Health experts cannot stress enough the importance of making sure you get enough vitamin D every day. While there are not many foods rich in the vitamin, taking a supplement is an excellent way to make sure you reach your recommended dietary intake and fight infection.
However, new research funded by The Mushroom Council indicates that one common plant-based food may be able to provide you with your daily needs all by itself. In the diary Food Science & Nutrition, Dr. Victor L. Fulgoni III and Dr. Sanjiv Agarwa modeled the addition of mushrooms to the nutritional data of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2016. More specifically, they examined a composite of white, crimini and portabella mushrooms in a ratio of 1: 1: 1; one scenario including mushrooms exposed to UV light; and finally a scenario with oyster mushrooms. (Related: The Only Vitamin Doctors are urging everyone to take right now).
The researchers examined the health benefits of each mushroom type for people ages 9-18, as well as those ages 19 and older. Each age group was instructed to eat 84 grams, or about a half-cup serving of mushrooms. What have they discovered? Just one serving of mushrooms increased the dietary fiber intake of each group, as well as several minerals, including copper, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, riboflavin, niacin and choline.
However, the biggest takeaway came from the mushrooms exposed to UV light. Eating just one serving of these mushrooms allowed both groups to meet or slightly exceed their recommended daily intake of vitamin D. So the next time you go shopping, see if you can grab a pack of mushrooms that say “fortified with vitamin D.” If you have a UV light at home, consider putting your fresh mushrooms under it for a few hours to enrich a regular packet of mushrooms with the vitamin right in your kitchen.
Of course, not everyone has access to a UV light at home, so eating regular mushrooms in addition to taking a vitamin D supplement may still be the best course of action as the pandemic progresses unless your doctor advises otherwise.
For more, check out 5 Signs of Vitamin D Deficiency You Should Never Ignore.