Mushrooms have various nutritious benefits. Image: iStock
More and more people are opting for a plant-based diet for various reasons. According to Kathy McManus from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the USA, people who eat plant-based or plant-forward are not necessarily vegan or vegetarian. It just means that you choose to eat more foods from plant sources. Mushrooms have been proven to be a super food when it comes to plant-based diets, with various benefits to tap into.
Here are some good reasons why the fungi should be one of the plant sources you include in your daily diet:
Eating plant-based is often more cost-effective. It also lowers your body mass index, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. When you include mushrooms in your diet, you also reap the benefits of it being fat-free, low in sodium, low in calories and cholesterol-free. In addition to these benefits, the fungi also packed with fibre, vitamins and minerals and most mushrooms are good sources of antioxidants, beta glucan, B vitamins, copper and potassium too.
In addition to being affordable, mushrooms are available all year round, cultivated by South African farmers, which means you get to support local every month of the year.
The fungi is said to have remarkable medicinal properties. Fungi’s anti-inflammatory properties are rather impressive and eating more plant-based in your diet may serve as complementary therapy for many conditions that become worse with chronic inflammation.
With mushrooms having a meaty texture and an umami taste, it’s the perfect substitute for meat. Of course, meat lovers will also tell you that mushrooms are the ideal companion for meat too.
READ: Mushrooms may help lower the risk of prostate cancer
Mushrooms have been used in many cultures to add flavour to certain dishes. It is also a great ingredient to add to a recipe if you’d like to stretch your meat to be able to feed more mouths. Consider making a Bobotie with half meat and half finely chopped mushrooms, not only to enhance the flavour, but also to save costs.
the fungi is very rich in fibre, which is another good reason for you to add more mushrooms to your daily diet. Fibre is the one thing that fills you up and keeps you fuller for longer.
We all know that growing plants protect and refresh the earth as much as eating vegetables and fungi like mushrooms protect and refresh our bodies. Mushrooms, however, have the ability to restore soil and eco-scientists are saying that it might be a solution to climate change.
The South African Mushroom Farmer’s Association have various mushroom-inspired recipes to choose from on their website, but here is one for inspiration:
Serves 1 (Adjust accordingly for more people)
300g aged steak of your choice, boneless
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt and pepper
30 g butter
A few large, brown mushrooms, sliced
2 sprigs thyme, woody stalks discarded
A few drops of truffle oil (or truffle flavoured oil)
Drizzle the steak with oil and season with salt and pepper. Braai over hot coals or grill in a piping hot griddle pan, until cooked to your liking. Remove and leave to rest while you prepare the mushrooms.
Heat the butter over high heat in a pan. Then, fry the mushrooms with the thyme until golden brown on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, then add a few drops of truffle oil and stir to mix.
Top the rested steak with the hot truffle mushrooms and serve immediately.
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