Take these mighty morsels beyond
the pizza and pasta dishes. Cook
them right and they’ll go down easy
THE HEALTH MAGIC
OF MUSHROOMS
1 / THEY PACK POTASSIUM
Think of potassium as the sodium equaliser.
It can help remove excess salt from your
body, which is important for keeping your
blood pressure under control. Each cup of
cooked white mushrooms contains nearly
10 per cent of the recommended daily 4,700
milligrams of potassium, a threshold that
many men struggle to meet.
2 / THEY’RE DLICIOUS
Mushrooms are the only vegetable source of
vitamin D, a nutrient that’s linked to a lower
risk of cancer, diabetes and hypertension.
Well, technically, they contain ergosterol.
This becomes converted into vitamin D2 –
a type of D that your body can readily absorb
- when sunlight hits them. See the next page
for a trick to enhance this process.
3 / THEY’RE FIGHTERS
They detonate a mushroom cloud of
beneicial antioxidants. A 2017 study found
that mushrooms contain two powerful
antioxidants, glutathione and ergothioneine.
Low levels of glutathione have been
linked with a greater risk of developing
heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Plus,
mushrooms contain an inlammation-
ighting ibre called beta-glucan, also found
in oats and barley.
4 / THEY’RE KILOJOULELIGHT
A half dozen large white mushrooms contain
a mere 130kJ. Look, most vegetables are low-
kilojoule, but the uniquely meatlike feel of
mushrooms is a powerful fullness-inducing
factor. In one study, participants in a weight-
loss program who substituted mushrooms
for meat in three meals each week lost about
2.5 kilos more in six months than those who
stuck to a standard weight-loss diet.
4
REASONS TO
FAVOUR FUNGI