Mushrooms are often considered only for their culinary use because they are packed with flavor-enhancers and have gourmet appeal. That is probably why they are the second most popular pizza topping, next to pepperoni.
In the past, food scientists like me often praised mushrooms as healthy because of what they don’t contribute to the diet; they contain no cholesterol or gluten and are low in fat, sugars, sodium, and calories.
But that was selling them short. Mushrooms may also have medicinal properties and are good sources of protein, B vitamins, fiber, immune-enhancing sugars found in the cell walls called beta-glucans, and other bioactive compounds….