This Humble Ingredient Is Near-Magic For Supporting Your Immune System
by Jenny Jiles
In this moment in time, we are extremely lucky if we’re able to find specific produce in our stores or via online ordering. But if you can find mushrooms, get them. Mushrooms have medicinal roots going back thousands of years in Eastern medicine.
Mushrooms are bursting with fiber, vitamins, and help protect the body from free radicals, and are rich in the antioxidant, selenium.
There are more than 2000 kinds of edible mushrooms on the planet (though many are poisonous so only purchase at a store), many with minerals our bodies require, like B vitamins, folate, magnesium, and vitamin D. And even your run-of-the-mill, regular mushroom is supremely good for you.
But first, four of the more famous, exotic medicinal mushrooms and what they are known for:
1. Lion’s Mane: For brain boosting power and concentration.
2.Chaga: Full of anti-aging antioxidants, and great immune support.
3. Cordyceps: For endurance and muscle recovery.
4. Reishi: For anxiety and chilling us right the fuck out.
Are these claims ironclad? Of course not. But an article on the internet should never be your sole source of how you decide which wellness avenue you should go down. It requires deep research, weighing pros and cons, and making the best decision for you.
For me, I go down a witchier, wellnessier path than most. Always consult your doctor when introducing any new powerful foods, herbs, vitamins or supplements into your diet, but here are my favorite ways to incorporate mushrooms into my daily diet:
1. Coffee
Mushrooms went mainstream with their easiest entry point: coffee. It’s America’s favorite beverage and now these beneficial mushrooms are built into your morning brew. It’s a simple addition with no effort on your part because the people at Four Stigmatic have ground the mushrooms directly into their instant organic coffee. Magic. Chaga-chino anyone?
2. Broth
Those dried exotic mushrooms at the store never make it into your cart, do they? But those dried, weird little babies pack a HUGE punch of flavor and health benefits. Just by adding them to some hot water, you’ll have an earthy, delicious broth you can drink in minutes. Maybe add some rice noodles, green onions and salt to those now plumped and hydrated mushrooms, for a super simple dinner.
Or, you can be lazy and buy mushroom broth from Whole Foods, or these handy broth mixes from Om.
3. Chocolate
Reishi and chocolate go together like peanut butter and jelly. The bitter, earthy flavor of reishi blends well with the sweetness of chocolate. And there are more cacao-mushroom blends than ever, like this one from Sunwink.
You can make a simple hot chocolate with almond milk, chocolate chips, and a teaspoon of Sun Potion reishi blended right in. If you are feeling extra frisky, you can make your own chocolate truffles by melting together ½ a cup of coconut cream, 12 ounces of dark dairy free chocolate chips, and 1 teaspoon or 2 of reishi powder mixed in. Chill. Roll into balls. Offer to your friends. Give them to your kids.
Pro tip: Tell them they’re riddled with mushrooms AFTER they’ve eaten them..
4. Smoothie
Spinach, sure. Kale, yep. Even cauliflower has made its way into our smoothie routines, but mushrooms certainly don’t belong there. OR DO THEY? Om Mushroom Superfood is another brand making mushroom powder a game changer for all of us. Try adding a scoop of any of their powders to your morning smoothie and see how those TPS reports look now, Peter.
5. Capsules
Alert. Alert. This is for the super lazy. Plant People has your daily batch of mushrooms into an easy to swallow pill so you don’t have to think or taste or do a damn thing. Especially helpful for any supertasters out there who loathe the flavor of mushrooms.
So, there you have it, folks. Mushrooms. Not just for pizza or cafeteria salad bars anymore. They can easily be incorporated into your daily routine. And they might just be magic.
Jenny is a writer, cooking coach, and host of Cliffs Notes Kitchen, where she shows how simple, bite-sized shifts with minimal effort, can create lasting changes in your health. You can find more of her articles here.
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