There are magic health benefits in mushrooms you may be in the dark about, and I am not referring to ‘Magic Mushrooms’ or Glow in the Dark Mushrooms.

Dietitians and Nutritionists recommend mushrooms because they are widely known for their amazing health benefits. Packed with a ton of essential vitamins and minerals, including Selenium, Copper, Thiamin, Magnesium, and Phosphorous. Cremini mushrooms are an excellent source of zinc, which is an important nutrient for the immune system and is important for ensuring optimal growth in infants and children. They are also a rich, low-calorie source of fibre, protein, and antioxidants. They may also help to lessen the risk of developing serious health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. If that is not reason enough to pop them in your shopping trolley, they also help lower blood pressure, boost the immune system plus, both long and short-term studies have found that mushrooms, when combined with exercise and other lifestyle changes, can have an important impact on weight loss.

Now for the magic trick!

You may have heard mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D, but did you know that not all mushrooms contain notable levels of vitamin D? Unfortunately, mushrooms that come from indoor mushroom farms have especially low vitamin D content. But there is a simple way to “treat” these mushrooms we buy in the supermarkets to supercharge them with Vitamin D.

To “treat” them, all we do is put them in the sun with the undersides facing up (gills side up)! Mushrooms, just like humans, produce vitamin D when exposed to the UV rays of sunlight or artificial light. Just 15 minutes in the midday sun, up to an hour is optimal at other times of the day, will supercharge your mushrooms with vitamin D. The really cool thing is most of the vitamin D stays in the mushrooms even if you pop them back in the fridge for a week or more. Cooking mushrooms does reduce the vitamin D levels slightly but not significantly. While Queensland has lower rates of Vitamin D deficiency than other Australian states, the Australian Bureau of Statistics identifies 15% of Queenslanders are Vitamin D deficient during the winter months. (Credits: WebMD, mariiaboiko/Freepik)

Vitamin D is essential for various life processes. Eating Sun exposed mushrooms can be as effective as vitamin D supplementation. – Science ABC Dr. Sonali Mookerjee