise your blood sugar like bananas & oranges.  Five medium mushrooms contain only 20 calories,  3 grams of carbohydrates and are virtually fat free…yet full of nutrients that are important to our health…yet another gift from nature that we need to take advantage of!  Eat up!