Nutrition

A Mushroom That Tastes Like Bacon?

People don’t like mushrooms.

OK, not all people, but a lot of people.

If you’re one of those mushroom haters, I’d imagine your distaste for this fungi has mostly to do with texture.

Yeah, mushrooms can turn into slimy sponge cakes pretty fast. And if you’re not really into squishy, squeak, squirmy foods, mushrooms might not have a future as a cuisine staple for you.

But I’m hoping what you’re about to see will change your mind.

Because I have a recipe that’ll take mushrooms (well, one certain kind) and transforms it into bacon. That’s right, a mushroom that’s got the taste and the texture of bacon.

I’ll show you what that recipe is in a few moments.

But before you get to see my inner Martha Stewart, let me talk to you about WHY you’d want to eat this mushroom for life.

Hint… it’s got something to do with how they boost several factors of health.

Shiitake Mushrooms And The Cool Ways They’ll Improve Your Health

Shiitake mushrooms are a complicated mushroom.

Mostly because, if you forget one of the “i”s  when you spell it, you’ll look like you’re trying to be offensive.

In all seriousness, shiitake mushrooms are an incredible food to include in your diet.

Shiitake mushrooms are fungi, which make them neither a plant nor an animal (if you’re wondering about their food classifications).

But because they break down starches and turn them into carbohydrates, they’re actually a bit closer to animals than plants. Which might be why they taste like bacon.

Their ability to breakdown starches results in the formation of numerous kinds of nutrients.

Many of which have been shown to have far-reaching and dramatic benefits to your health.

Below is a list of the nutrients found in shiitake mushrooms (taken from World’s Healthiest Foods)

Name of Substance Nutrient Category
beta-glucans polysaccharides
carvacrol monoterpenoid-derived phenols
copalic acid diterpenoids
ergothioneine amino acid derivatives
eritadenine alkaloids
lentiavidins proteins
lentinan specific member of the beta-glucan polysaccharides

As I mentioned, these nutrients are quite effective for helping to improve health.

So let me show you a few of the ways shiitake mushrooms could help make you feel better (and even change your life).

4 Outstanding Health Benefits
Of Shiitake Mushrooms

1 – They might help boost immune function:

Out of the thousands of mushrooms on the planet, shiitake mushrooms are one of the few that boosts your immune system as opposed to crippling it.

Shiitake mushrooms have a wide assortment of vitamins, minerals and enzymes known to boost immune function.

And studies like the one published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition indicate the combination of these nutrients might keep you from getting sick.

In the study, the researchers observed 52 healthy men and women to see what would happen when they ate shiitake mushrooms. The 52 participants were divided into two groups. One group ate 5 grams of shiitake mushrooms and the other ate 10 grams.

Their specific objective was to see if the mushrooms actually boosted immune health. After 4 weeks of observation they noticed that the subjects had improved immune responses.

They concluded“The results suggest that consuming mushrooms improved cell effector function and improved gut immunity. There was also a reduction of inflammation due to mushroom consumption.”

2 – They could help you lose weight:

Obesity is one of the most widespread diseases in the United States. Along with the low sense of self-confidence that results from obesity, many people end up becoming quite sick because of all the extra weight they carry around with them.

Conditions like cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, achy joints and many more have all been linked to obesity.

Apparently, shiitake mushrooms might help with weight gain.

Here’s how it works.

Shiitake mushrooms are known to contain several nutritive compounds that have hypolipidemic (fat-reducing) effect. The main ones are b-glucan, and eritadenine.

Truth is, B-glucan is one of the best best fat reducers around.

The way it works is that b-glucan is a soluble dietary fiber, which actually makes you feel fuller, longer. By eating shiitake mushrooms your body is “tricked’ into believing you’ve eaten more than you really have.

Because of this, you feel more satisfied, and are less hungry.

On top of that, b-glucan helps extend the time for absorption of nutrients. This makes it so your body gets nutrients over an extended amount of time, which is believed to help reduce your plasma lipid (fat) levels.

The theory that shiitakes mushrooms might help you lose weight has been backed up by independent research studies.

In a 2011 study published in the Journal of Obesity, the effects of shiitake mushrooms on rats given a high fat diet over 6 weeks showed rats that ate high levels of shiitake mushrooms didn’t gain

The rats who ate higher amounts of shiitake mushrooms were 35% skinner than the other groups. These rats were also less likely to have fat masses and did not accumulate body fat at the same rate as the others.

3 – They can help improve memory and cognition:

No one wants to allow the process of aging rob them of their cognition.

And while there are all kinds of drugs and supplements out there claiming to make you smarter and think more clearly, you might get the same benefits out of shiitakes.

Part of what makes shiitakes a partner to brain health is their high levels of essential B vitamins. B vitamins are essential for supporting adrenal function and are responsible for helping your body take other dietary nutrients and turn them into useable energy.

The support of your body’s adrenal function and the role it plays on brain health doesn’t stop there. Truth is, by giving your adrenal glands a helping hand you’re also balancing other hormones too.

Optimized hormone levels won’t just improve other facets of health, you’ll likely notice brain fog disappears and mental acuity also improve.

And here we were thinking mushrooms just turn a small Mario into a bigger one…I hope that reference doesn’t go unappreciated.

4 – They may help increase immunity:

No, shiitake mushrooms won’t cure cancers.

But eating them certainly might help improve your immune function.

As Dr. Axe writes:

“Research suggests that shiitake mushrooms help fight cancer cells and the lentinan in shiitakes help heal chromosome damage caused by anticancer treatments. This suggests shiitakes could be used as a potential natural cancer treatment.

A 2006 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicineinvestigated the potential roles of an ethyl acetate fraction from shiitake mushrooms. The study involved two human breast carcinoma cell lines, one human nonmalignant breast epithelial cell line and two myeloma cell lines. The results suggest that shiitake mushrooms were able to inhibit growth in tumor cells with their mycochemical value. Shiitake mushroom successfully inducted apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death.”

While we need more studies on shiitakes and immunity, it’s encouraging to see the strength of mushrooms at resisting diseases.

 

And Now, Turning Shiitakes Into Bacon

If you’ve been reading through this article and thinking it might be time to try shiitakes but don’t want to deal with the texture, let me give you a simple recipe for turning shiitakes into bacon.

It’s incredibly simple.

Steps For Making Bacon-like Shiitake Mushrooms

Step 1– Cut shiitake mushrooms into uniform shapes (as best you can)

Step 2 – Put a frying pan on your burner over medium heat and coat with olive oil

Step 3 – Add shiitakes and cook, turning and stirring often until they become a rich, golden brown.

Step 4 – Remove and enjoy…that’s it!

Hope you enjoyed learning how shiitakes can be turned into bacon and how they’ll help make you healthier.

 

Talk soon,

Dr. Wiggy
www.HealthAsItOughtToBe.com