Health experts cannot help emphasizing how important it is to make sure you are getting adequate levels of vitamin D every day. While there are not many vitamin-rich foods, taking a supplement is a great way to ensure that you reach your recommended dietary intake and fight infections.
However, new research funded by The Mushroom Council indicates that a common plant-based food may be able to meet your daily needs on its own. In the newspaper Food Science and Nutrition, Dr. Victor L. Fulgoni III and Dr. Sanjiv Agarwa modeled the addition of mushrooms to the 2011-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) dietary data. More specifically, they examined a compound of white mushrooms, crimini and portabella in a 1: 1: 1 ratio; a setting including mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light; and finally, a scenario including oyster mushrooms. (Related: the vitamin that doctors are asking everyone to take now).
The researchers examined the health benefits that each type of mushroom provides for people between the ages of 9 and 18, as well as those over 19. Each age group was instructed to eat 84 grams, or about half a cup of mushrooms. What did they find out? Only a portion of mushrooms increased the dietary fiber intake of each group, as well as several minerals, including copper, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, zinc, riboflavin, niacin and choline.
However, the biggest lesson came from mushrooms that were exposed to ultraviolet light. Eating only a portion of these mushrooms allowed both groups to meet or slightly exceed the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. So, the next time you go shopping, see if you can buy a pack of mushrooms that says “enriched with vitamin D.” Alternatively, if you have an ultraviolet light at home, consider placing your fresh mushrooms under it for a few hours to enrich a normal mushroom pack with the right vitamin in your kitchen.
Of course, not everyone has access to ultraviolet light at home, so eating regular mushrooms in addition to taking a vitamin D supplement may still be the best way to act as the pandemic progresses, unless your doctor advises otherwise.
To learn more, be sure to check out the 5 signs of vitamin D deficiency that you should never ignore.