Introduction: In the autumn season, eating more edible fungi such as black fungus, tremella, mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms not only tastes delicious but is also extremely nutritious. They are rich in various amino acids, can enhance human immunity, and have effects on beautifying the skin and resisting viruses.
As the weather turns cold, it is one of the main reasons for the high incidence of gastrointestinal diseases. As the weather gets colder, the mucosal blood vessels in the human body also contract according to the principle of thermal expansion and cold contraction, which leads to insufficient blood supply and makes the body deficient in nutrients. Furthermore, when the weather turns cold, it is a season for diseases to recur because the body's physiology also changes with the temperature. Especially for people with poor circulation and metabolism, being invaded by external cold pathogenic factors or consuming too many raw and cold foods can easily block the meridians, creating a vicious cycle.
In addition, in our country, there are no few people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases. Most people only think of seeing a doctor when they feel extremely uncomfortable, which delays the best time for treatment and causes unnecessary damage to the body. In fact, treating the disease in its early stages has a better effect with less pain, and you can get rid of the disease in a short time. But if you eat more edible fungi such as black fungus, tremella, mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms in the autumn season, it not only tastes delicious but is also extremely nutritious. It is also rich in various amino acids, which can enhance human immunity and have effects on beautifying the skin and resisting viruses.
Moreover, many regions regard edible fungi as special foods. The ancient Romans listed edible fungi as "the food of the gods." So, let's take a look at how to skillfully eat fungi in daily life to reduce the incidence of intestinal diseases and cleanse the intestines and nourish the stomach.
1. Enoki Mushroom
In autumn, many friends like to eat hot pot, and enoki mushrooms are naturally indispensable when eating hot pot. The common enoki mushrooms on the market are usually two types: one is yellow and the other is white. The former has a slightly darker center of the cap than the edge, and the stem is lighter at the top and darker at the bottom; the latter is milky white rather than pure white. Regardless of the type, if the color is uniformly bright and fresh, it may have been treated by smoking, bleaching, dyeing, or with additives. At this time, you can smell it for any unusual odor.
In addition, choose mushrooms with hemispherical caps that are not fully opened. If they are fully open, they are too old. The stem should be about 15 cm long, which is the best.
Nutritional Value: It contains a relatively complete range of essential amino acids for the human body, and the content of lysine and arginine is particularly high, which is beneficial for the development of children's brain cells. It is called "smart mushroom" abroad, so it is especially suitable for children to eat. People with weak spleen and stomach should not eat too much.
2. Shiitake Mushroom
Known as the "king of all mushrooms." If it is fresh shiitake mushroom, the cap should be moist and fresh, and the gills should stand up one by one. If the surface is sticky or dripping with water, do not buy it. If it is dried, choose one with a thicker cap, and the edge of the cap should curl inward. Good shiitake mushrooms have cracked patterns on the cap, which is called "flower mushroom," while the inferior ones have very thin caps.
Nutritional Value: Among all kinds of mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms have the best anti-cancer effect and are rich in lentinan. The content of vitamin D in shiitake mushrooms is also significantly higher than other varieties, which can help the body absorb calcium and is very suitable for menopausal women.
3. Oyster Mushroom
Oyster mushrooms should be light gray in color, thick and tender in texture, and delicious. They are also very cheap. When buying, choose dry ones. If you squeeze the root with your hand and water seeps out, it means the quality is not good.
Secondly, pay attention to the edge. Good oyster mushrooms have a neat edge that curls slightly downward. If the edge has flattened out and cracked, it is too old. Choose oyster mushrooms with smaller caps, as they taste better.
Nutritional Value: It has the effect of expelling wind and cold, relaxing muscles and activating collaterals, and has a certain therapeutic effect on waist and leg pain, numbness in hands and feet, and discomfort in meridians. Therefore, it is especially suitable for the elderly to eat. It can also regulate menopausal syndrome in women.
4. King Oyster Mushroom
The main edible part of the king oyster mushroom is its stem. It is fleshy, thick, smooth, dense, and firm in texture, and its shape is similar to abalone, hence its name.
It is very simple to choose. As long as the mushroom body is firm, the shape is round, the cap is light brown, the stem is milky white, and there is no strange smell, it is good. At the same time, you can pinch the surface of the stem with your hand to feel whether the texture is delicate and has a certain elasticity.
Nutritional Value: It is rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc. It can improve human immune function and has effects on anti-cancer, lowering blood lipids, moistening the intestines and stomach, and beauty.
4 Things You Need to Do Before Enjoying Mushrooms
1. Selection: Mushrooms can be fresh or dried, and there is not much difference in nutritional value. There are canned or bagged processed mushroom products that look fresh but are often added with preservatives, bleaches, and other ingredients. It is recommended to buy less of them.
2. Storage: Mushrooms should not be stored for a long time. It is best to eat them as soon as possible while they are fresh. If you need to save them for a short time, you can store them in a cool, ventilated place, or wrap them in paper and store them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
3. Cleaning: When handling fresh mushrooms, just cut off the roots cleanly (for mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, etc.), then rinse off the soil and wood chips. You can soak them in light salt water for a while to sterilize and disinfect. The time should not be too long, otherwise the nutrients will easily dissolve in the water.
4. Soaking: Taking dried shiitake mushrooms as an example, before soaking, rinse the dust off the surface with water. Soak in warm water at about 20-35°C, and stir the mushrooms in one direction with your fingers or shake the mushrooms with the stem end down in the water.
After the mushroom caps are completely softened, lift them out immediately and drain. After the impurities in the soaking water have settled to the bottom, you can gently pour out the clean water on top and add it to the dish you are cooking, as the health-promoting mushroom purine has been largely dissolved in the water.
6 Steps for a Healthy Stomach in Autumn!
Step 1: Correct Unhealthy Eating Habits
In autumn, it is advisable to avoid overeating and not eat too much irritating food. Overly cold, hot, or hard foods are also not recommended. A light diet is best! To maintain the harmonious energy of the stomach and intestines, you should often eat vegetarian and light meals, supplemented by some fatty and sweet foods. The diet of patients with stomach diseases should be warm, soft, light, and vegetarian. Eat less but more often, at regular intervals, so that there is always food in the stomach to neutralize stomach acid and prevent it from eroding the gastric mucosa and ulcer surfaces. Chew slowly when eating, do not eat raw or cold food, and quit smoking and alcohol to prevent irritation of the gastric mucosa and aggravation and recurrence of ulcers.
Step 2: Eat at Regular Times
Patients with long-term stomach pain should have their three meals or snacks at regular times every day, and the intervals should be reasonable. Patients with acute stomach pain should eat less but more often to keep food and stomach acid in the stomach for neutralization, thus preventing erosion of the gastric mucosa and ulcer surfaces and worsening the condition. If meals are sometimes too early and sometimes too late, eating more when the food is tasty and less when it is not, or arbitrarily eating cold food and snacks, will make the workload of the stomach and intestines fluctuate, which can easily cause gastrointestinal diseases. Eating unhygienic or spoiled food can easily lead to poisoning. Therefore, paying attention to the freshness and cleanliness of food and having regular meals are the primary measures to prevent gastrointestinal diseases.
Step 3: Persist in Daily Health Care
Usually, attention should be paid to gastrointestinal health, such as supplementing with live enzymes to help protect the gastric mucosa, improve its defensive ability, and promote the repair of local lesions. You should actively participate in various sports activities, which is beneficial to improve the blood circulation of the gastrointestinal tract and improve the adaptability to climate changes. You should arrange your life scientifically, pay attention to a balance between work and rest, ensure adequate sleep, prevent excessive fatigue, and reduce the chance of illness.
Step 4: Diet Should Be Soft, Warm, Mild, Simple, and Fresh
Cooking should be done by steaming, boiling, simmering, or stewing, and eat less hard and rough food. Eat unhurriedly and calmly, chew food fully in the mouth, mix it thoroughly with saliva, and then swallow slowly, which is beneficial to digestion and recovery after illness. Pay attention to adjusting the temperature of food according to the seasons. People with weak spleen and stomach should especially avoid raw and cold food. People with liver depression and qi stagnation should avoid eating immediately after getting angry.
Step 5: Abdominal Rubbing
Abdominal rubbing can harmonize the upper and lower body, differentiate yin and yang, remove the old and generate the new, nourish the five organs, expel external pathogenic factors, and clear internal diseases. Modern medicine believes that abdominal rubbing can increase the blood flow of abdominal muscles and intestinal smooth muscles, increase the tension of the inner wall muscles of the gastrointestinal tract and the function of the lymphatic system, and make the secretory functions of organs such as the stomach and intestines more active, thereby strengthening the digestion, absorption, and excretion of food, and preventing and eliminating constipation.