You might just love those little bites of mushrooms making your pasta or soup more delectable than ever, but those mushrooms are not only there to tantalize your taste buds. Instead, they are commonly considered as the most nutrient-packed food than any other in your grocery store. So, the next time you pick up a delightful collection of mushrooms, be sure to grab the cremini mushrooms as they are known for their mild but overwhelming earthy taste and amazing health benefits.
About the Cremini Mushrooms
Cremini mushrooms are very much similar to Portobello and White Button Mushrooms. Unlike Portobellos, however, the cremini mushrooms are smaller in size. Their cap color ranges from white to brown. They are considered as a more mature form of white button mushrooms but are definitely younger than the over-grown Portobello.
Cremini mushrooms are best utilized in soups, slow-cooked stews, and sauces.
Nutritional Value of Cremini Mushrooms
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, per 100 grams of cremini mushrooms contain:
- 22kcal Energy
- 2.50g Protein
- 92.12g Water
- 0.10g Total lipid (Fats)
- 4.30g Carbohydrates
- 0.6g Dietary Fiber
- 1.72g Sugar
- 18mg Calcium
- 0.40mg Iron
- 448mg Potassium
- 9mg Magnesium
- 6mg Sodium
- 1.10mg Zinc
- 3 IU Vitamin D
- 0.01mg Vitamin E
Health Benefits of Cremini Mushrooms
One of the major health benefits of cremini mushrooms is their protective ability to prevent chronic diseases. With researches concluding mushrooms, such as cremini mushrooms, having the ability to prevent illnesses in old age, one can easily notice how people are changing their dietary patterns to include mushrooms.
Increased variety of mushrooms is now available in the stores. Also, mushrooms have an earthy taste similar to meat, which is why; people are replacing those cholesterol-packed meat packets with various kinds of mushrooms in their shopping carts.
Although mushrooms have been found to have unmatched medicinal properties such as being anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-tumor, cancer aversive, anti-allergic, etc., we are going to round up to 6 major health benefits of the cremini mushrooms. So, now you can enjoy a hearty bowl of mushroom soup with chunks of heartfelt cremini mushrooms without any hesitation.
May Protect Against Cancer
Cremini mushrooms have an important active component known as conjugated linoleic acid. This component has shown promising results of fighting cancerous growth in cells. The cremini mushrooms belong to the Agaricus Bisporus, which has shown to help suppress the activity of aromatase that in turn lowers the estrogen.
The cremini mushrooms have given positive results regarding their effects to help in treating prostate cancer by halting the negative effects of estrogen through flavones and isoflavones. The same components have also shown promising results in significantly reducing the growth of breast cancer cells.
Boosts Your Cardiovascular Health
If something as creamy and heavenly having healing properties could have a name, then it would surely be cremini mushrooms. Their taste is amazing as they have proven to be immensely effective in looking after your heart and lungs.
Ergothioneine or EGT has been found to link significantly with combating various types of cellular stressors. The EGT is an amino acid that has shown antioxidant and cytoprotective capabilities that help strengthen our heart against stressors. Cremini mushrooms are the main rather only food source of providing EGT.
Prevents Fatigue – Keeps You Energetic
Mushrooms have a long history of being the main ingredient of herbal medicines. They have been used as tonics and remedies to treat various illnesses, fatigue, and weakness. Cremini mushrooms are highly anti-inflammatory. They help in strengthening the immune system of the body against cold or flu or some infectious disease.
Cremini mushrooms are loaded with high concentrations of B vitamins, such as niacin, pantothenic acid, and riboflavin that help you keep energetic. Pantothenic acid is found to be very useful in converting fats and carbs into energy. B Vitamins, present in cremini mushrooms, are needed to power up the brain and to keep it working. This is the reason why cremini mushrooms help boost our cognitive health and ward off the fatigue.
Keeps Your Stomach Healthy
Cremini mushrooms are rich in antioxidants and nutrients, such as selenium and copper, which have proven to be very effective in protecting our stomach from diseases. The higher the consumption of cremini mushrooms, the positive are the effects on severe conditions adversely impacting our gastrointestinal tracts – such as inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, or fibrosis.
The antioxidant property of selenium in cremini mushrooms is known for alleviating the effects of cellular oxidative stress; thus, protecting your body from an oxidative injury that could affect the whole body.
Read more here.
Packed with Potassium
Our bodies require potassium for several cellular activities. Potassium also helps keep the levels of various other minerals, such as sodium, balanced in our bodies. Nonetheless, low potassium is a fairly common issue these days. Cremini mushrooms are packed with potassium. They can provide for almost 10 percent of potassium required by your body.
Higher consumption of cremini mushrooms is linked with higher levels of potassium, resulting in healthier and more stable blood pressure, decreased fatigue, reduced muscle spasms, and headache.
Read more here.
The Best Source Of Vitamin D
Not a lot of foods are known for being a good source of vitamin D. With the stagnant lifestyle that technology has led us into, our outdoor activities have reduced to bare minimum; thus, decreasing any chance of providing our bodies with the essential vitamin D. Cremini mushrooms, when exposed to UV light, are known to absorb vitamin D from the sunlight.
In the near future, the cremini mushrooms are theorized to provide for the overall need for vitamin D by a human body. Hence, it is known to offer benefits for treating bone marrow and improving immunity and mental health.
Read more here.
Some Tips on Using/Selecting Cremini Mushrooms
- Cremini mushrooms are like water sponges. So, you better clean them with a damp cloth or a paper towel. If you rinse or soak them in water, they will absorb a lot of water and become slippery.
- When buying cremini mushrooms, always make sure that you get the ones that are not shriveled and water-laden. Get your hands on the ones that are firm and solid.
- Cremini mushrooms are best when grilled or lightly sautéed in very less amount of water. They are savory and give off a delicious aroma.
- You can use them in salads, omelets, or stir-fry them for a healthy yet delectable taste.
Side Effect of Cremini Mushrooms
Studies suggest that eating cremini mushrooms doesn’t pose any toxicological risk to humans. However, one of the disadvantages of Agaricus Bisporus is that it can bio-accumulate trace metals from the soil. Hence, mushrooms shouldn’t be cultivated on polluted soils.
Read more about it here.
Final Thoughts
Who would have known that cremini mushrooms while tasting heavenly would be so healthy and nutritious? Yes, we all get one life, and we should be able to have everything that tastes divine, but why not have something that is packed with all the required nutrients as well? Cremini mushrooms have an amazing blend of health benefits that decrease the cancerous growth and strengthen immunity while being loaded with the right amount of potassium and vitamin D for the human body.