Is it possible to eat raw mushrooms from the store

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Champignons are one of the healthiest and safest mushrooms. They go well with sauces, casseroles and other dishes. Mushrooms are a storehouse of vitamins and antioxidants. But can you eat raw mushrooms from the store without worrying about the consequences?

Nutritional value of mushrooms

Champignons are a source of B vitamins, they also contain compounds from the polyphenol group. These are antioxidants that fight free radicals, protecting our body from the negative effects of the environment.

If you want to enhance the effect of using champignons, then it is worth subjecting the mushrooms to heat treatment, because then the enzymes are inactivated, and there will be more polyphenols. This means that cooked mushrooms contain more antioxidants than raw mushrooms, and they are healthier for us.

Mushrooms, and especially champignons grown on an industrial scale, have for decades been considered not recommended in the diet due to their poor digestibility and low nutritional value. But it turns out that raw they can be a valuable source of certain vitamins and antioxidants.

Mushrooms are low in calories, 90-95% water. 100 g of fresh product contains about 3 g of protein, 0.3 g of fat and 3 g of carbohydrates. They contain fiber in the form of beta-glucans, which have the ability to lower the level of "bad" LDL cholesterol in the blood and normalize glucose. They are a good source of B vitamins, riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (vitamin B3), and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).

Champignons also contain folic acid (vitamin B9) and cyanocobalamin (vitamin B12). Mushrooms contain small amounts of vitamins C and D. Valuable biologically active compounds are also present. These are not only antioxidants (catechins, gallic, caffeic acid and rutin), but also tyrosinase (a protein that protects DNA from oxidation), ergosterol, which inhibits the development of breast cancer cells, linoleic acid CLA and polysaccharides.

Also, mushrooms contain a lot of plant fibers that actively support metabolism.

Is it okay to eat mushrooms raw

There are no medical contraindications to this. Champignons are safe mushrooms, so they can be eaten without prior heat treatment. Be careful though, as raw mushrooms have slightly different properties. The antioxidants mentioned earlier, which protect the body from the development of tumors, are not activated without heat treatment. This means that raw mushrooms contain only trace amounts of valuable polyphenols.

You need to be careful when consuming raw mushrooms, due to the content of plant fibers in them. Without heat treatment, they can irritate the mucous membranes of the gastrointestinal tract, which leads to inflammation.

Fibers in fungi differ from plant fibers in that they contain not a cellulose fraction, but a chitin fraction. This type of fiber has strong biological activity. In Asian countries, this fiber is obtained from oyster mushrooms and is used in the treatment of tumors.

Raw mushrooms are a great addition to salads or sandwiches.

But chitin is a nitrogenous compound with an irritating effect, and the fiber itself is not digested and remains in the digestive system longer. Therefore, it may happen that the consumption of uncooked mushrooms will slow down the process of assimilation of the product and cause discomfort, according to nutritionists.

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Boiled chitinous fiber changes its structure, so that the ingredients that bind to it do not irritate the digestive tract. Heat treatment also destroys a substance in mushrooms called agaritin. It is a carcinogenic compound. In mushrooms, it is contained in a minimum amount. Cooking by boiling, baking or frying reduces the level even more.

It turns out that boiled mushrooms are the most nutritious and safe for humans.

Champignons prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies in pregnant women

Is it possible for women to eat raw mushrooms from the store during the period of bearing a child? It is worth knowing that even a small amount of these mushrooms in the diet of a pregnant woman will help avoid vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Edible mushrooms are safe for a woman expecting a baby, and the only contraindication is to eat them raw. During pregnancy, you can eat boiled or dried mushrooms.

Mushrooms are a difficult-to-digest product, so they should be abandoned both for expectant mothers suffering from toxicosis at the beginning of pregnancy, and in general for all women with complaints of flatulence.

For children

It's best to start with as little mushrooms as possible and watch as your child copes with digesting the mushroom. Processing is very important. They should not be fried, but rather stewed or cooked (preferably steamed). In this form, they are much better absorbed, because their protein structure changes.

Mushrooms can be part of a varied children's menu, but consider the following precautions:

1. Do not offer wild mushrooms to children under 12 years of age. This applies to fresh and dried specimens. Also, this recommendation applies to mushrooms in broths, borscht, etc.
2. Peel the forest fruit thoroughly, wash and dry before cooking.
3. Raw mushrooms should not be offered to children.
4. Be careful about the size and method of intake, because too large pieces of the child may choke.
5. Adapt the amount and method of processing the mushrooms to the age and skills of the children.

How else can you cook mushrooms

If you don't want to cook and at the same time are afraid to eat mushrooms raw, you can process mushrooms in a different way. Salting of vegetables and mushrooms is still very popular in Russia, thanks to which they retain their properties longer, and the marinade gives them an unusual taste.

When pickling vegetables and fruits, they are preserved using vinegar marinade and light heat treatment. This is one of the oldest ways of storing and preserving food. Most often pickled cucumbers, peppers, pumpkin, onions, zucchini and carrots, as well as mushrooms. Much less often this is done with meat or fish.

The commonly used marinade is vinegar, sugar, salt and water. Various herbs and spices are also added to it, depending on its purpose. All ingredients are boiled, after which pre-cooked vegetables are poured with a hot solution.

The closed jars are then pasteurized for about 15 minutes and left to cool. In the process of pasteurization, some of the nutrients contained in vegetables are lost, as is the case with pickling.

Outcomes

1. Raw mushrooms are delicious. They have a slight nutty aftertaste.
2. These mushrooms are ideal for people looking to stay slim.
3. Raw mushrooms are not recommended for pregnant women and children, since they are less digestible than heat-treated ones.