Everyone knows that brightly coloured fruits and vegetables are good for you – but what about drab-looking mushrooms? Do they offer anything to the diet aside from flavour – and are they safe for baby to eat?
The nutritional value of mushrooms
A mushroom is neither a fruit nor a vegetable – it’s actually an edible fungus!
In some parts of the world – and in Eastern cultures in particular – mushrooms are believed to have significant health benefits, whilst in the western world they have traditionally been viewed as being of little nutritional value.
However, a different story is slowly emerging, as their benefits are being more closely investigated.
Most species of mushroom contain B vitamins, vitamin C, protein, iron, potassium, selenium and other minerals. They are also particularly rich sources of compounds known as beta-glucans, which help support the immune system and protect the body from disease – plus an important antioxidant called ergothioneine.
Perhaps most interesting of all is the fact that mushrooms are the ONLY non-animal source of vitamin D, the ‘sunshine vitamin’ in which so many children are deficient. Mushrooms actually convert sunlight to vitamin D in the same way that we humans do in our skin. What’s more, the vitamin D content of mushrooms is stable, which means that it isn’t significantly reduced by cooking.
RECIPE:-
12 button mushrooms
4 shiitake mushrooms
2 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
2 fl oz (1/4 cup) chicken stock
4 shiitake mushrooms
2 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove
2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp olive oil
2 fl oz (1/4 cup) chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 425 deg F (220 deg C).
Clean the mushrooms and remove the shiitake stems.
Peel the sweet potato and cut into slices. Roughly chop the onion and peel the garlic.
Toss all the ingredients in a bowl with the oil and rosemary, then empty into a roasting pan. Ensure that all the veggies and mushrooms are in a single layer.
Roast for around 30 minutes, until all the veggies are tender, giving the pan a shake from time to time.
Put the potato slices, onion and garlic into a blender and add the chicken stock. Blend until smooth.
Chop the mushrooms and stir into the richly flavoured pureed sweet potato – simply delicious!
Clean the mushrooms and remove the shiitake stems.
Peel the sweet potato and cut into slices. Roughly chop the onion and peel the garlic.
Toss all the ingredients in a bowl with the oil and rosemary, then empty into a roasting pan. Ensure that all the veggies and mushrooms are in a single layer.
Roast for around 30 minutes, until all the veggies are tender, giving the pan a shake from time to time.
Put the potato slices, onion and garlic into a blender and add the chicken stock. Blend until smooth.
Chop the mushrooms and stir into the richly flavoured pureed sweet potato – simply delicious!
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