Some people think mushrooms are nutritional nothings. But enlivening soup, salads, sandwiches and anything else you can think of with this flavorful fungus could mean something big for your heart.
Mushrooms may be the top source of a compound called ergothioneine. That turns out to be a big word for healthy: In the lab, the substance reigned supreme in inhibiting adhesion molecules -- the bad boys responsible for helping plaque-forming cells latch onto blood vessel walls.
Ergothioneine is found in other foods, too, including wheat germ and chicken liver. But the amount in white button mushrooms is four to 12 times higher, and meaty Portobello mushrooms have even more. Add to that the fact that Portobello shrooms, just 22 calories per raw cupful, often can stand in for fatty meat (far more than 22 calories per cup!) and contain a lot of magnesium too, and you have a tasty recipe for younger arteries and maybe a smaller waistline, too.
Other reasons to choose mushrooms, In another study, the white button variety boosted production of natural killer cells in mice. If the same thing happens in humans, that's great news, because killer cells help defend against tumors and virus-infected cells. The biggest reason to pile them on wherever you can imagine. They taste great.
