Celebrate Women’s Month with this Roasted Mushrooms & Asparagus with Soft Boiled Eggs and Herb Vinaigrette Recipe

Let’s start with the antiaging, shall we, a topic close to most people’s hearts. And by antiaging we don’t just mean firm, clear skin (mushrooms are anti-inflammatory and packed with antioxidants to target skin) but long life with optimum health, mobility and cognition too.

Overall, women’s wellbeing has been flagged as a strong trend among food manufacturers for 2024, with US ingredient supplier Flavorchem noting in an article for the ezine Supermarket Perimeter that “women’s health and wellness needs … are being put at the forefront in food and beverage product development.”

And while new and interesting food products targeting “her health” are making it to shelves, fresh mushrooms remain the OG*, a fact recognised by an increase in consumption worldwide, primarily due to mushrooms being used as a meat alternative and the ongoing move to more plant-based eating.

Mushrooms are delicious and versatile, and according to the South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association (SAMFA), “have a unique nutrient profile, providing nutrients found in animal derived foods (meat, fish, chicken) and plant derived foods (grains and vegetables). They contribute a good (10-19% daily value) source of niacin, pantothenic acid, selenium, and copper, and are an excellent source (≥20% daily value) of riboflavin (B2) which is essential for metabolic energy production.”

How exactly do mushrooms help a woman achieve optimum health? To start, the fibre content in mushrooms promotes both digestive and gut health, which has a knock-on effect for energy and immunity.

Then there’s the often overlooked topic of heart disease in women. The Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa estimates that for every two men to die of a heart attack, one woman also dies of a heart attack. And with about 37 South Africans a day dying of heart failure, this indicating that the issue of cardiovascular health in not being taken nearly seriously enough by women.

But mushrooms can help, not only as part of the recommended heart-healthy lifestyle that favours fruit, fungi, vegetables and wholegrains, but a 2010 research paper from the Healthy Lifestyles Research Center, College of Nursing and Health Innovation at Arizona State University, found that “dietary mushrooms can be protective against cardiovascular disease (CVD)”. That’s well worth a mushroom meal a few times per week, don’t you think?

When it comes to diabetes, “mushrooms have been found to have high concentrations of β-D-glucans, especially β-glucan, a form of dietary fibre that has shown positive effects in combating type 2 diabetes,” explains a 2023 paper titled Exploring Edible Mushrooms for Diabetes: Unveiling Their Role in Prevention and Treatment. Another incentive to add mushrooms to your breakfast, lunch and supper.

Then there’s breast cancer. And here the news is pretty great. In 2010, the Beckman Institute at the City of Hope Cancer Centre in California found that eating just 10g of mushrooms a day more than halved people’s risk of developing breast cancer. That means eating just one fresh button mushroom a day, which is an amazingly easy option to lower your risk of this deadly disease.

Mobility and joint pain are also helped by consuming mushrooms, with a 2018 review of the anti-inflammatory properties of edible mushrooms verifying that “mushrooms are rich in anti-inflammatory components, such as polysaccharides, phenolic and indolic compounds, mycosteroids, fatty acids, carotenoids, vitamins, and biometals.”

And lastly, with rates of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia on the increase, a 2022 US study published in Brain Sciences found that the “white button mushroom diet appeared to ameliorate the spatial memory deficits seen in transgenic AD [Alzheimer disease] mice as they increase in age.”

Women are always busy – with work, home, kids, and very often in their communities. We applaud the heart, and the time and effort expended, but it can sometimes come at the expense of health. Fresh mushrooms may be the simple diet and health add-on needed to lower many women’s health risks, ushering in some self-care and making eating that much more delightful.

In recognition of Women’s Day on August 9th, pick a treat meal from our selection

• A Fragrant Mushroom and Fish Coconut Curry
• or even Mushroom & Parmesan Savoury French Toast with a glass of those lovely bubbles.