Last month, MSN Health and Fitness put together a list of 10 ways to painlessly upgrade your diet so that you help yourself out health-wise while eating well. To me, their tastiest and easiest tip was to switch out your typical white button mushrooms in your cooking and replace them with shiitake and maitake mushrooms. Research is beginning to show that these Japanese 'shrooms are full of antioxidants and contain selenium, which, according to Dr. Donald Abrams, director of clinical programs at UCSF's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, "lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, helps with anti-tumor activity, and possibly encourages better prostate health." Their more common cousins, including our button, crimini and portobello mushrooms, don't have the same benefits.
So next time you're looking to make a soup or stew, reach for the shiitake or maitake mushrooms at the grocery store and eat for your heart health.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-19-2008 @ 4:09PM
RobynT said...
i think that's a really great article. besides having some new information--i never heard of this mushroom thing before, for example--i like that they explained why lentils and quinoa are good for you. and the cooking tips.
http://halfassfoodie.blogspot.com
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3-19-2008 @ 5:24PM
Harlan said...
Yum, mushrooms. But the article doesn't say if dried shiitakes, which are much cheaper (not to mention tastier), have these antioxidants in similar quantities?
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3-20-2008 @ 8:12AM
Patrick said...
Well, this article made me quite self-satisfied. I've got kale, grass-fed bison, and pomegranate juice in the fridge, edamame in the freezer, quinoa on top, and green tea and reishi/maitake mushroom supplements on my shelves. this will, hopefully, negate the sixer of Yuengling I put away last night while watching Top Chef.
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4-03-2008 @ 1:19PM
mb said...
I am a vegetarian, and mushrooms are a big part of my world. I always opt for portabellos, but will start going for shitake instead. Great information because we think we are doing ourselves a favor by eating one thing or another, and it turns out that there is always something better out there.
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