Your favorite mushrooms are packed with a powerful combination of vitamins,
minerals and antioxidants that’s hard to match.
Really, mushrooms carry health benefits that would make some of the world’s superfoods jealous.
Hungry for more? Check below!
Mushrooms and weight control
Mushrooms are ideally suited for weight control as they are low in fat and calories. A single serving of mushrooms
(around 100g or three button mushrooms) has only 18 kcals.
In addition, mushrooms make you feel fuller for longer resulting in a decrease in food intake. In 2008 researchers from Johns Hopkins University published a study which confirmed that substituting meat with button mushrooms increased the satiety (feeling of fullness) of the meal. Study participants that substituted meat with mushrooms found that they were able to regulate their body weight more easily. On top of that, although the mushroom meal was only about 100 calories less than the meat meal, consumers actually ate 379 fewer calories a day over four days! [Cheskin 2008, Poddar 2013]
This suggests that mushrooms have a powerful ability to make a meal more filling.
Mushrooms are also low energy density as they contain fewer calories per serving. Rather than trying to starve yourself by eating fewer calories to lose weight, it’s a good idea to focus on eating meals that have fewer calories per serving.
Low energy dense foods are high in water and low in fat, as is the case with mushrooms, fruits and vegetables. The table below compares the energy density of various foods. Interestingly, mushrooms are one of the lowest energy dense foods available!
In truth, most people find that it’s easy to gain weight but losing it can be quite a challenging task. Put simply, we generally gain weight when we eat more calories than our body requires for maintaining its weight. So, to lose any excess body fat we will have to eat fewer calories than we burn. There are three ways to achieve that:
In reality, a combination of dietary change and leading a lifestyle that’s more active is the most efficient way to succeed in weight management. And, as described above, the humble mushroom can be a significant part of that success.
References:
Research shows that compounds in mushrooms could help reduce the risk of two very common types of cancer: breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men.
Wait, mushrooms help fight cancer?
International studies suggest that women who eat mushrooms have a 50-60% lower risk of breast cancer, compared to those who don’t [Shin 2010; Hong 2008]. That has been quite an extraordinary finding and has inspired more research on how mushrooms might help lower risk of cancer.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s largest food research organisation, has published a very detailed scientific report on mushrooms’ anti-cancer properties which you can find here.
Potential to reduce prostate cancer risk too
Moreover, research suggests that compounds in mushrooms inhibit the enzyme responsible for the development of prostate cancer in men, therefore having a potential role in the protection against prostate cancer [Adams 2008].
Summing up, it is too early to say that mushrooms can solely and completely protect you from the risk of breast or prostate cancer. But ongoing research suggests that the role of mushrooms in reducing the risk of these two common types of cancers is very promising.
It is unlikely that any single nutrient in food can solely provide protection against cancer. It is more probable that the combination of many compounds in food can help to effectively offer protection to the body. That means we should try to eat a healthy diet, one that includes mushrooms.
References:
Are you a vegetarian? Or are you just looking to reduce your daily meat intake? Then mushrooms should be a part of your daily diet as no other vegetable comes nearly as close to the taste and texture of meat as the humble mushroom!
But that’s not all. Mushrooms can be a great meat substitute because they pack more than twice the amount of protein than other vegetables. Impressive isn’t it?
But don’t just take our word for it.
In a recent study performed at the Johns Hopkins University, the positive effects of substituting mushrooms for meat were examined over a 1-year period and the results were astonishing! Not only did the participants on the mushroom diet saw a loss in their overall body weight due to a lower intake of calories and fat, but they also saw a big improvement in other health parameters such as their cholesterol! [Poddar 2013]
A healthy diet is a varied diet. And if you’re looking to reduce the amount of meat you eat then it can be a good idea to combine mushrooms with other meat substitutes such as eggs, nuts or tofu. Now that’s super healthy!
Need some inspiration? Why don’t you browse through our recipe section?
References:
Just 100g of mushrooms (three white mushrooms or one Portobello) provide around 1.5g of fibre, which is about 5-6% of the daily fibre needs of an adult. Even better, when they are cooked and lose some water, the level of fibre rises to 2.7g per 100g serve, around 10% of your daily fibre needs.
The key aspects to a healthy heart are maintaining an active lifestyle, not smoking and keeping a balanced weight by following a healthy diet. And everyone knows that healthy eating includes fruit, vegetables, legumes, lean meat and dairy. We now know that eating mushrooms also plays a role in keeping your heart healthy. [Guillamón 2010, Jeong 2010]
Many researchers have found that the mushrooms we love so much lower the bad cholesterol in the blood and help stop the narrowing of the arteries.
There is virtually no fat in mushrooms. Like plant foods, they are cholesterol-free and low in calories. Put all that together and you have a very tasty food that is looking after your heart.
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What is a superfood?
Although it is frequently used by the media and marketeers alike, there seems to be no formal definition of the term “superfood”. But, we here at Kyriakides Mushrooms would consider reasonable to expect that a superfood should have the following characteristics:
To us, the last two points are the most important. We see little value in a “superfood” that provides nutrition and health benefits if it is “super” expensive or “super” difficult to find. Healthy food needs to be easily available, as easy as walking to your local supermarket. Mushrooms are convenient, can be consumed by almost everyone and can be eaten at any time during the day. Just one serving of 100 g. counts towards your 5-a-day. That’s just three white mushrooms or one Portobello. Easy.
The mushroom as a superfood
So let’s see how the mushroom fares against the characteristics of a “superfood” we described above. Mushrooms provide the following benefits:
Sure, there’s no formal definition of the term “superfood” but if there was we’re pretty certain that the humble mushroom would be the Rocky Balboa of all superfoods!
For a long time, scientists have appreciated the antioxidant effect of fresh fruits and vegetables. Mushrooms are a rich source of antioxidants, as confirmed by laboratory analysis. In one study of 30 common vegetables, mushrooms were placed in the top 5 highest antioxidant levels when compared to vegetables. [Pellegrini 2003]
Mushrooms are also very high in a powerful antioxidant called ergothioneine. Ergothioneine is found in very few other vegetables or fruit and appears to protect blood cells by penetrating the nuclei of our cells to protect them from oxidation (damage).
References:
Mushrooms are packed with nutrients, with just a single serve of 100g offering a remarkable amount of essential vitamins and minerals. It’s like taking a vitamin supplement, only much, much tastier!
But don’t take our word for it. Take a look at the table below and you won’t believe your eyes!
You will find white mushrooms in almost every supermarket. Portobello, Portobellini, Oyster mushrooms and Shiitake are also more widely available now.
What should you look for?
Mushrooms taste best when eaten fresh. That’s why we do our best to deliver them to supermarkets within 36 hours of harvesting.
No waste and no fuss makes mushrooms one of the easiest ingredients to prepare. Caps and stems can be used in recipes, and the less you handle them, the better.
If all these talk of tasty mushrooms has got your stomach craving, why don’t you check out our delicious recipes here?
A mushroom is the fruitbody of a much bigger fungus growing under the ground. The entire organism is made up of a large network of tiny fibers, called the mycelium, which produces the fruiting bodies. Mushrooms normally grow in the wild but can be cultivated indoors once the appropriate conditions are recreated by the grower. This allows us to enjoy fresh, delicious mushrooms year round.
Mushroom growing is considered to be one of the most science based branches of horticulture. To us, mushroom growing is an art. It is a complex combination of science, feelings and emotions to create these exact condition in the growing rooms favorable for the mushrooms to feel comfortable to grow.
In this section we will look at the beautiful lifecycle of mushrooms. Our first stop is compost preparation.
The raw material used to cultivate mushrooms is called mushroom compost and great care is taken by professionals to produce it in excellent quality. Bales of wheat straw are mixed with water, gypsum and other organic material and this substrate is allowed to heat up to temperatures of around 80˚C (that’s hot, we know!).
After a few days, the compost has become an excellent, nutritious substrate for growing mushrooms. The compost is then pasteurised (so that all the bad stuff that might hinder the growth of the mushrooms are taken out) and spawned.
Operating in a sustainable manner and being environmentally friendly is central in the mushroom growing sector. Growing mushrooms relies almost exclusively on waste material from other sectors as straw is a by-product of grain farming.
Next, lets look at what happens when all the raw materials are filled in the growing room.
A growing room consists of long, aluminium shelves stacked one on top of the other to make more efficient use of space. As the mushroom compost is filled into these shelves, a layer of peat is applied to the surface in order to help the substrate maintain its moisture.
The environment inside the growing room is then carefully controlled to provide the optimum conditions for the mushrooms to grow. During the next six weeks the levels of temperature, humidity, oxygen, carbon dioxide and the speed of the air movement are carefully monitored by the grower with the aid of purpose-designed computer systems. We bet you never thought mushroom growing was so complicated!
When the mushrooms reach the desired level of maturity, harvesting begins.
Once the mushrooms reach the harvesting stage, they are carefully picked by hand and graded to maintain the highest possible quality. Although hand picking can be a lot of work, the eyes and hands of our experienced personnel are the only way we can guarantee that the nice white colour and spotless quality of our mushrooms are maintained.
Extreme care is taken by specially trained pickers to sort the mushrooms according to size, weight and quality, to ensure that all our clients’ requirements are met.
All our mushrooms are cooled quickly after harvesting and are transported in specifically designed refrigerated trucks. Our distribution network spans the whole of Cyprus.
A mushroom is the fruitbody of a fungus. There are thousands of species of mushrooms in the world, but only a few are edible.
Actually, it is neither. And it’s obviously not an animal either!
In biology, fungi (and hence mushrooms) are classified as their own kingdom. Plants and animals belong to their own, separate kingdoms too!
Can you imagine? A whole mushroom kingdom. Surely if there’s a kingdom of mushrooms then the white mushroom has to be the king right?
France was the first country to cultivate mushrooms on a commercial basis in the late 19th century.
Sure! Our fresh mushrooms are harvested every day of the year and delivered fresh to local stores, 24/7/365. And yes, that includes Sundays!
Those specks are topsoil from the growing beds. They are absolutely harmless. Simply wipe with a damp cloth or soft brush before preparation, cooking or serving.
Mushrooms are harvested by hand. Harvesting by hand is a very difficult task but it is the only way we can ensure that our mushrooms are treated tenderly and carefully to avoid bruises and scratches so we can deliver them to you spotless!
The harvesters are trained in personal hygiene as part of our food safety certifications, the ISO 22000:2005 (HACCP) and GlobalG.A.P. During harvesting it is required that they wear special-purpose uniforms, hand gloves and hair nets.
During harvesting, mushrooms are separated by size and quality according to clients’ requirements and, following that, they are quickly cooled down and transported to local supermarkets within 36 hours of harvesting. Pretty simple, isn’t it?
Not really!
It is an art based on science. The science of mushroom growing is quite well known and many books have been written about it. The art of mushroom growing is in managing variables such as the weather and changes in raw materials and the attention to detail required is absolutely immense!
Yes, some other companies do import mushrooms from abroad. Most of the fresh mushrooms in stores are grown in Cyprus but some shops do stock imported mushrooms.
Now, we have nothing against imported mushrooms; we believe that they can still be friends with ours. But, considering that imported mushrooms in the Cypriot market are, on average, 10-12 days old due to the time it takes to get here, we think that our policy of selling mushrooms within 36 hours of harvesting is much fairer and, of course, much much healthier for the consumer.
So next time you visit your local grocery store, ask them if they are packing local mushrooms!
We here at Kyriakides Mushrooms have made substantial investments in new technology to increase productivity and improve energy efficiency, quality and food safety.
Going forward we will continue to invest not only in food-safety training and documentation, but also in the health and safety of our own personnel. And yes, that’s a promise.
Of course! They are even considered a superfood by many. Check out the benefits of a diet full of mushrooms here.
Mushrooms have been called the “vegetarians’ meat” because no other vegetable comes closer to the taste and texture of meat. Have you never tried a Portobello burger?