Grab your fork and get your ‘shroom on because October 15 is National Mushroom Day.
If you’ve never been a big fan of mushrooms and aren’t sure about adding more of them to your diet, here are some interesting facts we learned from Health.com that may help convince you and tips on where to find some of the most delicious mushroom dishes in Philly.
They help you keep off the pounds
Adding mushrooms to your diet may help keep your weight under control. They are actually considered a low-energy-density food, which means you’ll get fewer calories in a bigger portion of food. A study in the journal Appetite, which was funded by the Mushroom Council and the Australian Mushroom Growers Association, had one group of obese adults replace the red meat in their diets with mushrooms for a year. At the end of the trial, the ones on the mushroom diet reported less fat intake, shed more pounds, and achieved a lower body mass index than those on the standard diet.
They’re full of flavor
When we were in grade school, many of us learned that there were four basic tastes: sweet, sour, salty and bitter. Did you know that there is a fifth one called unami, which is described as a robust savory or meaty taste? Well, there is and mushrooms happen to be one of those lucky foods that take on this flavor.
They are the only plant source of vitamin D
Vitamin D is just as important for bone health as calcium. The main source of vitamin D is sunlight hitting your skin, but you can find it in some foods too – for example, mushrooms. They naturally contain small amounts of vitamin D, and some manufacturers boost the vitamin D by exposing their mushrooms to ultraviolet light.
They could help regulate cholesterol
Mushrooms contain a type of fiber called beta-glucan, which is thought to play a role in fat metabolism and help lower overall cholesterol content in the blood. In a small Bangladesh study, participants ate oyster mushrooms on and off for 24 days. Consuming the mushrooms was associated with a drop in total cholesterol and triglycerides, but levels went back up as soon as they stopped eating them.
Here are some restaurants that “Chef Jess” – our go to culinary connoisseur that you’ll learn more about in an upcoming article – says are the best places to get your ‘shroom on in Philly:
Their roasted maitake and trumpet mushrooms are delicious.
They have the best cream of mushroom soup.
Order the fancy mushroom pizza – it’s awesome.
The royal trumpet mushrooms are a must have.
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