By Dr. Mark Wiley

I remember as a child growing up the wonderful smell of sautéing mushrooms in our kitchen. My parents and sister loved them. I loved the smell of them cooking but hated the taste of them. Ok, truth be told, I never tried one because they were vegetable! Secretly I longed to devour a few, but not eating them was one of my few strong holds in the home.

Now, however, I eat them frequently. I prefer them in soups and salads and sometimes by themselves. I also take their essence in gelcap form as an immune regulating supplement, especially during winter and spring.

Many know mushrooms to be a fungus, nature’s penicillin. But did you know that they are actually a fruit? Yes, it is the fruit of the mycelium plant.

Mushrooms should be a part of your daily diet as they are easily accessible in most markets and come in a variety of types and flavors, like shitake, maitaki, oyster, straw, reishi and others. The best part is, mushrooms are easy to grow at home. In fact, not much is needed to ensure a good crop, since they can grow in coffee grounds, peanut shells, cottonseed, cereal grain, and even the pulp of citrus fruits. How easy is that!

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Top 6 Reasons to Celebrate Mushrooms…

• Mushrooms are an excellent dietary staple and health booster.

• Mushrooms contain about 30-percent of high quality proteins and all nine of the essential amino acids we need.

• Mushroom’s fat is unsaturated, and in such low levels it’s not really worth mentioning.

• Mushrooms also contain more mineral salts than most meat and nearly double most vegetables.

• Mushrooms high in phosphorus and potassium and also contains calcium, magnesium, aluminum, zinc and copper. Not to mention vitamins B1, 2, 3 and 9!

• Mushrooms are useful in the treatment of diseases caused by low immunity, such as HIV, Lupus, connective tissue disease in addition to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, kidney dysfunction, viral infections, malnourishment, cancers, tumors and convulsions.

With so much going for them, and all their amazing health benefits, what’s not to love? So go ahead and give mushrooms a big welcome in your home. Add them here and there where you can. You’ll feel a whole lot better because of it.