Redwood Shores, CA – Long celebrated as a superfood source of powerful nutrients, mushrooms can help consumers meet the new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The Mushroom Council offers three key ways that fresh mushrooms simply help Americans achieve a healthy diet, according to the new guidelines.
“You can’t go very far into the guidelines without finding a nutrition need aided by mushrooms,” states Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council. “Mushrooms provide many of the nutritional attributes of produce, as well as attributes more commonly found in meat, beans and grains. They’re low in calories, fat free, cholesterol free, and very low in sodium, yet packed with nutrients. For consumers looking to follow long term healthy eating patterns the DGA recommends, mushrooms are the answer on a number of fronts.”
For example:
Mushrooms provide a simple solution to sodium and saturated fat reduction. The DGA encourages healthy dietary patterns that are low in saturated fat and sodium. Mushrooms are fat-free and low in sodium. Additionally, the Mushroom Council advocates for the The Blend, a cooking technique that blends finely chopped mushrooms with ground meat to make nutritious burgers, without compromising flavor. Mushrooms’ inherent umami counterbalances saltiness and allows for less salt to be used in recipes.
Mushrooms are a source of an under consumed nutrient: vitamin D. According to the DGA, vitamin D is classified as a “nutrient of public health concern,” because under consumption has been linked in the scientific literature to adverse health outcomes. Retailers currently offer a variety of light-exposed mushrooms which can provide close to 400 IU of vitamin D per serving. Mushrooms are the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle and one of the few non-fortified food sources.
Mushrooms’ umami adds flavor to plant-rich diets. The DGA encourages Americans to adopt dietary patterns that are high in a variety of vegetables. (While mushrooms are technically fungi, the U.S. Department of Agriculture food patterns include mushrooms as vegetables because they provide many nutrients found in vegetables.) Mushrooms offer an inherent meatiness to meals, thanks to their umami, giving plant-based dishes a savory, earthy richness.
For recipes and inspiration for incorporating more mushrooms into your diet, visit mushroominfo.com.
About The Mushroom Council
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service. Research and promotion programs help to expand, maintain and develop markets for individual agricultural commodities in the United States and abroad. These industry self-help programs are requested and funded by the industry groups that they serve. For more information, visit mushroomcouncil.org.
Source: The Mushroom Council
