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- Beta-glucans in mushrooms help regulate cholesterol and blood sugar, helping heart health.
- Mushrooms contain both soluble and insoluble fibre, offering helpful digestive and metabolic benefits.
- Diets rich in mushroom fibre support weight management by helping you feel full and reducing overeating.
- Compared to other fibre sources, mushrooms stand out for their healthy nutrients and low-calorie content.
- Homegrown gourmet mushrooms keep their fibre and provide a healthy nutritional boost that is good for the planet.
Fibre is very important for our health. It helps with digestion, heart function, weight control, and preventing diseases. People often think of fruits, grains, and beans for fibre. But mushrooms are also a great source, and they are often overlooked. Mushrooms have a lot of both soluble and insoluble fibre. They are more than just tasty; they are a healthy food that can help your gut, your heart, and manage your blood sugar and weight. This article will explain why the fibre in mushrooms is important and how you can eat more of them.
What Is Dietary Fibre and Why Is It Important?
Dietary fibre is the part of plant food that your body can't digest. It goes through your digestive system without being broken down, and it brings health benefits. Your body can't absorb fibre like other nutrients, but it does important work to keep you healthy.
There are two main kinds of dietary fibre
- Soluble Fibre: This kind dissolves in water and makes a gel. It helps lower LDL cholesterol (that's "bad cholesterol"). It also helps keep blood sugar levels steady after you eat, and it helps your body take in nutrients.
- Insoluble Fibre: This kind doesn't dissolve. It goes through your digestive system and adds bulk to your stool, which helps you go to the bathroom regularly. It's very important for preventing constipation and other problems with digestion.
Fibre does more than just help with bowel movements. It also helps with
- Lowering cholesterol
- Lowering blood pressure
- Improving how your body uses insulin
- Preventing diverticulitis and colon cancer
- Feeling full longer and preventing obesity
The American Heart Association suggests adults get 25 to 35 grams of dietary fibre every day [(American Heart Association, 2021)]. But people in North America usually only get about 15 to 18 grams a day. That's much less than they need.
Mushrooms Have Both Soluble and Insoluble Fibre
Many foods have just one type of fibre, but mushrooms have both soluble and insoluble fibre. This makes them especially helpful. Because they have both kinds, they can affect many body systems, like your gut, heart, metabolism, and even your immune system.
What's Special About Mushroom Fibre?
- Beta-glucans: This is a less common type of soluble fibre. You find a lot of it in mushrooms, especially shiitake and oyster kinds.
- Chitin: This is a strong insoluble fibre. It's part of the mushroom's cell wall and helps add bulk for digestion.
- Low calories: Most foods high in fibre also have a lot of calories. But mushrooms have many nutrients and not many calories.
Because of this fibre mix, mushrooms are seen as a healthy food that does more than just fill you up. They offer specific health benefits.
Soluble Fibre in Mushrooms Helps With Cholesterol and Sugar
Mushrooms are known for having a lot of beta-glucans. This is a soluble fibre that many studies have looked at. It has a lot of good health effects.
How Beta-Glucans Work
When beta-glucans get into your digestive system, they dissolve and make a gel. This gel does a few things
- It connects to bile acids, which helps get rid of extra LDL cholesterol ("bad cholesterol") from your body.
- It slows down how fast your body takes in carbs. This helps stop big jumps in blood sugar after you eat.
- It helps your immune system work better by stimulating parts of your gut's immune tissue (GALT).
Main Benefits of Beta-Glucans in Mushrooms
- Heart Health: Studies show that beta-glucans can lower total and LDL cholesterol by up to 10%. This means they can lower your risk of heart disease [(Manzi et al., 2001)].
- Blood Sugar Control: By slowing down how you digest and absorb sugar, beta-glucans help keep your blood sugar levels steady. This is really helpful if you have type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome.
- Cancer Prevention Potential: Research from long-term studies suggests that eating foods high in beta-glucans might lower the risk of colon and breast cancers [(Aune et al., 2011)].
Soluble fibre in mushrooms mainly works to protect you. It helps your heart and your body's metabolism in quiet but important ways.
Insoluble Fibre in Mushrooms Helps Your Digestion
Just as important is the insoluble fibre in mushrooms. This is mostly chitin and some other strong carbs. This type of fibre doesn't dissolve in water, and your body doesn't digest it. But this is why it's helpful.
How Insoluble Fibre Helps Digestion
- Prevents Constipation: The main job of insoluble fibre is to add bulk to your stool. It helps food move faster through your stomach and intestines. This is good news if you have slow digestion.
- Cleans the Colon: It works like a soft brush as it goes through your gut. It helps carry away waste, toxins, and things that can cause cancer.
- Helps Control How Much You Eat: Since your body doesn't absorb it, insoluble fibre adds bulk to your meals without adding calories. This makes you feel full longer and helps you control your appetite better.
Studies show that eating more insoluble fibre can lessen symptoms of IBS. It might also help prevent diverticular disease.
Mushroom Fibre Can Help With Weight Management
If you want to keep your weight healthy or lose some weight, fibre is one of the best things you can eat. And mushrooms can be a real help. They don't have many calories, but they have lots of flavour and fibre. This can help you reach your weight goals.
How Mushrooms Help With Healthy Weight
- You Feel Full Longer: When you eat meals with fibre-rich foods like mushrooms, you feel full for a longer time. This means you won't want to snack as much between meals or eat too much later.
- They Have Few Calories for Their Size: Mushrooms are mostly water and fibre. So they give you a lot of food for very few calories. This helps you eat fewer calories overall.
- They Help Your Gut Bacteria: Fibre feeds the good bacteria in your gut. These bacteria help with digestion, and they also affect your hunger and how your body stores fat.
Studies that looked at many different research papers found that people who eat a lot of fibre tend to have lower body weight, smaller waist size, and a lower BMI [(Howarth et al., 2001); (Slavin, 2005)].
Getting Fibre From Mushrooms
Mushrooms by themselves won't give you all the fibre you need each day (25 to 35g). But they are a great food to add to a diet that's high in fibre. Here is how much fibre they have
- White Button, Cremini, Portobello: About 1 to 2g of fibre for every 100g
- Oyster Mushrooms: About 2g of fibre for every 100g
- Shiitake Mushrooms: About 2.5g of fibre for every 100g
Tips to Get More Fibre From Mushrooms
- Eat the stems if you can. They have a lot of fibre.
- Eat mushrooms with beans, whole grains, or root vegetables to get even more fibre together.
- Cook mushrooms just enough. This helps them keep their fibre and makes them easier to digest.
For Children
Here is an easy way to figure out how much fibre kids need each day (for ages over 2):
Child’s age + 5 = grams of fibre needed per day. So, a child who is 6 years old should try to get 11g every day [(Health Canada, 2020)].
Canadian Grown Mushrooms: A Strong Local Choice
Choosing mushrooms grown close to home in Canada offers benefits more than just helping local farms.
Why Pick Canadian Mushrooms?
- More Nutrients: Canada has clean soil and water that is checked often. Because of this, mushrooms grown here often have more nutrients, including dietary fibre.
- Less Lost During Storage: When mushrooms don't travel as far, they lose fewer nutrients. This is especially true for beta-glucans, which are easily lost.
- Fresher, Taste Better: Mushrooms taste best and have the most fibre when you eat them soon after they are picked.
When you buy from Canadian sellers, you are getting fresh food. And you are choosing food that is better for you and your family.
Mushrooms Compared to Other Fibre Foods
How are mushrooms different from other foods known for fibre?
| Food | Fibre per 100g | Calories | Main Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mushrooms | 1–2g | About 22 kcal | Has both types of fibre, plus beta-glucans |
| Lentils | About 8g | About 116 kcal | Lots of protein and resistant starch |
| Oats | About 10g | About 389 kcal | High in soluble fibre, good for cholesterol |
| Chia seeds | About 34g | About 486 kcal | Very high fibre, but lots of calories too |
| Broccoli | About 2.6g | About 34 kcal | Lots of insoluble fibre and vitamin C |
Mushrooms might not have the most grams of fibre on their own. But they are a really good way, with few calories and little fuss, to add more fibre to your diet every day without filling your plate or adding too many calories.
Growing Fibre at Home: Can You Grow Mushrooms With Lots of Fibre?
Yes! You can definitely grow your own fibre-rich mushrooms at home. When you do this, the mushrooms are often even fresher and have more fibre than ones from the store.
Good Things About Growing Mushrooms at Home
- You Control How They Grow: You can pick the growing material, the conditions, and when to harvest. This helps keep the most fibre.
- They Stay Full of Nutrients: Mushrooms picked fresh at home have more soluble fibres like beta-glucans than store-bought ones that might have been sitting for days or weeks.
- Healthy Food for Less Money: After you start, kits can give you mushrooms many times for much less than you would pay in stores.
It's easier than you might think to grow types like oyster, lion’s mane, and shiitake at home. Mushroom grow kits from places like Zombie Mushrooms make it simple, even if you've never done it before.
Easy Ways to Eat More Fibre With Mushrooms
Adding mushrooms to what you eat every day can be simple and tasty. Try these easy ideas
- Grilled Portobello & Bean Burgers: Grill mushrooms and put them on black bean burgers on whole grain buns.
- Mushroom-Barley Soup: Put shiitake and cremini mushrooms and barley into a warm soup. It will have lots of fibre.
- Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms with Farro and Greens: This makes a whole meal that helps you feel full and brings together different fibre sources.
- Smoothies: Put dried mushroom powder in smoothies with fruit, spinach, and yogurt to add soluble fibre.
Quick tip: Cook your mushrooms! Cooking makes them easier to digest. It also helps you get all their goodness, including nutrients that might help your brain and gut.
Mushrooms Have More Fibre and Benefits Than You May Know
Mushrooms might look small on your plate, but they are packed with health benefits. They have a mix of soluble and insoluble fibre that you don't find often. This includes beta-glucans, which help your heart, keep blood sugar steady, and feed the good bacteria in your gut.
Mushrooms are a great way to boost your health. They don't have many calories, they help your immune system, and you can even grow them at home. They are a great food to have in your kitchen.
If you want to learn more about healthy food and control what you eat from the start, check out the grow kits and supplies from Zombie Mushrooms. It's good for your gut and tastes great too.
