Mushrooms 101: A Dietitian’s Guide to Nutrition, Health Benefits, and Cooking Tips

Discover the nutritional benefits, health-promoting compounds, and best ways to cook mushrooms for maximum flavour and wellness. 

Mushrooms have been gaining immense popularity in recent years, not just for their unique taste and versatility in cooking but also for their impressive health benefits. From ancient medicinal practices to modern-day superfood status, fungi have been a staple in various cultures for centuries. But what makes mushrooms so special? In this guide, we’ll explore the history, nutritional benefits, culinary uses, and medicinal properties of mushrooms, plus the best ways to cook them for maximum flavor and nutrition. 

Key Takeaways 

• Mushrooms have been used medicinally for centuries, with renewed interest in the West. 
• They provide key nutrients like B vitamins, selenium, and potassium, and can be a natural source of vitamin D. 
• Bioactive compounds support brain health, gut health, and may reduce cancer risk. 
• Mushrooms add umami flavor to plant-based meals but are not a major protein source. 
• Cooking is essential to remove agaritine; best methods include sautéing and slow-cooking. 
• Lion’s Mane mushrooms show promise for memory, nerve growth, and mental health. 

The Fascinating History of Fungi 

The use of medicinal mushrooms is noted as far back as 100BCE in China and more ‘recently’ the 5th century BC by the Greek physician Hippocrates but only recently has there been a rise of interest in the West. If you’d like to know more, check out this interesting summary: Medicinal Mushrooms: Ancient Remedies Meet Modern Science  

Nutritional Benefits of Mushrooms 

Mushrooms are nutritious, containing a wide variety of vitamins and minerals as well as bioactive compounds (those which promote good health); these components vary in type and amount between mushroom types.  

All mushrooms contain a variety of nutrients including B vitamins (shiitake are a good source of B6, which helps the body make red blood cells and DNA), phosphorus, selenium (which helps your body make antioxidant enzymes and reduce cell damage; especially abundant in cremini and Portobello) and potassium. If mushrooms are exposed to light, they can also be a source of Vitamin D (important for immunity, cell growth and inflammation reduction). For more details on fungi and Vitamin D, check out this article Mushrooms – The Nutrition Source   

Health Benefits of Mushrooms (Bioactive Compounds) 

All mushrooms have a host of compounds that are beneficial for health:    

1. Cognition – mushrooms are good source of the amino acid and antioxidant ergothioneine which slows cellular damage (less cell damage is always a good thing!) This may benefit cognition in older adults. 
2.  Anticancer – a review of research spanning 50 years showed that having even a small amount – just 18 grams – of mushrooms a day (about a 1/8-cup or two medium mushrooms) may reduce cancer risk by as much as 45% (For more, see 7 health benefits of mushrooms | UCLA Health)  
3. Gut Health – polysaccharides like beta-glucan in acta as prebiotics as they arrive undigested to the colon where they then serve as food for good gut bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium 

Why Mushrooms Are a “Plant-Based” Favourite: Umami Flavour and Cooking Tips  

Mushrooms are often considered plants however they are neither plant nor animal but have their own unique category: fungi. Their meaty texture and ‘umami’ flavour lends them naturally to vegetarian and vegan cooking. Though they replace meat in flavour, mushrooms are not a good source of protein. Compare the protein of 100g of white button mushrooms at 3 grams to that of 100g of tofu at 8g. If you’re looking to eat more plant-based, here’s a great article on balance to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need: How to Plan a Healthy Vegetarian Diet 

 Fungi flavour is known as umami, which is defined as deep and savoury, reminiscent of meat broth, fish and cheese. This taste comes from the amino acid glutamate (if that sounds familiar, yes, this is the key ‘flavourant’ in MSG or monosodium glutamate.) This means mushrooms offer a unique opportunity to reduce sodium in cooking because glutamate provides flavour without the negative impacts on blood pressure that come with adding salt.  

How to Cook Mushrooms: Best Methods for Flavour and Nutrition 

All mushrooms should be cooked as they contain a compound called agaritine which may be harmful. 

The best way to cook mushrooms to preserve nutrients is either quickly with high heat like sautéing or low and slow simmering.   

Here are my four favourite ways to cook fungi:  

1. Simple Squish – butter, garlic, mushrooms and squish technique to pull out flavour. The result are great as a condiment on your charcuterie board and can be used as an addition to other meals such as pasta sauces and stews to ‘pop up’ flavour) Make Better Mushrooms, Squish ’Em
2. Stretch – tear mushrooms like Lions Mane to make a vegan ‘crab’ cakes Lion’s Mane Mushroom Crab Cakes and stretch the use out with added ingredients 
3. Sliced – with a meatier mushroom like King Oysters you can slice up the cap and stem to make a vegan pulled ‘pork’ BBQ Vegan Pulled Pork Sandwich with Mushroom
4. Stewed – slow cooking brings out even more flavour in items like mushroom soup, or you can use it as a sauce (great on pork tenderloin or vegan nut loaf), or even as the contents of a savoury pie  

Culinary vs Medicinal Mushrooms: What’s the Difference? 

Mushroom types  

White, brown, cremini and Portobello mushrooms found in your local grocery store are of the genus Agaricus bisporus and are grown in the dark and in manure. This is very different from the more recent influx of gourmet mushrooms like Oyster (genus Pleurotus) and Shiitake (genus Lentinula) which require some light and in a wood substrate. \ 

Gourmet mushrooms can be used for their culinary properties and may have health benefits from various bioactive compounds over and above the benefits noted above. These include Turkey Tail, Reishi and Lion’s Mane.

Feature: Lions Mane Mushrooms (aka yamabushitake) genus: Hericium erinaceus  

Hericium erinaceus is not only a gourmet mushroom with a unique texture similar to crab or lobster when shredded, but current health research shows some hope in terms of benefits on cognitive function and promoting a healthy gut. Lions Mane has a very large number of bioactive compounds like the polysaccharide beta glucan (as noted above, this provides good food for healthy gut bacteria) but also other compounds such as the antioxidant-promoting terpenoids. These latter compounds must be extracted with solvents, which is why you see tinctures and powders made from Lions Mane.  

Current research on Lions Mane is hopeful in the following areas:  

• Memory – overall some improvement in cognitive function with 3g of Lion’s Mane powder in but when supplementation stopped, levels returned to baseline so continuous use seems to be required. More recent laboratory-based research from The University of Queensland showed an active compound in Lions Mane boosts nerve growth and enhances memory. Mushrooms magnify memory by boosting nerve growth – Queensland Brain Institute – University of Queensland 

• Mental Health – two studies on two different groups of people (menopausal women and those with BMI over 25) resulted in reported improvements with Lion’s Mane supplementation. However, the studies had design limitations and were not reflective of the general population thus it is unclear if these benefits would apply to most people.   

Curious about how the foods you eat benefit your health? Dive deeper into the world of nutrition and learn how to fuel your body for optimal wellness!

As Registered Dietitians that specialize in meal planning, weight concerns, emotional eating, eating disorders, digestive health, heart health, diabetes, pediatric nutrition and sports nutrition we can see you in our local Calgary nutritionist office or as an Online Dietitian by phone or video conferencing for virtual nutrition counseling. Find out more about our Dietitian Nutrition Counseling Programs here.

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References 

• The Nutrition Source – Mushrooms 

• PubMed Central – Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials 

• National Library of Medicine – Beta-Glucans from Fungi: Biological and Health-Promoting Potential in the COVID-19 Pandemic Era  

• Examine – Lion’s Mane benefits, dosage, and side effects  

• PubMed Central – Therapeutic Potential of Hericium erinaceus for Depressive Disorder 

• University of Queensland – Mushrooms magnify memory by boosting nerve growth