The Mushroom Diet

They have long being used as’filler’ in many diet recipes, especially low calorie diets. Now it seems that the humble mushroom has being elevated into the realm of the cabbage and has finally being rewarded with its very own diet, aptly named - The Mushroom Diet

The mushroom diet is relatively new to the scene, so there is not a massive wealth of scientific proof as to its actual benefits yet, though some clinical trials have been performed and the results look very promising.

A clinical study performed by the Mushroom Bureau (yes, mushrooms do indeed have their own bureau!) on 10 volunteers showed that by following the Mushroom Diet, the participants lost an average of 12.71 pounds over a 5 week period. The group ate a balanced diet but simply substituted meat for mushrooms in four meals a week.

If you happen to like mushrooms then this does sounds very promising. Factor in the low-cost of mushrooms compared to meat and you could argue that as well as losing pounds, you could be saving pounds (£) by following the Mushroom Diet.

Dr Lawrence Cheskin conducted a trial earlier this year involving 54 participants. Each person ate 4 different meals made with lean ground beef over a 4 day period. The volunteers then ate the same 4 meals, again over 4 days, but this time the lean ground beef was substituted for white button mushrooms.

The results were promising with volunteers consuming, on average, 420 fewer calories and fat intake lowered by 30g per person. Dr Cheskin's report went on to conclude that even if only one mushroom-for-meat substitution was made per week, this would still result in a reduction of 20,000 calories a year, this could equate to over 5 pounds of body fat. In fact, the report concluded that 1 pound in body fat could be cut by substituting mushrooms for meat in less than 10 meals. Quite promising, the full results of this trial can be found in the journal 'Appetite'.

Not only could the Mushroom Diet help you to lose weight but it won't leave you nutritional-starved. Mushrooms contain virtually no fat, sugar or salt and are a valuable source of dietary fibre. They also contain 5 B vitamins, namely: thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6) and folate. You can also add potassium, selenium (a good antioxidant), copper, phosphorous and traces of iron to the mushroom's list of healthy beneficial goodness and you can see why a mushroom diet would be advantageous.

Mushrooms are also classed as a low-density food; this means that they help to keep you feeling fuller for longer periods. This, together with their low-cost and almost fat-free content, is why they have been used as’filler’ in many diet recipes, especially low-carbohydrate diets which are usually renowned for their hunger side effects.

Additionally, mushrooms are a good source of vitamin D, which means they are a great alternative to meat. They have been the vegetarian's super food for years and now it looks like they could be vying for recognition as a dieting super food too.

If you are on the market for a diet that doesn't leave you starved and robbed of vital vitamins and nutrients then maybe the Mushroom Diet could be the one for you...