You’ll hear often enough about the virtues of keeping to a plant based whole food diet. But where do foods like mushrooms fit in? Technically, they are not plant foods, but often still classified as vegetables. Mushrooms are an edible and delicious fungus— they’re not plants. Just like with vegetables, however, there are many types of culinary varieties that can be grown or foraged. There are adaptogenic or “medicinal” varieties, too.
No matter the category, mushrooms are great for your health. But how? Why are mushrooms good for you? People may not realize that mushrooms might be the superfood so many of us need, sitting right under our noses all this time. Not only are they great for a plant based whole food diet, mushrooms could be great for vegetarians and vegans, supplying nutrients— including proteins— that may be hard to find in high supply in the world of non-animal-based foods.
As it so happens, mushrooms are central to the power of McPeak® Magnificent 7 Mushrooms, our incredible drinkable mushroom powder and daily vitamin supplement. Read on to learn what all the mushroom buzz is about, and the wellness benefits that could change your life for the better, too.
Nutritional benefits of mushrooms
Credit: Adrian White | Oyster mushrooms
The sheer number of different types of mushrooms is extensive. There are culinary varieties, cultivated varieties, and types that can be foraged in the wild. There are the common types, such as button mushrooms, portobellos, or crimini; there are wild foraging favorites, such as morels, chanterelles, or maitake.
At some specialty stores and restaurants, you’ll find fine culinary mushrooms such as shiitakes, oyster mushrooms— or, of course the famed truffle mushroom! Then there are the health-centric, “medicinal” types: lion’s mane, reishi, cordyceps, turkey tail, chaga mushroom, and more.
No matter the type or category, mushrooms nutritional value tends to have some themes and patterns in common with each other. In fact, many contain nutrients that are hard to find in most plant-based foods: including vitamin B12, protein, and vitamin D (while still having tons of healthy fiber!) Mushrooms with vitamin D in the highest amounts include shiitake, portobellos, and oyster mushrooms. These levels go up the longer you leave them out in open, natural sunlight before consuming them!
Are mushrooms keto friendly? The answer is yes. They are very low in carbohydrates, meaning their safe for people who are adhering to the keto diet.
Other benefits of mushrooms for health
Credit: Adrian White | Shiitake Mushrooms
What are benefits of mushrooms when it comes to wellness, besides the nutrients they contain? In addition to vitamins and minerals, many types of mushrooms have lots of other healing compounds in common, and regardless of the type: including polysaccharides, triterpenes, antioxidants, beta glucans, and more.
All these “phytochemicals” are responsible for many of the famed health benefits of mushrooms, both in culinary and medicinal types, though they are far more powerful in the medicinal or “adaptogenic” types. The common health benefits of mushrooms include:
- Immune boosting
- Antioxidant benefits
- Anti-inflammatory properties
- Digestive health
- Energy-boosting
- Detoxifying and liver-supporting benefits
- Nutrients for mental health support
- “Nootropic” benefits (brain and nerve support)
- Colds, flu, and sickness support
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
- Cholesterol support
- Reduced risk of neurological diseases
- Enhanced athletic performance
- …and more
These properties are not found in ALL mushrooms, and some are found only in specific kinds of culinary or adaptogenic mushrooms. But, across the board, you can expect these benefits to be common to a lot of different kinds. That said, which types are the best for health and healing, and not just nutrition? What is the best form to find these mushrooms in— cooking, or something else?
Benefits of mushroom powder
Credit: Katie Biesendorfer
Cooking most mushrooms (especially the culinary types, of course) is fantastic for health. But, over the centuries, traditional and Indigenous peoples learned that the types with the most impressive healing potential— medicinal mushrooms— required a bit more specialized preparation to be effective. Some of these could not even necessarily be cooked and eaten at all and provide anywhere near the same health properties.
In times before modern medical practice, healing herbal and mushroom preparations took the forms of teas, extracts, and powders. Today, contemporary science confirms that mushroom powders are one of the best vehicles for the body to optimize mushroom healing benefits, especially for potent and adaptogenic mushrooms like chaga, turkey tail, cordyceps, reishi, shiitake, lion’s mane, maitake, and more.
Some of these come in the form of supplements or capsules, some as a powder to mix with water to create a tea, or even a “mushroom coffee!” What makes mushroom powder better than other preparations? In powder form, mushroom’s natural health compounds are more concentrated than in other forms, especially when the powder is made up of the mushroom’s mycelium, spores, and fruiting body all together. This ensures the highest concentration and versatility of different healing mushroom compounds.
The Stars of Magnificent 7 Mushroom Powder – 7 Most Powerful Mushrooms
Which adaptogenic mushrooms are the best in mushroom powder form? We’ve asked this question ourselves, using the answers and research to determine the ingredients in our very own mushroom powder formula: these 7 magnificent mushrooms for healing.
- Chaga – This mushroom is the key player in our mushroom powder formula. Besides being top-of-the-line for the common virtues found in most healing mushrooms, such as antioxidants and immune-boosting, chaga’s benefits for skin are also notable: the mushroom may help naturally boost collagen levels for youthful, rejuvenated skin.
- Cordyceps – This unique Asian mushroom has made quite a splash in the world of science and research, associated with nootropic, energy-boosting qualities. It can possibly enhance athletic performance, too.
- King Trumpet mushroom – A fantastic and tasty wild edible, king trumpet may also support the immune system while supporting healthier cholesterol levels. It’s known to be good for bone health as well.
- Lion’s mane – With the appearance of a white puffball, lion’s mane has been eagerly researched in recent decades for protecting the nerves, supporting anxiety and depression, reducing neurological disease risk, preventing dementia, improving memory, and much more.
- Maitake – This is another potent immune-booster and choice wild edible. Its nutrients and benefits are almost just as powerful when cooked as a culinary delicacy, as it is when taken as a mushroom powder!
- Shiitake – Japanese for “oak mushroom,” shiitake is a powerhouse for both immunity and nutrition. It boasts the highest levels of vitamin D, but also has tons of healthy beta glucans, vitamin B12, protein, fiber, minerals, and more.
- Turkey tail – A colorful denizen of temperate forests, turkey tail is another fantastic immune booster that also enhances natural detoxification. How? By supporting liver health. It enhances digestive health, too.
Besides these stellar culinary and adaptogenic mushroom ingredients included in their most potent powder form, we also add plant-based vitamin C from acerola cherry for further immune benefit and to optimize hydration. Each packet of Magnificent 7 is designed to mix smoothly and effortlessly into a glass of water or any liquid of your choice. It’s fortified with strawberry flavor for amazing taste, and zero sugar!
Mushrooms have incredible healing benefits. Experiencing them in mushroom powder form is the best way to experience the most out of their health potential. As a supplement and hydration packet, Magnificent 7 makes the daily use of mushroom powder incredibly delicious and easy for better wellness!
Want all the benefits of mushrooms for health? Try McPeak’s Magnificent 7 Mushroom Powder (30 ct. Stick Packs). CLICK IMAGE!