Is it true that mushrooms in the diet can completely replace meat?

There is an opinion that in terms of nutritional content, mushrooms are comparable to meat and therefore can become a complete substitute for it in the diet. We decided to check how valid this point of view is.

Statementthat mushrooms are a good alternative to meat in terms of nutritional value can be found on information resources, portals about lifestyle and websitesspecializing in sale food products. Users share this information social networks And blogging platforms, and visitors to question and answer services are interestedwhether it corresponds to reality.

Nutritionists recommend Including meat and poultry in your daily diet is a good source of protein, as well as other substances the body needs, such as iron, vitamin B12 and essential amino acids. However, not all meat is created equal. healthy. For example, an excess of red or fatty meat in the diet, as well as products made from it (sausages, sausages, etc.), can lead to health problems. 

Many people refuse to eat meat for ethical, religious or taste reasons, replacing it in their diet with plant-based products. "Verified" already wrotethat with a reasonable approach, a vegetarian diet can fully provide a person with all the nutritional elements necessary in the diet, while veganism and its variations require taking additional nutritional supplements.

Consumption rate squirrel per day for a healthy adult weighing 60 kg - 48 g (that is, 0.8 g per kg of weight). In 100 g beef contains 29.4 g of protein, pork — 21.1 g, chicken — 22.5 g. For mushrooms this figure is much lower: they are richest in protein porcini mushrooms — 7.4 g per 100 g of product, in oyster mushrooms And champignons - 2.9 g, in truffles - 2 g, in chanterelles — 1.5 g.

In addition, not all proteins found in food are created equal. To produce its own proteins, the human body needs 20 amino acids. It can produce 11 of them on its own, but nine (they are called essential) can only be obtained from food. Meat, poultry and eggs contain all nine and are the best source of these substances. You can also get a full set of essential amino acids from plants. food, for example, from tofu, quinoa, buckwheat, chia seeds, etc. However, mushrooms do not belong to such products, which means that in order to obtain all the necessary nutrients they must be combined in the diet with sources of other amino acids.  

Another valuable microelement obtained by humans from meat is iron. His daily norm consumption - 8 mg per day for adult men, 18 mg for women. In 100 g beef contains 2.74 mg of iron, pork - 0.45 mg, chicken - 0.35 mg. The iron content of mushrooms varies greatly depending on the species - for example, per 100 g champignons only 0.23 mg of iron (12 times less than in beef), and in the same amount morels as much as 12 mg, which is much higher than meat, completely covers the daily iron requirement for men and almost two-thirds for women. So, according to this indicator, some types of mushrooms, apparently, can not only replace meat, but also surpass it in nutritional value.

Vitamin B12, necessary for the body to function normally, is found only in products of animal origin, especially in beef and pork. Therefore, mushrooms in this case are not a competitor to meat. 

Mushrooms also have a significantly lower energy value: their calorie content varies from 19 to 37 kcal per 100 g. For comparison, in the same amount beef brisket - 231 kcal, chicken breasts - 106 kcal. Often the word “calories” is accompanied by negative connotations, and the characteristic “low-calorie” is considered an advantage. However calories - just a unit of measurement that shows how much energy can be obtained from a particular product to maintain the body’s performance and physical activity. If not all the energy received from food has been used up, then the excess will lead to weight gain. Depending on a person’s diet and his goals (for example, to gain or lose weight), the low calorie content of mushrooms can be both a plus and a minus, but in general, they cannot replace meat in the diet in this regard.

In terms of taste, mushrooms can indeed act as an alternative to meat in various dishes. Like meat, they have umami - the fifth taste that human receptors recognize along with salty, sweet, sour and bitter. Therefore, it is not surprising that on the Internet you can find hundreds recipes dishes where meat or poultry is offered to be replaced with mushrooms without loss of taste.

At the same time, mushrooms, if we consider them not as a replacement for meat, but as an independent product, are very useful. They are rich in antioxidants, vitamin D and some B vitamins, potassium and other nutrients (including those not found in meat). Also in compound mushrooms contain high molecular weight carbohydrates - structural polysaccharides that are practically not digested by the human body. They perform the same function as fiber: they help food pass through the gastrointestinal tract faster and normalize digestion. Also, some of these polysaccharides have immunomodulatory and anticarcinogenic properties.

Thus, adding mushrooms to your diet is a good idea, but you should not consider them as an equivalent substitute for meat. These products, although they have their own advantages and disadvantages, have too different compositions and nutritional values. If you give up meat, mushrooms can partially replenish the protein content, but to achieve the daily requirement, you must include other high-protein foods in your diet. In other words, they are not interchangeable. 

Cover photo: pixabay.com

Mostly not true

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. WebMD. Health Benefits of Mushrooms
2. Is it true that mushrooms are not digestible?
3. Is it true that you should stop drinking milk as an adult?
4. Is it true that a low-fat diet is most effective for weight loss?