Gathering and cooking mushrooms is a real national tradition in Russia. Partly because of their huge variety in local forests, and also because their composition and consistency make mushrooms a kind of meat substitute.
The nutritional value of mushrooms, as a rule, is understood as the protein content in them and their calorie content, as well as the presence or absence of microelements necessary for the human body. It is important to note that there is a big difference between fresh and dried produce. A freshly cut mushroom contains up to 90% water, and in percentage terms there is very little protein in it: up to 6%. Carbohydrates - about the same, fat - no more than 1%. In the dried version, the protein content rises to 30% of the total mass, which is not inferior to that of good meat. In addition, mushrooms provide the body with vitamins, minerals and fiber.
The chitin contained in the cell walls of fungi makes this product a heavy food, and most of the protein is passed by the body without being absorbed.
The calorie content of this type of food is quite low - about 100 Kcal per 400 g of fresh (50 g dry) mushrooms, but it is better not to get carried away with such a diet due to the high content of chitin, which significantly reduces the absorption of nutrients. Despite the fact that mushrooms can be a substitute for meat, for example, for fasting people or vegetarians, it is not recommended to consume more than 200 g of this product per day, and it is better to reduce their appearance in the diet up to 3-4 times a week. In case of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, it is advisable to refuse the consumption of mushrooms.
Nutritional value can vary greatly depending on the composition of the mushrooms, and he, in turn, on the place of their growth. Representatives of this living kingdom actively absorb salts of heavy metals, radiation and other types of pollution, so they can only be collected in ecologically clean areas, far from highways and railways. Among the useful trace elements contained in the product: phosphorus, potassium, selenium. Different types of mushrooms provide the human body with different vitamins: for example, mushrooms are rich in vitamin A, chanterelles and white ones - B1 and PP.
Despite the "severity" of such food, it provides the body with trace elements that are very difficult to obtain from other sources.
However, the main component of mushrooms is not vitamins (their amount after the necessary heat treatment is comparable to the content of similar elements in vegetables) and not proteins with fats, which are much more abundant in other products, but specific enzymes, substances with antitumor properties and natural antibiotics. The extractive substances contained in mushrooms improve metabolism, promote gastric secretion (if consumed in moderation).
Mushrooms contain 18 amino acids, of which 8 enter the human body only with food. The product is rich in organic acids and enzymes that help break down glycogen and fats. Among the mineral elements that the fruiting bodies of mushrooms contain, there are rare and irreplaceable ones. To maximize the amount of nutrients obtained, mushrooms are crushed (dry ones can even be ground), freeing the contents of cells from poorly processed chitinous membranes.
