Weight loss is one of the best ways to lower the risk of diabetes, and if you already have diabetes weight loss can reduce your blood glucose—also called blood sugar. Besides improving blood sugar control, modest weight loss of 5% to 10% can also decrease blood pressure, cholesterol, and reduce the risk of other chronic diseases related to diabetes.
Despite all the benefits mentioned above, for many, the overwhelming thoughts associated with weight loss are deprivation and hunger pangs. Feeling satiated or full is an important part of a successful weight loss plan. When insatiable hunger takes control, it’s easy to forget about good eating habits.
Mushrooms are hearty and filling. Preliminary research suggests increasing intake of low-energy-dense foods (meaning few calories given the volume of food), such as mushrooms, in place of high-energy-dense foods, like lean ground beef, can be an effective method for reducing daily calorie and fat intake while still feeling full and satiated after a meal.
In a one-year, randomized clinical trial at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health participants following a mushroom-rich diet reported lower calorie and fat intake; lost more pounds and percentage body weight; achieved lower body mass index, waist circumference, and percent total body fat compared to participants who did not follow a mushroom-rich diet.
Another recent study conducted by University of California- Davis and the Culinary Institute of America found that substituting mushrooms for a portion of meat helped improve nutrition and flavor. Adding mushrooms to the meat helped lower calorie, saturated fat, and sodium intake while adding nutrients to the plate-like B vitamins, vitamin D, antioxidants, and potassium.
In addition to their satiety value mushrooms are a nutrient powerhouse. One serving (5 medium) of white, raw mushrooms contains 20 calories, 0g fat, 3g protein and is