New studies by the University of Minnesota show eating mushrooms daily helps the body regulate its blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy weight.
Many people have undiagnosed blood sugar issues, which is a precurser to diabetes. This may cause the body to suddenly gain weight for no apparent reason, particularly around the mid-drift.
According to Peter Horvath, an associate professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Science, the studies indicated the consumption of mushrooms may be useful in helping the body regulate its sugar levels, helping those who are attempting to lose weight.
Horvath suggested, this was due to mushrooms containing a high amount of phytonutrienst; which have been known to help prevent disease and keep your body working properly, and a high amount of ergothioneine; a naturally occurring plant based amino acid.
When these two heavy rich nutrients are combined, they nourish the cells and work to protect against any tissue damage, which creates high stamina in the body, whilst also levelling out blood sugar levels – in less than 30 minutes. Which is far better than any protein bar.
The study of the mushrooms included 32 volunteers eating either 226g of white button mushrooms, or 28g of lean ground beef twice a day over the course of 10 days, in order to determine whether eating mushrooms was better than eating meat, for better sustainability in the body. Leaving you fuller for longer.
The results concluded that those who ate mushrooms were able to last longer between meals, and felt they had more energy throughout the day. Whereas those who ate meat, still needed to eat more regularly throughout the day to help boost their lagging energy levels.
Mary Jo Feeney of the Mushroom Council said the many findings from this study, add to the growing body of evidence, which supports the many health benefits of mushrooms.
She is excited about the results of mushrooms helping the body to regulate blood sugar levels in the body, which can contribute to weight gain for many women, when out of balance.
‘Mushrooms may aid weight management and satiety, and thus contribute to the overall wellness of the body. Consumers are forever interested in the benefits of protein food choices, so it’s important for them to know plant-based sources of protein, like mushrooms can be both satisfying and good for you, she says.
And, as if Mushrooms couldn’t get any better for you, the studies at the University of Minnesota also confirmed, mushroom contain a high content of natural vitamin D – which is a hard vitamin to obtain if you’re stuck indoors all day, and unable to charge up from the sun’s rays.
With mushrooms now proving through science to be a wonderous source of natural antioxidants, acts as an antivirus and anti-inflammatory for the body, and regulates blood sugar levels as an anti-diabetic – it might be time to ditch the steak and stock up on some fungi instead.