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Researchers and home cooks alike are discovering the benefits of eating more mushrooms. They offer a savory flavor without adding much fat, calories, or sodium to your cooking. Mushrooms also help ward off chronic disease, providing seven benefits for your health. Read on for more information, and then try our tasty, nutritious Wild Rice Mushroom Soup recipe to help you stay warm and well this season.

Seven Benefits of Mushrooms

  1. Decrease cancer risk – Mushrooms contain powerful ergothioneine, an amino acid and antioxidant that prevents or slows cellular damage.
  2. Lower sodium intake – They’re naturally high in flavor and low in sodium, which otherwise causes you to retain fluids, increasing blood pressure.
  3. Promote lower cholesterol – Mushrooms help inhibit the production of cholesterol, block its absorption, and lower cholesterol in your blood.
  4. Protect brain health – Golden, oyster, shiitake, and white button mushrooms lower your risk of cognitive impairment by 50% if you eat two cups per week.
  5. Provide Vitamin D – If exposed to sunlight or UV light, many mushrooms are a source of Vitamin D for building and maintaining strong bones.
  6. Stimulate gut health – Mushrooms offer polysaccharides that stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria, partly because they pass through the stomach unchanged to encourage colon health.
  7. Support immune health – Macronutrients include selenium and Vitamin B6 as well as Vitamin D to boost your immune system – think cremini, portabella, maitake, and shiitake mushrooms.

Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

2 cups cooked wild rice (use stock/broth)

½ cup sliced mushrooms (any type)

1 can mixed vegetables, undrained

1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can milk (any type) and 1 can water

1 cup cooked ground beef, turkey, lamb, or chicken

½ tsp. each basil, parsley, sage, thymePinch Celtic/sea salt and white pepper

Stir all ingredients together over low heat until mushrooms are cooked through, for ultimate umami flavor. Serve with vegetable crackers and cheese or a green salad. Enjoy the warmth and nutrition of this hearty soup! Serves four.

Click to learn more about Bronston Clinics, where you’ll find personalized, integrative healthcare at affordable prices. Then, contact us for help determining your next step forward for maintaining a healthy body.

Learn more at: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/7-health-benefits-of-mushrooms

Dr Leo Bronston

Author Dr Leo Bronston

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