Nutrition and Wellness

Feature Friday: Fast and Nutritious Back-to-School Meals

Mushroom Stuffed PitaGet your pencils, books and lunches packed, it’s back to school time!

Can you believe that it is almost September! And you know what that brings; the common parent challenge – what to pack in the children’s lunch bags that is fast, delicious and nutritious! A good place to start is fresh fruits and vegetables.

Canada’s Food Guide recommends children ages 4-13 eat 5-6 servings of Fruit & Vegetables a day. One hundred grams (100 g) of fresh mushrooms counts as 1 serving of Fruits & Vegetables. Not only are they low in calories and fat, they also provide vitamins, minerals, fibre and protein, all important in keeping your child going throughout the day.

So when pack your children’s lunch bags for the first day of school, add these fast, tasty and nutritious mushroom snacks:

· Mushroom Dippers
Send along fresh whole or thick sliced mushrooms for dipping instead of crackers or chips. Vary the dip each day for a different flavour.

· Mushroom Pita Pocket
Mix sliced mushrooms with shredded cheese, chopped vegetables of your choice, and low-fat Italian dressing. Seal in a plastic container and send along with half a whole wheat pita. Stuff the pita with mushroom mixture at lunch time for a fast and tasty meal. Get the full recipe here.

· Mushroom Guacamole
In a sealable container, mix finely chopped mushrooms with mashed avocado, a sprinkle of lemon juice, and garlic. Send along with whole wheat tortilla chips or pitas for dipping.

· Mushroom Pizza
Make a mock mushroom pizza with an English muffin, tomato sauce, sliced mushrooms, cheese and pepperoni. Send along in individual containers so that they can assemble the pizza at school. Eat cold, or heat in a microwave until warm.

in Feature Friday / Make It With Mushrooms / Mushroom Recipes / Nutrition and Wellness 0 comments

Feature Friday: Sodium is Everywhere, but it’s Not in Mushrooms

white button mushrooms Canadian Adults should consume 1,500mg of sodium per day. According to the latest statistics available from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the average sodium intake is above the tolerable upper intake level (UL) of 2,400mg. So, on average Canadians are eating 3,092mg of sodium daily, that is double the amount that should be consumed!

What’s the big deal you ask? Excess sodium in our daily diets causes several major health problems. One of the main consequences is increased blood pressure, which is a major factor for cardiovascular disease (which is the #1 cause of death in Canadians).

According to the CCHS data pizza, sandwiches, subs, and hot dogs are the biggest offenders, followed by soup and pasta.

Fresh mushrooms can help slash the sodium!

  • Fresh mushrooms are naturally very low in sodium, with only 4mg per 4 medium sized mushrooms.
  • Mushrooms contain Umami, which helps to boost the flavours of your food, meaning you need less salt to flavour.
  • A 100 g serving of fresh white button mushrooms contain 9% of your Daily Value of potassium. Getting a little more potassium will help counteract the effects of too much sodium on blood pressure.

Adding mushrooms makes a difference:

  • Add ½ cup white button mushrooms to your omelet or scrambled eggs instead of ½ cup cheddar cheese.
    Benefit: save 349 mg sodium.
  • Mix 1 cup of diced grilled portabella mushrooms into pasta or pasta sauce instead of sausage.
    Benefit: save 632 mg sodium.
  • Use ½ cup white button mushrooms with dips instead of corn chips.
    Benefit: save 552 mg sodium.

For more facts on sodium, check out what the Canadian Stroke Network has to say on the Sodium 101 website.

posted by Brittany

in Feature Friday / Nutrition and Wellness 0 comments

The Good on Mushrooms

The Nutritional Value of Fresh Mushrooms
Fresh mushrooms are making their mark! Even though they look simple, mushrooms have a whole lot going for them in the nutrition department.

  • Antioxidants: Fresh mushrooms contain a powerful antioxidant called l-ergothioneine. Ergothioneine is found in both raw and cooked mushrooms. Portabella and crimini mushrooms have the most, followed by white button mushrooms.
  • Cancer-fighting: Fresh mushrooms offer nutrients such as beta-glucans and conjugated linoleic acid, compounds that are currently being studied for their chemo-preventive potential. Recent research suggests that mushrooms (and mushroom extracts) may have powerful anticancer activity, for both breast and prostate cancer.
  • Essential Nutrients: A 100 gram serving of sliced fresh white mushrooms has only 25 calories, no cholesterol, is virtually fat-free, is low in sodium and has 1 gram of fibre. They are a good source of riboflavin, copper, selenium, niacin and pantothenic acid.
  • Fibre: Mushrooms offer both soluble and insoluble fibre, which helps to maintain good bowel health.
  • Immunity: A strong immune system helps protect against infections from bacteria and viruses. Emerging research indicates that certain mushroom extracts (including extracts from the white button mushrooms), may have a positive effect on the immune system.
  • Weight management: Fresh mushrooms are a perfect choice for low energy-dense diets, as they have high water content, are low in fat, and contain some fibre; three factors that will help keep you feeling full with fewer calories. Researchers have found that people who eat satisfying portions of foods that are less energy-dense have greater success at weight loss and maintenance.

– Brittany
…

in Feature Friday / Health and Nutrition / Make It With Mushrooms / Nutrition and Wellness 0 comments

Canned vs. Fresh Mushrooms

Welcome to the 2009 Mushroom Showdown! In the left corner we have “Canned Mushrooms” weighing in at 132 grams, and in the right we have “Fresh Mushrooms” also weighing in at 132 grams. Today’s battle will determine which mushroom will win over the taste buds of Canadians.

This is “Canned vs. Fresh!”

A little dramatic, I know, but this just happens to be one of the most common questions I receive on a daily basis: which is better, canned or fresh?

Nutrition
Let’s compare one can (132g) of white mushrooms to 132g of fresh white mushrooms:

Canned mushrooms have 33 calories, 0g of Fat, 561mg of Sodium, 7g of carbohydrates, 3g of dietary fiber, 3g of sugar, and 2g of protein.

Fresh white Canadian mushrooms have 29 calories, 0g of Fat, 7mg of Sodium, 4g of carbohydrates, 1g of Dietary Fiber, 2g of sugar and 4g of protein.

When compared, fresh mushrooms come out as the obvious winner. The fresh mushrooms contain less calories, sodium, carbohydrates and sugar, and are higher in protein.

100g of fresh white mushrooms are also a good source of riboflavin, niacin, copper, pantothenic acid and selenium. They are also the only vegetable that has Vitamin D.

Location
Next time you are out buying canned mushrooms, take a glance at the label. Where does it say they are from? Most often canned mushrooms are from China.

Fresh mushrooms that are sold here in Canada, are grown here in Canada. So you are buying a locally grown product and supporting your local farming communities. Just check the package for the “Product of Canada” sticker.

Once again, the obvious winner is Fresh!

Taste
For the taste test portion of the competition, we are going to let you Canadians decide. Do you prefer the taste of canned mushrooms or fresh? Feel free to leave your comments below.

– Brittany

in All About Mushrooms / Feature Friday / Make It With Mushrooms / Nutrition and Wellness 0 comments

Feature Friday: February is Heart Month

Looking for ways to keep your Heart Healthy? Now is your chance! February is Heart Month in Canada, and what better time to make some heart friendly lifestyle changes than now.

So, where do you start? Maintaining a healthy weight is one of the best ways to keep your heart healthy. Keeping blood cholesterol levels on target is another key in lowering the risk of heart disease. Eating 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day can help us protect our hearts against cardiovascular disease by providing protective substances such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre.

Including fresh mushroom in your daily diet can also help!

HeartCut the Cholesterol

  • Fresh mushrooms contain both soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre has been shown to help prevent and manage cardiovascular disease by lowering the levels of total and LDL cholesterol.

Watch the Weight

  • Fresh mushrooms are a perfect choice for weight management, since they have high water content, are low in fat and contain some fibre: three factors that will help you feel full with fewer calories. That means less room for calorie-laden foods.

Adding the Antioxidants

  • Fresh mushrooms contain significant levels of l-ergothioneine, which acts as an antioxidant. Ergothioneine doesn’t break down when it’s heated, which means you can enjoy mushrooms raw or cooked and still benefit from this powerful phytochemical.

Adding Fresh Mushrooms Can Make a Difference:

  • Add ½ cup white button mushrooms to your omelet or scrambled eggs.
    Benefit: one 1 extra gram of fibre.
  • Mix 1 cup of diced portabella mushrooms into pasta or pasta sauce.
    Benefit: three 3 extra grams of fibre.
  • Include 1 ½ cups sliced crimini (brown) mushrooms in risotto or other rice dishes.
    Benefit: five 5 extra grams of fibre.

Healthy Heart Recipe Suggestion:
Mushrooms & Vegetable Tacos

For more information and reference visit Mushrooms Canada’s Healthy Heart page.

– Brittany

in Feature Friday / Nutrition and Wellness 0 comments