There is nothing humble about a mushroom with the vegetable packing a bigger “nutrient punch” than a host of super foods such as quinoa and kale, nutritionist Nikki Hart says.
“Just a handful gives you a whole lot of nutrition,” Hart says.
The health benefits of mushrooms seems to have flown under the radar.
Health benefits of mushrooms include:
- – Potassium to help maintain normal blood pressure.
- – An excellent source of B Group vitamins (in particular B2, B3, B5 and B7) to support heart function, energy, and optimise the condition of skin and hair
- – More than a third of the recommended daily intake of selenium which helps to boost immunity, and mood
- – Mushrooms exposed to sunlight naturally generate vitamin D, which enhances calcium absorption and bone strength
And, Hart says, if we ate more mushrooms it would help towards getting our daily recommendation of vegetables. Recent statistics show a third of all adults do not eat the three or more servings of vegetables per day recommended for heart health.
“The low fat, low saturated fat and low sodium content of mushrooms makes them a very heart-friendly vegetable to add to meals,” she says.
“Cardiovascular disease is responsible for 30% of all deaths in New Zealand, so we need to take a look at what we are eating.”
