Health Benefits of Eating Oyster Mushrooms

You should avoid eating raw mushrooms as they can be toxic to your health. Always prefer well-cooked mushrooms as heating destroys the toxic components.

Mushrooms have long been the culinary pride of Asian countries, particularly China. Among the various mushrooms used in China, oyster mushrooms have a special place on the dinner table, owing to their high nutrition content.

Usually having a white or yellow-brown color, oyster mushrooms are often sliced and sauteed in olive oil with garlic, which makes a great side dish or snack. Following are some of the probable health benefits of oyster mushrooms.

Eating oyster mushrooms is particularly beneficial for those having high cholesterol. This is because these mushrooms have a cholesterol-lowering effect as they contain lovastatin, a chemical used in medicinal drugs prescribed for lowering blood cholesterol levels. So, adding these mushrooms to your diet can help to keep cholesterol levels in check.

Oyster mushrooms act as natural antibiotics, as they display antibacterial properties. These mushrooms contain benzaldehyde, an organic compound found to have antibacterial activity.

A research reported in the 'Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry' observed that oyster mushrooms release volatile compounds including benzaldehyde that show potent antibacterial activity that is found to be effective to inhibit growth of certain strains of bacteria.

King trumpet, one of the species of oyster mushrooms, is an excellent source of ergothioneine, a naturally occurring amino acid that has shown antioxidant activity. The antioxidant ergothioneine is found to inhibit damage of free radicals that have been linked to a wide range of chronic ailments including cancer and arthritis.

So, oyster mushrooms with their antioxidant properties, can certainly contribute to safeguard health cells from attack of free radicals and protect the body from various diseases and even delay the aging process.

With oyster mushrooms displaying both antioxidant and antibacterial properties, eating them regularly can help strengthen the immune system and improve overall health.

People suffering from anemia due to folate or iron deficiency may benefit from including oyster mushrooms in their diet. Both these nutrients are found aplenty in these mushrooms. Hence, their intake may help treat anemia more effectively.

Eating oyster mushrooms can also be helpful in keeping high blood pressure in check. This is because, the mushrooms contain substantial amounts of potassium, a nutrient proven to reduce high blood pressure. It is often said that salt is the worst enemy in regulating blood pressure.

However, potassium counteracts the effects of salt, and works in controlling blood pressure. So, regularly having potassium-rich foods like oyster mushrooms can alleviate the chances of developing high blood pressure.

Feeling constipated? Well, it seems your diet is lacking in fiber and one of the best ways to rev up your fiber intake is to have oyster mushrooms. These mushrooms are a significant source of fiber, with one large mushroom containing as much as 14% of the daily recommended intake.

So adding these mushrooms to daily meals can give you that big fiber boost, which may work to restore normal bowel movement.

Eating these mushrooms is a natural way to relieve hyperacidity, a condition that causes excess production of stomach acids. Oyster mushrooms produce an alkaline residue when they are metabolized in the digestive tract. This actually helps in promoting an alkaline environment, which can help to balance out high acidity in the body.

Oyster mushrooms deliver a powerful punch of B vitamins. For instance, vitamin B3 (niacin) content is at least 500% more in oyster mushrooms as against that in any other vegetables. Also, the amount of iron available in these mushrooms is significantly more than in red meat and poultry - the preferred iron source in our daily meals.

Here is the nutrients amount per 148g of Raw Oyster Mushrooms

• Nutrients: Niacin(7.3mg)
  %DV: 37%
• Nutrients: Riboflavin(0.5 mg)
  %DV: 30%
• Nutrients: Thiamin(0.2 mg)
  %DV: 12%
• Nutrients: Vitamin B6(0.2 mg)
  %DV: 8%
• Nutrients: Folate(40 mcg)
  %DV: 10%

• Nutrients: Iron(2.0mg)
  %DV: 11%
• Nutrients: Phosphorus(178 mg)
  %DV: 18%
• Nutrients: Magnesium(26.6 mg)
  %DV: 7%
• Nutrients: Copper(0.4 mg)
  %DV: 18%
• Nutrients: Manganese(0.2 mg)
  %DV: 8%

• Nutrients: Selenium(3.8 mcg)
  %DV: 5%
• Nutrients: Potassium(622 mg)
  %DV: 18%
• Nutrients: Zinc(1.1 mg)
  %DV: 8%

Source: NutritionData

In short, oyster mushrooms are nutritionally dense and eating them regularly can certainly give you a robust dose of nutrition.