Mushrooms...What kind of nutrirional value do they have?

Factual Questions
1

I love the cooking channel and for years I have been waiting for one of the chefs to give up the goods on 'shrooms. But no luck, not Mario, not Emeril not even that crazy chick on at noon (or is it one? She’s one of my fav’s; just can’t remeber her name right now).

So what’s the skinny? We love them we eat them. Are they any good for us?

2

Mushrooms are pretty well insignificant in terms of nutrition. A little starch, maybe a little sugar, and a little protein; no fat. Some varieties have significant levels of vitamins and minerals, others don’t

http://www.wholefoods.com/healthinfo/pro_list-veg.html
http://www.jtcwd.com/vegie/nutrition/mushrooms.html
http://www.mushroomcouncil.org/docs/2002/labeling_toolkit.pdf

3

That was quick. Thanks Nametag. I’ll still enjoy them I guess but I was hoping for a little more in the way of mineral content at least.
Eric

4

If you don’t wash off the cow shit, there is some B12 in them.

5

Whoa, I posted before I read your cites. Seems mushrooms do provide significant amounts of: Riboflavin, copper, niacin, celenium and pantothenic acid. All ranging from 15% (1st 3) to 10% (last 2) of the MRDA. I like mushrooms.
Eric

6

Mushroom, being fungi, do however have numerous compounds that are not currently classified as nutrients, but are quite distinct biochemically from constituents of the kingdoms Animalia and Plantae. I have a formal background in biochemistry, and I don’t think a little dab of Saccharomyces cervesiae (brewers/baker’s yeast) or veined cheeses will fill the bill

Okay, I’m a nut. I think that since essentially all primates consume insects as a primary protein supplement (including species commonly listed as herbivores) I wouldn’t be surprised if we’d benefit from eating more insects today. It seems likely that after millions of years of using the products of their distinctive biochemistry, we’ve probably adapted to it, and a few thousand years of so-called civilization can’t have changed that. I accept that this won’t change our dietary habits or even encourage much research funding. (We -and that includes me- probably won’t eat more bugs untill they identify the key constituents and package them in pills.)

Until nutritional science bears me out on fungi and insects, and makes them hopelessly trendy, I’ll continue to feast on mushrooms and truffles – and accept the local lobsters as a substitute for insects.