Portobello Mushrooms: Nutritional Value and Benefits

The inclusion of mushrooms in your diet can create several health benefits, due to their antioxidant content and essential micronutrients. We'll tell you about it here.

Written and verified by the nutritionist Saúl Sánchez Arias.

Last update: 06 October, 2022

Portobello mushrooms are a type of mushroom that has several health benefits. It has a number of phytochemicals that act as antioxidants. In addition, it’s a source of important essential micronutrients.

It’s a great food item to include frequently in your diet. The inclusion of mushrooms in the diet is recommended in order to maintain a good state of health.

Nutritional value of portobello mushrooms

From a nutritional point of view, it should be noted that every 100 grams (4 oz) of portobello mushrooms provides about 20 calories. For this reason, it’s a positive item to include in the context of a hypocaloric diet with the aim of weight loss. Thanks to the fiber it contains, it will stimulate the feeling of satiety.

In addition, this type of product is also able to provide a relatively significant amount of protein, at least considering the amount of water it contains. It has 2.5 grams of these nutrients per 100 of food. However, they are of low biological value. They don’t have all the essential amino acids and their digestibility score is low.

However, when we analyze the micronutrients, we realize that it’s a product with great properties. It’s a source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin D, potassium, and niacin.

All of them help to maintain internal homeostasis, optimizing the body’s functions. Thanks to this, the development of chronic and complex pathologies can be prevented.

The benefits of portobello mushroom consumption

The regular inclusion of portobello mushrooms in the diet can generate a series of health benefits that are worth mentioning. These are the following.

They regulate blood pressure

This type of mushroom contains a lot of potassium. We’re talking about a mineral that has been shown to exert an antagonistic function to that of sodium as far as blood pressure modulation is concerned.

For this reason, it’s a positive step to include it in your diet. It’s important to point out that balancing potassium intake with sodium intake tends to bring good results in terms of cardiac health management.

They act as antioxidants

On the one hand, portobello mushrooms are a source of phytochemicals with antioxidant capacity. In addition to that, they contain selenium. This element neutralizes the formation of free radicals.

This helps to control the oxidative balance, preventing changes in inflammatory values and damage to cellular DNA. This mechanism is associated with disease prevention, as evidenced by research published in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

They contribute to weight loss

It’s clear that mushrooms don’t accelerate metabolism and fat oxidation, but they can still help in weight loss. This is due to their fiber content.

This substance increases satiety, achieving greater adherence to an energy-deficient diet. Thanks to this, fat oxidation will be increased, resulting in improved body composition status. A study published in Nutrition Reviews confirms this.

Furthermore, it should be noted that fiber is also good for gut health. It serves as an energetic substrate for the bacteria that inhabits the digestive tract and increases the volume of the fecal bolus, ensuring a more efficient transit.

Portobello mushrooms should be on your list

Portobello mushrooms can provide several health benefits. For this reason, its consumption is recommended, always in the context of a varied and balanced diet.

Finally, please note that the mushrooms sold in supermarkets are always considered safe. Be careful with mushrooms collected outside.

Some varieties are toxic to humans and their consumption can be fatal. Therefore, if you’re inexperienced in this area, you should never consume mushrooms you find in nature.