Mushroom and its health benefits

What no one told you about mushrooms.........

Mushroom popularly known as "osun or olu" in Yoruba land, Igbo call it "ero", Hausa call it "naman kaza"  
There about 140,000 species of mushroom, about 300 are edible, 100 species are being studied for there health promoting benefits,  while 10 are grown commercially. If you plan to go on a mushroom-picking trip, then make sure you take someone with an extensive knowledge of mushrooms, with you. It is important to identify the mushrooms accurately.
Edible mushrooms are often described as vegetables or herbs, but they are actually fungi. it may sound strange, but we are actually closely related to fungi than we are to any other kingdom. we share the same pathogens, meaning bacteria and viruses.
Mushrooms were reserved for royalty in ancient Egypt and ancient Romans thought it was conferred to warriors.
Apart from the distinct flavour it adds to soup, it has a lot of nutritional and health benefits, which include the following :

1. Weight Loss:
 According to studies, substituting red meat with mushroom is the best for weight management. Because, mushrooms are extremely low in calories and contain negligible amounts of sodium and fat. This alone makes mushrooms a viable food choice for anyone looking to achieve weight loss.

2. Cancer Prevention:
Mushrooms commonly found in grocery stores and salad bars, help remove excess estrogen from circulation, making them helpful for preventing  cancer.According to research, Cordycepin one of the active compounds  found in fungi is a potential cancer drug.

3. Hypertension / High blood pressure :
Pink oyster mushrooms  are a good source of chitin and beta-glucan, and fibers that lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. They also reduce total cholesterol and prevent arterial plaque formation.  A compound in shiitake mushrooms, called critadenine, helps the liver process cholesterol.\

4. Immune Boost:
Beta-glucan long chain polysaccharides, particularly alpha and beta glucan molecules in mushrooms provides protection against colds, flu and other viruses. According to studies, Shiitake, portobello, oyster and reishi mushrooms contain a polysaccharide molecule called lentinan that stimulates production of interferon, which stimulates the immune system.

5. Vitamins and Minerals:
Mushrooms are among the only natural food sources of vitamin D, and  are one of the few foods that contain germanium, a trace mineral that helps your body use oxygen efficiently and prevents against damaging effects of free radicals. Many mushrooms are also good sources of selenium, an antioxidant mineral, as well as copper, niacin, riboflavin  potassium and phosphorous. Additionally, mushrooms provide protein, vitamin C and iron. Because their cells walls are indigestible unless exposed to heat, you must cook mushrooms to get their nutritional benefits.

In recent studies,mushroom has anti-inflammatory characteristics that may be helpful for those suffering from the following

• asthma
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Renal failure
• stroke damage.

However, whether someone likes to eat mushrooms or not is a  personal choice that can also be ruled by preference, taste and beliefs. But is of no doubt that edible mushroom is a must in all homes because of its health benefits.