October is here and soon the clocks will go back, longer, darker nights drawing in. Halloween is fast approaching, and its the season for mushrooms in all their magical varieties. Mushrooms have secret benefits for us to unlock for our health. Read on if you want to know more.
Mushrooms are a magic kingdom of their very own. Not simply a cooking ingredient, they could be thought of as crossing over into edible medicine, giving us some fantastic benefits. And then there’s the ‘Stone Mushrooms’ used in GuaSha Stone Medicine Facial. I’ll be showing you how to treat yourself to relaxing self-care ritual that can reduce muscle tension in the face and neck and improve lymph flow and sculpt, in The Magic of Mushrooms part 2.
But first I’m talking about the edible varieties. Please note that when I was researching mushrooms it advised that some can be toxic if eaten raw, therefore, to be safe make sure they are always cooked before consumption.
Vitamin D:
*Mushrooms are a valuable source of vitamin D and selenium, according to botanist James Wong in his book ‘How to Eat Better’. However, shop bought mushrooms are grown in the dark and contain almost none. The remedy is to store your shop bought mushrooms, upside down (gill side up) for a few hours on a windowsill between the hours of 10am and 3pm. This will allow them to become Vitamin D rich. James states that 3 button mushrooms can provide your full recommended daily intake after having a boost from sunlight from your window.
Immunity:
*Shiitake mushrooms have been found to boost T Cells, everyday white button mushrooms showed a 50% increase in Type A antibodies after a weeks of eating a large daily serving. Portobello mushrooms have double the amount of immune boosting benefits.
*How To Eat Better: How to Shop, Store and Cook to Make Any Food a Super Food by James Wong (author) ISBN-13 978-1784721916, Published 6 April 2017, Publisher Mitchell Beazley
Ergothioneine:
Ergothionene is an important amino acid that we can only get from our food. If there is a depletion of ergothioneine in the body this is associated with accelerated DNA damage and cell death. Low levels of this amino acid are also associated with increased frailty and cognitive decline.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dietary-sources-of-the-longevity-vitamin-ergothioneine/
So there you have it! Mushrooms are pretty amazing. I’m off to try and recreate a mushroom pate I’ve loved from Tescos. My version is onions, garlic, puy lentils, chestnut mushrooms, and Greek yoghurt. Just fry in the finely chopped mushrooms in garlic don’t crowd the pan though, as they release a lot of water. Then fry chopped onion. Cook the lentils with a stick of celery in water. When cooked remove and discard the celery. Allow to cool and mix together with some Greek yoghurt and add herbs and salt & pepper. I added some garlic granules and dried mushroom powder too. Then chill and serve. Here's my pate! Next time I'm adding brandy!
Acknowledgements: cover photo by Andrew Ridley on Unsplash