Yesterday I ... sunbathed with mushrooms
Posted on 21st April 2023 at 14:41
Of course it is possible to get vitamin D from a supplement but it is so easy (and much more environmentally friendly) to make your own.
MUSHROOMS + SUNLIGHT = 100X VITAMIN D
The article below is adapted from 'How to Eat Better' by James Wong.
'Doing one simple thing to your shop-bought mushrooms could transform them from containing virtually zero Vitamin D to one of nature's richest food sources in as little as an hour or two, according to Penn State University. Popped on a sunny windowsill, the mushrooms (which are commercially grown in near total darkness) will react to the UV light, churning out loads more antioxidant Vitamin D to defend themselves from damage from solar radiation.
The Penn State team found that a serving of white button mushrooms exposed to UV lamps for just 1 second could go from containing essentially no Vitamin D, to an astonishing 824% of your daily value. When they tried the same thing with shiitake and oyster mushrooms, their vitamin D content skyrocketed way over 1000 times what you need to consume each day. In the world of food science this really is as close as you can get to alchemy, all for very little effort.
With such tiny amounts of UV light needed to create such an enormous impact, it doesn't have to be a blazingly hot day either. Simply lay your mushrooms out on a windowsill for an hour or two anytime between 10am and 3pm and their levels should rise significantly. As the gill tissue (the brown underside of the caps) is more sensitive to light, placing these with their gills facing up will trigger the strongest spike.'
The most vital functions of vitamin D are regulating the absorption of calcium and phosphorus, and facilitating normal immune system function. Getting a sufficient amount of vitamin D is important for normal growth and development of bones and teeth, as well as improved resistance against certain diseases. According to the BBC, 'Public Health England is recommending people consider taking daily vitamin D supplements throughout the spring and summer as the coronavirus lockdown continues. Normally, many of us get enough of it by spending time outdoors. Our skin makes it when exposed to the sun. The sunshine vitamin, along with others, can help our body stay fit to ward off illness and infections - important during a pandemic.' The BBC goes on to say that' Spanish and French researchers are doing clinical trials to see if vitamin D helps coronavirus patients.'
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which means that it can be absorbed along with fats in the diet and stored in the body's fatty tissue until needed. If getting a regular amount from sun exposure (safely without burning of course) is difficult then there are some foods which can provide small amounts such as fatty fish, cheese and egg yolks. Mushrooms however when exposed to the sun contain much higher quantities and are also vegan-friendly.
Yesterday I sat in the garden with a cup of green tea and a punnet of mushrooms, put my feet up and left the mushrooms do all the work. Sunlight + mushrooms = 100x vitamin D, amazing isn't it. Yesterday I … sunbathed with mushrooms.
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