Consuming the right diet is essential during pregnancy. However, this can become tricky as many to-be-mothers are fed a healthy dose of myths and traditional wisdom as an accompaniment to each meal. Mushrooms are a bone of contention, with some saying that they are an ideal food and others saying that they pose a danger to maternal health. Let us see if there is any merit behind this debate.
Mushrooms are edible fungi. They are a low-calorie source of good quality protein. A hundred grams of white button mushrooms can deliver approximately twenty-two calories. They are a powerhouse of nutrition and contain vitamins, minerals and trace elements in large quantities. However, some edible mushrooms may cause people with allergies to have side effects. They also may trigger stomach problems like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea in a small section of individuals. Eating wild and magic mushrooms can even be dangerous.
If you have been eating mushrooms before, it is generally safe to continue eating the same type through your pregnancy. Choose mushrooms which look fresh and clean, with no bruising. Do not eat raw mushrooms. Cook them well after washing; this will save you from an attack on your digestion from harmful fungi and germs.
Commonly available mushrooms like Oyster, Cremini, and Button with no signs of damage are safe to eat after cooking. Shitaake mushrooms, mushrooms in medicinal supplements, and frozen and processed mushroom products which are well within their expiry date are all safe to eat. If you feel that eating mushrooms may cause problems for you, either stop eating them or cook them in small amounts. After consumption, wait to see if any problems appear. If they do, avoid eating mushrooms in the future.
While most safe mushrooms have proven immunological and anti-cancer properties, there are some medicinal mushrooms that have other important health benefits too. These include strong antioxidants, anti-hypertensive properties, and liver-protecting and cholesterol lowering abilities as well. A lot of pharmaceutical companies view the medicinal mushroom as a very important source of biomedical properties.
While most mushrooms are safe for consumption, you do need to keep in mind that some may need to be avoided. Here are some mushrooms that are best kept off your plate.
Mushrooms are essentially indigestible if eaten raw because of their tough cell walls. To make their nutrients bioavailable to humans, most mushrooms which have tough cell walls need to be cooked before eating. Some carcinogenic toxins which are present in mushrooms can be removed by cooking. It is thus considered advisable to cook mushrooms before eating while pregnant.
Magic mushrooms and those gathered wild can potentially pose problems. Magic mushrooms contain a substance called Psilocybin which causes hallucinations, muscle weakness, drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. They also cause ataxia – a lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements for up to 6 hours after ingestion. Gathering and consuming wild mushrooms poses the danger of toxic mushrooms being eaten, since they may be mistaken as an edible species. The side effects of eating toxic mushrooms are many and can vary from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to even death. These dangers are the reason both wild and magic mushrooms must be avoided altogether during pregnancy.
The good thing about mushrooms is that they make foods around them taste better while adding very small quantities of fat, calories or carbohydrates. They are nutritional powerhouses and contain significant quantities of substances important during pregnancy.
Mushrooms can supply several essential nutrients to a pregnant woman. Enjoy eating mushrooms during pregnancy by keeping the above precautions and considerations in mind.