Try our Rockin Wellness Mushroom Defense https://rockinwellness.com/products/mushroom-defense Mushrooms are a type of fungi rich in antioxidants and amino acids, both of which are essential to human health. In addition to their high nutritional value, mushrooms have been found to help reduce cholesterol levels and increase immune system strength. Whether you're looking for an alternative meat substitute or want more things on your grocery list, mushrooms are a great addition to your diet. Are you still wondering what makes them so special? Read on to learn about mushroom health benefits. 9 The Health Benefits of Mushrooms in Your Diet Help Reduce Inflammation Mushrooms are high in polysaccharides, making them good at reducing inflammation and chronic pain. This can help with arthritis and joint pain but also contributes to the mushroom's anti-cancer properties. Provides Antioxidant Support Mushrooms are rich in antioxidants - just one of the reasons you should add them to your diet. Antioxidants found in the mushroom act as a shield for the body against toxins that might cause infection or cancer cells. Antioxidants can be beneficial if you have an autoimmune disease where your immune functions may not work properly on their own. Mushrooms are even reported to increase T cell differentiation (a marker for how well our bodies fight infections), making mushrooms a pretty great food choice for immunity boosts. The antioxidants can also help fight free radicals that cause aging. Helps Maintain Healthy Gut Bacteria Mushrooms have prebiotic and probiotic properties, which means they help support healthy bacteria in the gut. Prebiotics are substances that provide nourishment to bacteria living in the intestines, and mushroom is full of prebiotic fiber. Probiotics act like antioxidants for your gut by competing with harmful microorganisms. Helps Support the Immune System Mushrooms contain beta-glucans which have shown effectiveness against bacterial infections, HIV, cancer cells, parasites, colds - just about anything you might be fighting off. What's more: these beta-glucans can stimulate the immune system to produce white blood cells, and they also stimulate the production of cytokines that fight inflammation. Improves Brain Function Mushrooms can improve cognitive function by improving information processing and memory and even slowing down or preventing Alzheimer's disease. It has long been known in Asian cultures that certain types of mushrooms could help preserve mental clarity during aging, yet recent research is now giving proof to what those ancient traditions knew all along: mushrooms do keep your wits about you. Mushrooms also contain numerous vitamins which promote improved brain functions, such as Vitamin D for bone growth, vitamin B12 for cognitive function, vitamin B complex to promote mood and energy levels. Mushrooms can also help reduce the symptoms of depression by regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are responsible for your happiness. Supports Weight Loss Efforts Adding more vegetables into your diet can help you lose weight by cutting out calories from other foods (think of it this way: one cup of cooked spinach only holds six calories, but that same cup of spinach would be over 200 calories if it were fried in butter). Mushrooms are no different. They're a great way to sneak some more vegetables into your diet without going overboard on the calorie count. Mushrooms Help Lower Cholesterol Levels A mushroom's ability to help lower cholesterol levels is due to the mushroom's high soluble fiber content. The fibers found in mushrooms bind with fats and bile acids, which decreases their absorption into the body. This process helps produce more "good" HDL cholesterol while helping decrease harmful LDL cholesterol that can lead to heart disease or stroke. Mushrooms are an Excellent Source of Vitamins They are an excellent source of Vitamin D, which aids in bone formation and muscle contraction. This vitamin also helps with the absorption of minerals such as calcium for strong teeth and bones. Mushrooms have a high content of riboflavin that protects red blood cells from breaking down prematurely while boosting energy levels by aiding in the metabolism process. Source of Amino Acids Amino acids are essential to human health as they're used in many metabolic processes within the body, including liver detoxification, among others. They also enhance mood and cognitive function. And mushrooms provide a healthy dose of amino acid, making them an excellent addition to any diet! Bottom Mushrooms also have a low-allergy potential and can be consumed without any side effects on people who suffer from food sensitivities or allergies (except those allergic to mushrooms). However, even though mushroom health benefits are many, you can only enjoy these benefits if you buy the right mushroom, such as Mushroom Defense.