??Mushrooms!!! ??

Happy Friday!!! Let me introduce mushrooms, the immune boosting powerhouse.  Especially during cold and flu season, adding mushrooms to your diet is super beneficial! 🍄

 🍄 All mushrooms are said to absorb and then eliminate toxins, including, undesirable fat in the blood and pathogens and excess mucous from the respiratory system.

  🍄 I'll start with button mushrooms since they're the most common, just know that other types are far more flavorful and have even more benefits! Also, try to buy organic button mushrooms because otherwise they are a very chemical intensive crop. 🍄

​🍄 Button mushrooms are heart healthy. They reduce inflammation in the arterial cells and prevent white blood cells from sticking to arterial walls.

 🍄 When I think of mushrooms, I think of their immune boosting properties. Button mushrooms boost the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells (the cells that respond to foreign invaders such as viruses and cancer cells).

 🍄 Button mushrooms have been found effective in treating breast, colon, and prostate cancers. According to a study in the December 2006 issue of "Cancer Research," eating one 1/2 cup of button mushrooms a day can stop the growth of breast cancer tumors. A healthy woman may eat less than 1/2 cup to greatly reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

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 🍄 Shitake mushrooms have anti-tumor and antiviral properties. They also lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Shitake mushrooms are used medically for any disease involving depressed immune function such as, cancer, AIDS, environmental allergies, candida infections, and frequent colds and flus.

 🍄 Reishi mushrooms have been used in folk medicine in Japan and China for more than 4000 years. It outshines many other mushrooms for it's well-documented medicinal properties. It's an immuno-stimulant, helpful for people with AIDS, leaky gut syndrome, Epstein-Barr, chronic bronchitis, and other infectious viruses. Reishi mushrooms are found dried, in tablets, tinctures and in liquid form.

 🍄Other mushrooms known for their anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties, and their immune boosting properties are maitake, chaga, oyster, and turkey tail.

 🍄 Mushrooms can be sauteed or roasted if fresh.  🍄

 🍄 They are easiest to find in dried form. They are reconstituted by soaking in boiling water for about a half hour. They can then be chopped and added to different dishes and sauces. Use the soaking water, too!  🍄

 🍄When I make a vegetable stock, I always add some dried mushrooms to increase its immune boosting property, especially during cold and flu season!  🍄

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What are your favorite ways to use mushrooms?
Depending on where you live, different types are available. Let us know which mushrooms are common where you live!!!