Little Step No. 40
What to do:
Swap ‘button’ for ‘shitake’ mushrooms.
Why this step works:
Sometimes the easiest little steps are the ones where you make a straight food swap. Take something you eat regularly and replace it with something that’s pretty much the same in terms of taste and how you cook it, but delivers more nutritional ‘bang for your buck’.
This little step is exactly that. A very simple food swap for a serious nutrition upgrade.
So why swap 'button' for 'shitake' mushrooms?
More recently, mushrooms have become a hot topic in the nutrition world, as science has started to uncover specifically why some members of our ancient fungi kingdom have the potential to deliver very impressive health benefits. Not all mushrooms are equal though.
There are more than 14,000 known species of mushrooms; of these, approximately 3,000 are edible, 700 are considered to be ‘medicinal’ and 140 are classed as poisonous.
Of the 700 ‘medicinal’ mushrooms we know of, shitake sits very proudly among them. And is one of only a few in this special category that you can easily get hold of in the supermarket or wherever you regularly do your food shop. As well as them being widely available, there’s plenty more reasons to make the swap.
Top 5 Shitake mushroom superpowers!
1. They contain bioactives – very powerful plant compounds that are known to support health in quite remarkable ways
2. They contain special compounds called beta glucans which may support & regulate immune function
3. They support inflammation balance, have antioxidant activity and protect heart health
4. They contain special types of plant fibre that feed and nourish friendly gut bacteria
5. They contain a plant precursor to vitamin D which can help to support your vitamin D levels
Use shitake mushrooms in exactly the same way you would use button or closed cup varieties. Add them to omelettes, stir fries, soups, stews and casseroles. A very simple swap with very impressive health benefits.
Hope you enjoy adding shitake superpowers into your meals x