Why The Nude Mushroom!!??

I am sure many people are wondering why I would ever name a blog The Nude Mushroom? Well…let me help you understand the inner workings of my mind…

So…as we all know first hand, the industrial revolution has done some really amazing things for us, making life so much easier in so many ways. With such luxuries comes a cost, the production of our food from simple mom and pop farms has degraded to wildly, over populated breeding grounds for both animals and disease.  With overcrowding of living quarters, one sick animal means hundreds and so the combat of infection through the use of antibiotics is on the rise. With more mouths to feed the quality of animal feed has declined to make farms more profitable, directly effecting the nutritional value of our food.  The advances in factory farming give farmers the opportunity to yield more food for the growing population but at what cost?  The foods we nourish our body with are not that nourishing after all and the cost is ultimately taking a toll on the health of it’s consumers, negatively affecting us in ways we may not even know.  The goal of my blog is to try and uncover some of the unknowns and to help you to better understand the types of foods that can help and the ones that will harm you.  This idea lead me to the word “Nude”, meaning to expose.  As for Mushroom….these are just my absolute favourite fungi to spread the word about… the nutritional benefits of mushrooms are endless!! First off, mushrooms are yummy and I will definitely be posting some future recipes that give you an opportunity to taste their health benefits first hand!! As for how they are awesome for us , where do I begin…

Mushrooms have been an integral part of the Japanese diet throughout history, assisting them in their top rating as some of the longest living men and woman in the world. Mushrooms have the ability to strengthen the immune system by increasing the communication between immune cells.  With such an amazing gift these tasty little fungi have been well studied and effective in many immunotherapies.  Reishi, shiitake and maitake mushrooms have especially been the centre of attention and used to support individuals suffering from colon cancer, ulcerative colitis and HIV.  Of course….that’s not all, Reishi, maitake, shiitake and cordyceps all fall into a category of carbohydrates that live at the cutting edge of nutrition. As if their immune support just isn’t enough, these delectable little heroes also help boost the bodies detoxification process in the liver, help balance out blood sugar, lower cholesterol and some even have antiviral and antibacterial properties!! So knowing all of this…born is The Nude Mushroom, a blog ready to share the amazing health benefits of mushrooms and other foods, stripping them down to the bare truth of what makes them helpful and harmful to us and our well being.  Please feel free to dive deeper into this issue, here are some resources that I have made use of in my studies…

Elson M.Haas, MD 2006. “Staying Healthy with Nutrition, The complete guide to diet and nutritional medicine” Carbohydrates, 29-33, Immune Support, 282 & Vegetables, 320-321

For More Information on 21st century farming Check out Food Inc., a documentary.

http://www.takepart.com/foodinc