CULTIVATED MUSHROOMS

• Raw mushrooms are largely indigestible because of their tough cell walls, mainly composed of chitin. Chitin is very hard —it’s found in lobster and mollusk shells— and 90% of humans can’t break chitin down in their digestive system. So when you’re eating mushrooms raw, you are not accessing any of the nutritional or medicinal benefits that those mushrooms have to offer because of the inability to get beyond the chitin cell walls. 

• Raw mushrooms and raw mycelium may pose health hazards from harmful pathogens and heat-sensitive toxins, potentially causing red blood cell damage, gastrointestinal irritation and allergic reactions, such as skin rashes.

• In the magazine Prevention (2/1/2013), Dr. Andrew Weil advises, in agreement with other experts, that mushrooms must be cooked! “Mushrooms have very tough cell walls and are essentially indigestible if you don't cook them. Thoroughly heating them releases the nutrients they contain, including protein, B vitamins, and minerals, as well as a wide range of novel compounds not found in other foods.”

Edible mushrooms should be tenderized by heating to at least 140˚F —over many hours— more preferably over 180˚F, most preferably above 200˚F to release their nutrients and render them digestible and safe.

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But but but... what about white button mushrooms at the salad bar???  A small amount from the salad bar probably won't kill you, but you should know that white & brown mushrooms, as well as portabella (agaricus bisporus —they're all the same) are grown on manure. Food for thought the next time you're standing in front of that beautiful salad bar!