Mushroom magic: why fungi are the latest superfood and their many health benefits
High in antioxidants and packed with vitamins and minerals, mushrooms are rising up the superfood charts. Incorporating them into your diet – or as an alternative to your morning coffee – may not only boost your immune system but also give your skin a healthy glow, keep your heart healthy and a lot more.
Although we think of them as vegetables, mushrooms are not technically plants – they belong to the fungi kingdom. And they bust the commonly held nutritional yardstick that a food that lacks colour also lacks necessary nutrients.
“Usually it’s the brightly coloured vegetables that are packed with antioxidants – think of pomegranates – so brown mushrooms you wouldn’t expect to be so powerful in terms of nutrients, they are an exception,” says Lawrence Tredrea, a nutritionist and naturopath at the Integrated Medicine Institute in Central.