Newswise — The Mushroom Council supports the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans released today by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Highlights from the new guidelines include the recommendations for healthy eating patterns that maximize nutrient-dense foods, maintain calorie balance to sustain a healthy weight, and reduce sodium intake. Mushrooms have long been celebrated as a source of powerful nutrients, particularly those of public health interest such as vitamin D and potassium, but they can also help Americans meet the newly recommended guidelines for reducing sodium and increasing vegetable consumption.
The new Dietary Guidelines place continued emphasis on the importance of vegetables and choosing foods that provide nutrients of concern, like potassium and vitamin D. This guideline can be met with small steps that fit within a well-rounded, flexible diet that includes all of the food groups. Fresh mushrooms can be added to everyday dishes to provide an extra serving of vegetables and deliver important nutrients, including vitamin D, potassium, selenium, ergothionene and B vitamins. Mushrooms’ hearty and meaty texture makes for a satiating main dish. They’re also an ideal accompaniment to salads, pastas, stir-fry and omelets; and a flavor-enhancing topper for meats, poultry and fish. They pick up and complement subtle flavors, adding taste without weighing down the dish with calories, fat, cholesterol or sodium. Combining nutrient-rich foods should provide a full range of important nutrients, not to mention a more pleasurable eating experience to promote health among Americans.
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend that Americans reduce daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg; and that specific populations, including people who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes or chronic kidney disease, reduce daily intake to 1,500 mg. While consumers and the foodservice industry face the collective challenge to reduce sodium, there are certain foods, like mushrooms, that can help satiate the “craveability factor” they’re accustomed to with salty foods, but are ultimately low in sodium. Mushrooms are rich in umami (the 5th taste known for its savory, brothy, rich or meaty taste sensation), which counterbalances saltiness and allows for less salt to be used in a dish without compromising taste. Umami-rich foods, like mushrooms, act as a flavor multiplier – adding depth of flavor. “Tasting Success with Cutting Salt,” a collaborative report from the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and the Culinary Institute of America, recognizes mushrooms as a tool to help decrease sodium.
For more information on mushroom nutrition, recipes and cooking tips, visit www.mushroominfo.com.
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