Mushrooms Nutritional Value

Mushrooms have always been known to be a popular source of useful nutrients. Still, there are a number of myths and facts related to their nutritional value. The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt considered them as source of being immortal. Not just the Egyptians, but even the Greeks and Chinese believed them to be a very useful food that built strength and brought good health.

Mushroom is nothing but fungus that has a fleshy body and bears spores. These days, they are used extensively in many cuisines, especially in Japanese, Chinese, and European dishes. They are popular for their taste and flavor.

Usually, people think that mushrooms have no nutritional value, but that is not so, as they have a number of health benefits associated with them. They are low in calories, carbs, and sodium, and contain no cholesterol or fat.

Moreover, they contain many vitamins and useful minerals, like potassium, copper, selenium, magnesium, etc., and are high in dietary fibers. There are about 14,000 different species of mushrooms, out of which 1,400 are poisonous, 3,000 are edible, and 700 have medicinal properties.

Oyster, shiitake, portobello, button, crimini, etc., are some of the popular varieties of mushrooms that are used for preparing different dishes.

As discussed earlier, mushrooms contain important minerals and vitamins that are required by the human body. They are rich sources of vitamins B and D.

Natural sources of vitamin D are very rare, and some mushroom species contain vitamin D and minerals, like potassium, copper, magnesium, etc., that play an important role in improving the immune system of our body, besides having plenty of health benefits.

The table given below will give a brief idea on mushroom nutrition for a serving amount of around 100 g.

Niacin (Vitamin B3) = 3.6 mg
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) = 1.5 mg
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) = 0.1 mg
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) = 0.4 mg
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) = 0.1 mg
Folate (Vitamin B9) = 16 mcg
Copper = 0.3 mg
Selenium = 9.3 mcg
Potassium = 318 mg
Phosphorus = 86 mg
Iron = 0.5 mg
Zinc = 0.5 mg
Magnesium = 9 mg

Portobello mushrooms are known for their high content of selenium, which contains cancer-fighting elements according to researchers. The values given below elaborates on other nutrition facts of portobello mushrooms.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) = 28%
Niacin (Vitamin B3) = 23%
Pantothenic Acid (Vitamin B5) = 15%
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) = 5%
Thiamin (Vitamin B1) = 5%
Folate (Vitamin B9) = 5%
Copper = 20%
Selenium = 16%
Potassium = 14%
Phosphorus = 13%
Iron = 3%
Zinc = 4%
Magnesium = 3%

White button mushrooms are one of the natural sources of vitamin D and they also contain antioxidants.

Shiitake mushrooms are also a natural source of vitamin D. They have been used for medicinal purposes from a long time in Asian countries. They also contain elements that boost the immune system.

Oyster mushrooms can help reduce the increased glucose levels, triglycerides, etc., in diabetic patients.