Mushrooms and Weight Loss

A preliminary study found that eating large quantities of mushrooms may help prevent and treat obesity. The Dr. Cheskin-led study found that people can increase their intake of low-energy density (low calorie) foods, especially mushrooms, and decrease their intake of high-energy density foods, such as lean ground beef, to help avoid obesity and weight gain.

To me, it seems pretty obvious that people who replace meat or other high calorie foods with a vegetable like mushrooms will lose weight. But, there was one interesting aspect to their findings. Dr. Cheskin said that the study participants “seemed to accept mushrooms as a palatable and suitable culinary substitute for meat. They didn’t compensate for the lower calorie mushroom meal by eating more food later in the day.”

A good example of replacing a high-energy density food with a low-energy one is replacing hamburger meat with a large portobello mushroom on a burger. Portobellos are shaped like a burger and have a meaty, heavy texture that’s filling. Many restaurants offer portobello mushroom burgers as a vegetarian option on their menus.

I checked out the Food Network, and Emeril has a Portobello Mushroom-Blue Cheese Burger recipe that looks fabulous. It has a five-star user rating, so something tells me it’s definitely worth trying out.