The Magic in Mushrooms
Pregnancy is an exciting time in woman’s life. While picking names and organizing baby items for a new family member are the fun part, there are also diet restrictions, possible weightlifting limits and even health conditions to keep in mind. Pre-eclampsia is a form of high blood pressure that affects 2-8% of pregnant women. If left untreated it can cause serious complications for both mom and baby – even requiring early delivery. New research however, suggests that the common button mushroom may ease symptoms related to this challenging condition.
Research out of Denmark found that in lab models, L-ergothioneine, an antioxidant specific to tasty mushrooms, reduced blood pressure and improved fetal weight growth during pregnancy, opening the doors for future research on a condition that plagues over 8 million pregnancies worldwide each year!
Antioxidant ergothioneine can be found in foods such as wheat germ and chicken liver, however portabellas, cremini and white mushrooms have 4x the amount of other sources! Researchers at Penn State suggest that a 3oz serving of mushrooms provides about 5mg.
Whether you’re into mushroom as part of a savory breakfast, an appetizer or filling dinner, we’ve got you covered:
Cauliflower Gnocchi with Mushrooms & Leeks
Bonus: Increased intake of white button mushrooms for men and women potentially enhances the body’s natural killer cells, improving immunity to tumors and disease causing viruses!
Published March 2020
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