The months of October and November are the perfect time for the mushrooms grow in the forests.
With the arrival of the first autumn (which are still resisting) and the drop in temperatures, the season for harvesting and eating this product officially begins, which is tasty and very healthy.
Mushrooms have many nutritional properties. Are low in calories They provide a large amount of protein and fiber.
They are a food that we should all include in our diet, especially now that the cold weather is here. They are rich in:
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Iron.
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Match.
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Iodine.
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Magnesium.
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Selenium.
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Potassium.
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Calcium.
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Zinc.
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Vitamins A and B.
As explained by the Spanish Nutrition Foundation:
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“Mushrooms contain a lot of water, but their protein, lipid and carbohydrate content is very low, which identifies them as a food with low energy content. They are a source of vitamin A, riboflavin and niacin.”
And most importantly: “a portion of mushrooms covers the 20% of the recommended intakes for phosphorus for the study population.
100 grams of mushroom they only have about 25 kilocalories. And the same amount provides 1.8 grams of protein, 4 carbohydrates and 2.5 grams of fiber.
Mushrooms are, therefore, a food that is useful both for people who want to lose weight, and for those who want to increase their muscle mass or for those who want to control certain chronic diseases.
mushrooms and diabetes
In Spain, it is one of the most prevalent diseases. According to , it affects 14.8% of the population. That means one in seven Spaniards has diabetes.
Most worrisome, however, is that a third of people are undiagnosed, increasing the risk of suffering a heart attack, stroke, blindness or amputation of limbs.
He doctor Antonio Perez Perezpresident of the SED and director of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Unit of , stresses that “in the last two years there has been a sharp increase in the number of adults with diabetes in Spain.”
It is a pathology with very worrying data that affects the lives of millions of people throughout the country.
But researchers from Pennsylvania State University (United States) have discovered that consuming 90 grams of mushrooms every day helps control blood sugar levels.
The study is , and indicates that this food produces changes in the composition of the intestinal flora and improves regulation of glucose in the liver.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists fed mushrooms to mice and observed that it caused a change in the composition of their microbiota (gut microbes).
The main investigator, Dr. Margherita T. Cantornaemphasizes that consuming mushrooms produces a chain reaction between the bacteria in the intestine, which encourages the reproduction of a bacterium called Prevotella, which plays a fundamental role in the control of glucose production.
mushrooms and cholesterol
Half of the Spanish population has hypercholesterolemia, or what is the same, high.
As with poorly controlled diabetes, if blood levels blood cholesterol is above 240mg/dlthe risk of having a heart attack (when the heart does not receive enough blood due to the narrowing of the arteries produced by cholesterol) is doubled.
However, mushrooms are great allies for people with high cholesterol.
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The polyunsaturated fatty acids (and omega-6) that mushrooms have increase the concentration of HDL cholesterol, which is commonly known as “good” cholesterol, and reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol or “bad” cholesterol.
But if mushrooms stand out for something, it is because of their high content of fibera fundamental ‘weapon’ to reduce cholesterol levels.
Same as him chitosana polysaccharide also present in this product, which decreases the absorption of fats in the intestine and controls the absorption of cholesterol by our body.
Mushrooms, hypertension and potassium
Hypertension affects 33% of the Spanish population. It is the main risk factor for coronary and cerebrovascular diseases.
He is a mineral that is essential for the functioning of the nerves, muscles and helps keep the heart rate constant. And it is essential for patients with arterial hypertension because it reduces the tension of the walls of the blood vessels.
This is how the World Health Organization (WHO) explains it:
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“Low potassium intake is associated with several diseases such as hypertension, chronic nephrolithiasis, and osteopenia (decreased bone mass). Increasing potassium intake can reduce blood pressure and the risk of cardiovascular disease, improve bone mineral density, and mitigate the negative consequences of consuming large amounts of sodium.
Only 100 grams of mushrooms provide us with 318 mg of potassium.
In general, most of the Spanish population presents deficiencies, which would explain the high levels of arterial hypertension in our country. Men should consume an average of 3,400 milligrams of potassium per day, while women with 2,600 mg is sufficient.
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