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In Reply to: Thanks! posted by Oldtimer on April 04, 2006 at 11:57:25:
Here's some interesting info about mushrooms from the Dr. Andrew Weil website. Apparently shiitake mushrooms have powerful antioxidants.
Meet the Mushrooms
Human beings share more DNA sequences with mushrooms than we do with plants, which makes a certain intuitive sense - many species of mushroom, when cooked, look and taste more like animal than plant tissue. A common misconception about mushrooms is that they have little nutritional value, but in fact they have respectable protein content, and trace minerals and vitamins as well. Many people know only the common white or brown mushroom, or its large, mature form, the portabello. But Asian species such as shiitake, enokidake and maitake, and wild types including morels, chanterelles and porcini are becoming increasingly available in restaurants and markets. Get to know them. Along with their complex, seductive flavors and textures, many offer important health benefits such as anticancer activity and cholesterol control. The more research is done on mushrooms, the better they look. Penn State food scientists recently discovered that a serving of shiitake mushrooms has 40 times the amount of a potent antioxidant called ergothioneine than does an equivalent serving of wheat germ, which was previously believed to be one of the top natural sources.
