By Chisom Ibemere
Mushrooms are fleshy fruiting bodies of fungi which are typically grown above the ground, on the soil or on their food sources (decaying wood). They produce microscopic spores through their gills which enables them to stretch out across the ground.
Mushrooms can be edible, poisonous or unpalatable. Edible mushrooms are eaten due to their nutritional content. They can be harvested wild or be cultivated.
Mushrooms are prepared by cooking, frying, baking and microwaving and can be dried or prickled.
Mushrooms are sources of minerals such as potassium, selenium, copper, iron and phosphorus which are not readily available in plant derived foods.
Mushrooms are loaded with two powerful anti-oxidants namely; ergothioneine and glutathione. These anti-oxidants protects the body from physiological stress. They may be helpful in the prevention of neurological illness like Alzheimer’s and Parkistan’s diseases. These anti-oxidants helps to improve the cognitive ability especially among the Elderly.
Mushrooms provides us with ribloflavine, folate, thiamine, Pantothenic acid and niacin which helps to produce red blood cells that helps to move oxygen to all parts of the body.
The potassium in mushrooms is essential in reducing the adverse effects of sodium in the body and also reduces the pressures in blood vessels. Mushrooms has anti inflammatory properties which are essential for fighting foreign bodies thereby boosting the immune system.
