Why You Must Think Twice Before Eating Mushrooms During Monsoon

Monsoons have finally arrived, much to the relief of everyone. With the arrival of shower spells, wild mushrooms have begun to grow in the forests. People from rural areas are reaching the cities with their produce to see them in the morning, which includes mushrooms as well. How will you judge which mushrooms are good for health? Recently, various customers have been facing a similar dilemma regarding which mushrooms to eat. Mushrooms are a popular food item enjoyed by both children and adults. Add it to your Chinese preparations, or sandwiches or make a sabzi out of it. During monsoon, it is advisable to reduce consumption of this vegetable as the high moisture content in it can lead to the growth of mould and bacteria. This can be challenging for those with weak immunity or digestive disorders. Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh’s District Ayush Officer, Shyam Nandan Tiwari shed light on what kind of mushrooms one must consume.

As per the officer, all mushrooms are a gift of nature, but they should be consumed carefully. Many mushrooms grow in India’s forests, out of which some can be poisonous. Consuming these can lead to food poisoning. A few of the mushrooms are so dangerous that they can even kill a person also.

He further added that mushrooms are packed with vitamins and minerals and can be beneficial for the body. It also has calcium, which is great for bones and muscles. During monsoon, it is advisable to look for alternatives to mushrooms. He mentioned that every year the cases of food poisoning increase in Sadar Hospital, Hazaribagh, due to mushroom intake. People eat these wild mushrooms and fall ill after consumption. It is better to avoid wild mushrooms. Further, he suggested that if at all one wants to consume mushrooms, one should stick to the common species like button mushrooms. To make sure it is clean, boil them well in water.

Apart from mushrooms, try to avoid root vegetables like beetroot, carrot, brinjal, turnips, and radishes. Apart from this, also avoid cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts.