You may have seen coffee with mushrooms everywhere on social media. Or, perhaps, you’ve seen it featured in lists about health and wellness trends. And, although you might know that eating mushrooms has purported health benefits, you are likely wondering about the buzz around mushroom coffee.
The Benefits of Mushroom Coffee
1. Good Nutrient Profile
Just one teaspoon of single-species powdered mushrooms (equivalent to a recommended dose of 2000 mg) added to coffee may offer nutrient benefits. Powders made from dried, whole-food mushrooms, including mycelium and/or the fruiting bodies, can provide you with a low-calorie source of protein, B vitamins, and minerals, and an abundance of bioactive compounds that support the body’s homeostatic balance.
2. Improves Brain Function
Many of us begin our days with a cup of coffee, a way of getting ourselves woken up and ready to tackle our day. Lion’s mane coffee is an excellent way to boost your morning routine with bioactive compounds that support brain and nerve health. This nootropic mushroom supports healthy brain function, including memory, attention, and clarity, helping you begin every day on the best note, both creatively and productively. Bioactive compounds in both mycelium and fruit bodies contribute to neurotrophic factors, which can support healthy mood regulation.
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3. Improves Ability to Handle Stress
Adaptogenic species of mushrooms are helpful in coping with stressors and supporting the balance of the body. Adding reishi powder into coffee, particularly late in the day, may help to de-stress and set yourself up for a restful nights sleep.
4. Benefits Gut Flora
By virtue of the presence of prebiotic fibers, mushrooms promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract. Just one teaspoon added to your coffee boosts your daily fiber intake.
5. Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels
Mushroom coffee provides a way to support healthy blood sugar levels. Some studies show that maitake mushrooms compete with digestive enzymes and can decrease the amount of carbohydrates digested and absorbed in the gut. Try adding a little bit of maitake powder to coffee when you are eating a high-carb meal for promoting blood sugar balance.
6. Full of Antioxidants
Functional mushrooms deliver antioxidants to combat damage done by free radicals and oxidative stress in the tissues. Chaga is rich in antioxidants; adding it to coffee can help fight against aging by neutralizing free radicals.
7. Can Help Reduce Inflammation
Chronic inflammation is responsible for a number of diseases and health conditions in the entire body. Various species of mushrooms contain anti-inflammatory compounds, including polysaccharides, carotenoids, and B vitamins. Adding powdered mushrooms supports the body’s inflammation response.
Learn more: Mushroom extract vs powder
8. Supports Healthy Cholesterol Levels
Ergosterol is a sterol compound found in the cell walls of mushrooms. Studies on rats have shown that ergosterol inhibits the absorption of cholesterol into the gut and increases the excretion of cholesterol out of the GIT. By adding ergosterol powder to coffee, you get the potential for it to curb dietary cholesterol absorption. Maitake mushrooms are a substantial source of ergosterol.
9. Can Improve Immune Response
Through beta-glucans immune-modulating properties, Functional Mushrooms support healthy immune responses. Adding a small portion of turkey tail powder to your daily coffee routine can boost the immune system to produce the proper immune responses.
10. Supports Your Workout
What if your coffee-drinking routine could support your training, too. With a consistent, daily dose of reishi, the powdered cordyceps mushrooms may support endurance, stamina, and oxygen capacities while working out, as well as promoting muscle recovery afterwards.
Is Mushroom Coffee Good For You?
After reading through the list of benefits, it should be obvious mushroom coffee is great for you. People have been using extracts from dried, ground species of mushrooms, as well as brewed soups, for thousands of years. In traditional medicinal practices in many cultures, mushrooms are used as medicinal foods. Although they are not new, interest in using functional mushrooms, as they are commonly called, has grown since their benefits became more apparent and availability increased. Mushroom coffee is very good for you, and can be made in many different ways.
The first way to make mushroom coffee is by adding mushroom powdered coffee, caffeinated, decaf, or half-caf, to your favorite coffee or coffee alternative.
By making coffee the same way as usual, and just mixing a teaspoon of powdered mushroom species or blends, you will reap the benefits of this mushroom superfood. A small, battery-operated milk-frother, for instance, can be used to mix it up quickly and help the powder dissolve into your beverage.
Mushroom/coffee combos
One of the more cost-effective ways to consume mushroom coffee is as a single-serving packet, which mixes the mushroom powder with instant coffee. This option is highly portable and comes in pre-measured ingredients, which can include added sweetness and/or non-dairy creamer. Some blends provide benefits from several species of mushrooms and botanicals additives, providing a boosting combo that goes beyond the stimulant effects of caffeine alone.
If you are still wondering why people are adding mushroom powders to coffee, the answer is easy. Aside from the gentle flavor, which blends nicely into coffees complexity, mushrooms are loaded with bioactive ingredients. In addition to their long, storied history in 3astern medicine, a growing body of evidence exists from modern scientific studies showing functional mushrooms to possess health-promoting properties. Regardless of how you brew your mushroom coffee, there are a fair number of perceived mushroom coffee benefits. Understanding these potential benefits can help you make the decision to make mushroom coffee a regular part of your routine.
Conclusion
With a daily dose, functional mushrooms provide an array of superfood benefits to aid in maintaining your body’s healthy balance. If you are a beginner to consuming functional mushrooms, your body may need as long as three weeks before experiencing any health benefits. It is recommended for first-time users to double their recommended dose of two grams a day during their first three weeks, because many supplements are bio-reactive and take time to be absorbed by the body.
Try single-species powders, or experiment with multi-fungus mixes mixed in a cup. It will be a tiny action with the potential for huge results.
