Are Mushrooms Good for You?

We all know that mushrooms are fun to find and delicious to eat, but in a recent chat with a local park ranger, I was asked about the nutritional value of mushrooms. To be honest, I hadn't given much thought to this before. I knew that some mushrooms had medicinal values and were used in treating and preventing cancer, heart disease, and other health conditions, but I had never bothered to do much research on how healthy they actually were.

So I did a little digging, first through my books at home, and then online and at the library. I was rather surprised by what I found. Now keep in ind these are numbers for mushrooms cooked plainly. Adding breading and butter or stuffing them with cheese, etc. will, of course, increase these numbers. Here are the nutritional highlights of common Missouri edible mushrooms:

Morel, 5 medium (84g)
Calories: 20
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrate: 3g
Total Fat: 0.0g
Fiber: 0.0g

Chanterelle, 1 large
Calories: 1.7
Protein: 0.12g
Carbohydrate: 0.35g
Total Fat: 0.02g
Fiber: 0.13g

Black Trumpet, 5g (dry)
Calories: 15
Protein: 0.12g
Carbohydrate: 2.4g
Total Fat: 0.02g
Fiber: 0.6g

Lion’s mane, 5 medium (84g)
Calories: 20
Protein: 2g
Carbohydrate: 3g
Total Fat: 0.0g
Fiber: 0.0g

I also found a nice table listing the nutritional values of some common mushrooms.

(Source: Paul Staments, Mycelium Running, p. 198-99)

From the numbers it appears that mushrooms certainly aren't bad for you and certain varieties are loaded with beneficial nutrients. As Staments points out, even the FDA has "officially designated mushrooms as 'healthy food'" (p. 197).

So eat up, but always remember to eat them in moderation and always be certain of your identification before eating anything.

(For more information on the medicinal benefits of eating mushrooms, check out the listing on http://www.anti-aging-guide.com/41mushrooms.php. I don't promote the site itself but they have a concise listing of recent articles focused on the subject.)