Discussion Board

When discussing vegetables, mushrooms (a fungus - not a plant) are typically left at home from the party. They're the Charlie Brown's of plant-based diets. What are your dietary views on these lonely heterotrophs that are neither plants nor animals?

Hi Rob

Edible mushrooms can be an excellent edition to a healthy diet.

While some think of them as lacking any nutritional value, they are actually a good source of many nutrients, including several vitamin and minerals, on a per calorie basis. As I mentioned in one of the other posts, they can also be a good source of Vit D if they are exposed to UV light during growth or right after harvest.

Some people also find they provide added texture and body to dishes like soups, stews, chili's etc.

In Health
Jeff Novick, MS, RD

I like all kinds of mushrooms too for the reasons you mention. While they are an ingredient in many vegetarian dishes, there is not much said about their nutritional value.