Mushrooms are D-Lightful!

Mushrooms are D-Lightful!

When I was a young child, I would accompany my Sicilian grandfather as he searched the woods surrounding our home for “safe” mushrooms we could eat. The smell of those mushrooms sautéing in butter and fresh garlic always made my mouth water. It was a taste treat I very much looked forward to.

As an adult, my mouth still waters at the aroma of sautéing mushrooms—though I rarely smell them cooking in my home. You see my husband and children HATE mushrooms. They turn up their noses at the sight of them and degrade the tiny morsels by referring to them as “fungus” (which, truth be told, is what they actually are!). Then my family gives themselves a pass from ever eating mushrooms by stating that “fungi” have no redeeming value whatsoever—so there!

Can I tell you the joy and redeeming satisfaction I recently gained while watching a show on mushroom farming? (Yes, I know, there really wasn’t anything else on T.V. that night!) I discovered that mushrooms were the only vegetative source of vitamin D. Yes, the same vitamin D that so many folks are deficient in!

Vitamin D’s various roles include strengthening your bones, warding off cancer, and protecting against tuberculosis, heart disease, diabetes, colds, and the flu. Without consuming or generating enough of this essential nutrient, your health will begin to decline. So if you are allergic to dairy products and don’t have enough sun exposure—especially during the winter, might I suggest indulging in some tasty ‘shrooms?

Well, chalk one up for me and my mushrooms, family. They actually are good for you after all!