Mushrooms and bc

JoanofArdmore

From Andrew Weil, MD

Mushrooms and Breast Cancer

To support national education during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Monday's Daily Tip throughout October will focus on breast cancer awareness, prevention and treatment.

There are many ways to help lower your risk of breast cancer; one is to incorporate medicinal mushrooms into your diet and health regime. The four fungi below are great choices to add to your meals, or to take in supplement form as cancer-preventive measures:

1. Maitake (Grifola frondosa). This delicious mushroom provides anti-cancer, anti-viral and immune-enhancing properties, and may also reduce blood pressure and help regulate blood sugar. Find it dried or fresh in Japanese markets, gourmet stores or upscale supermarkets.
2. Shiitake (Lentinula edodes). The shiitake has been found to have immune modulating, anti-viral and cholesterol-reducing properties. Certain extracts of shiitake mushrooms are used in Japan as adjunctive therapy to strengthen the immunity of cancer patients during chemotherapy and radiation. Find it - fresh or dried - in grocery stores and Asian markets.
3. Agaricus (Agaricus blazei). This medicinal mushroom has anti-tumor and anti-viral activity, and is widely used by cancer patients in Japan and Brazil.
4. Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum). Too woody and bitter to eat, reishi mushrooms are available in tea bags, capsules and liquid extracts. Animal studies have shown that reishi improves immune function and inhibits the growth of some malignant tumors. It also acts as a natural anti-inflammatory agent.

Paulette531

What about the plain white mushrooms (don't know what they are called) but are the ones I eat?

Calico

I do remember reading that the white mushrooms reduce estrogen or something like that by inhibiting the aromatase enzyme??? Anybody else read that by a chance?

God Bless

saluki

Don't know how many of Dr Weils mushrooms you'd have to consume, but you'd have to consume

one heck of alot of button mushrooms daily.

Here is some info and a link to more.

---------

 While pharmaceutical agents have a therapeutic role in cancer, dietary constituents should also be explored for their preventive potential. Therefore, our laboratory initiated a research project to investigate anti-aromatase phytochemicals in common vegetables that may lead to the suppression of breast cancer cell proliferation. Among the seven vegetables tested, white button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporous) were found to be a potential breast cancer chemopreventive agent, as they could suppress the synthesis of estrogen, the female hormone. Estrogen plays a major role in the development of breast cancer. In estrogen-dependent breast tumors, estrogen stimulates the formation of growth factors that are essential for breast cancer growth. In cells, a protein called aromatase produces estrogen, and in breast cancer patients, tumors contain an abnormally high level of aromatase, which generates a large amount of estrogen.

During the last several years, both preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that aromatase inhibitors (such as letrozole, anastrozole, and exemestane) are better drugs than tamoxifen (an antiestrogen) in treating hormone-dependent breast cancer. Results have also been obtained that suggest that aromatase inhibitors are useful drugs in preventing breast cancer. Recent studies from this laboratory have isolated one type of fatty acid, i.e., conjugated linoleic acid, from mushrooms that inhibits aromatase. This fatty acid is a well-known anticancer chemical. Furthermore, we have found that oral intake of mushroom extract decreases both tumor cell proliferation and tumor weight in mice. Therefore, it is thought that white button mushrooms are a useful chemopreventive agent for breast cancer, given that they suppress aromatase/estrogen biosynthesis. In addition, we have examined the anti-breast cancer effect of mushrooms by identifying genes in tumors whose expressions are modified by mushroom feeding. We identified that the expression of 124 genes was increased, and that of 332 genes was decreased in tumors from mushroom-fed mice versus those in control mice. Our results indicate that mushroom feeding blocks the expression of genes that are involved in cell growth and energy production. Based on animal studies, one needs to eat 150 - 200 g of white button mushrooms everyday. From our preclinical studies, the anti-aromatase effect of mushrooms remains even after they are cooked. This research has a translational impact on breast cancer in that the results generated will be very useful for designing prevention strategies against breast cancer by using mushrooms. Such a prevention method should be readily available and affordable to the general community of California.
  
http://www.cbcrp.org/research/PageGrant.asp?grant_id=3801

Blundin2005

The mushroom conversation was one of my favorites from last year .... sun dried mushrooms contain a high content of vit D if I recall well. And the recipes .... yummmmm. Fresh mushrooms on thin pasta pizza cooked in wood oven....yummmm again.



Thanks for the info to brush them clean rather than us water ... didn't know that.



....as a side note....this is mushroom season here .... they have mushroom festivals everywhere. And it is not uncommon to come by cars parked along the side of the road where people are out with their baskets to search for them. The agricultural arm of the town provided an educational display in the plaza of all mushrooms .... where to find them, which ones are good for food, for medicine, for poison etc. Mushrooms are amazing. They even showed snakes that could be found along your travels to find mushrooms....and dogs trained to sniff tartufa (truffles).

Calico

Thank you Susie.

You are right, that would mean eating a lot of mushrooms. I got into the habit of adding 1-2 cans to any meat I prepare (sauteed chicken, ground beef etc.) and my DH added a can to tuna salad, which turned out to taste really good. Lets hope for a mushroom extract soon based on the above article.

Marilyn,

you are lucky to be where you are

Have you ever looked into statistics or numbers of breast cancer in Italy?

I know in Germany it is pretty high but they live soooo unhealthy anyway.

God Bless

Calico

I checked my mushroom cans  and there is over 200 gramms in one, I use two a lot of times since they cook down a little....will be hunting for sales in grocery stores.....

God Bless

Anonymous

I LOVE mushrooms!

Calico, I didn't realize a can of mushrooms had that many grams.  Is that the small can or the larger can?

Shirley

PS I love fresh ones the most.  But having canned ones on hand would be great because fresh ones go bad if ya don't cook them right away.  I guess you could cook them and eat them later or even freeze them.

Calico

Shirley,

I would say it's the medium sized one, there are the itzy bitzy ones and the size up, Costco has bigger ones.

Compare the weight on them, they have a dry weight and canned weight (with water on there). They also cook down a bit, I don't mind adding two cans to one meal

God Bless

Blundin2005

Hi Calico,



About the stats of Italy … I’m curious to know but I haven’t seen them. After all of the hullabaloo over Mediterranean diets, etc. I’d suspect there to be interesting stats. But you know how stats are….they tell the story of the storyteller. As we all know too well, diet is only part of the story…then there are environmental issues, social stress issues. It’s a big picture to be sure. Did you know that the cloud from the Chernobal reactor disaster reached to northern Italy? I wonder what their stats are. The world today truly is very small indeed.




About mushrooms ... can you find dried mushrooms? it seems that they would have less processing...or maybe they are artifically dried not sun dried. Who knows. I use canned/jarred mushrooms too.

Calico

One good thing about Europe (okay there are more good things ) is, that they don't use the hormones in cows the way we do here in the US, Canada also doesn't use hormones.

They walk a lot. Italians don't eat that much cheese on their pizza either.....the red wine is nice....Chernobil reached most of Europe I think, I remember we could not eat any vegetables out of the garden, or pick any berries. Any wild meat (deer etc.) was suppose to be contaminated...and wild mushrooms were really bad.

We have nicely dried mushrooms at Whole Foods but I have not tried them. I bought a dry pack of shitake at Costco, soaked them, added them to a sauce and....tossed them out....yuck...I did something wrong, probably not cooking long enough....pewwww......the whole family was anti-mushroom for weeks lol.....

I wonder if anybody knows the anti-estrogenic effects of Portabella mushrooms, they are fresh and easy to get at.

saluki

Calico---What kind of sauce did you use them in?  

Those particular dried mushrooms are best suited to Chinese stir frys like stir fried beef in oyster sauce, and soups and in those only a few are used.  I have made some marvelous Chinese braised mushroom and chicken  casserole dishes (they are sometimes called sandpot cooking)also Chinese, using the dried shitakes and straw mushrooms.

I used to do a stir fry, braise, Chinese dish with nothing but different kinds of mushroom, dried shitake, straw, and button, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, dash of sherry.  It's been a long time since I made that one and can't remember the exact proportions or which book it originated from---but you get the gist. I have more Chinese cookbooks than any bookstore---actually quite a few have become collectibles since they are out of print.  I think that one may have come from a very early one by Ken Hom whose books I highly recommend if you are interested in Chinese cooking.

Also, The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking by Barbara Tropp. Also, the Key to Chinese cooking by Irene Kuo.  They are all out of print but well rounded books

that can be gotten in the library.  I think Chinese cuisine in particular lends itself to sneaking in mushrooms and enriching your dishes. 

I have had Costco dried Shitakes and they are not of high quality.  You want the caps to be thick with allot of cracks.  If you go into an Asian store you will quickly

be able to discern what to look for.

When your family gets over the horror of eating them again you may want to experiment . LOL

Calico

Susie,

I soaked them and put them in regular gravy that I made for chicken breast....obviously sauteeing would have been better lol.

I love chinese quisine but never cook it at home.

We like the buffet type, that way I can eat myself through the green stuff (love their chicken-broccoli but omit the chicken...it's the sauce I'm after with the broccoli, love the baby boc choy and the green beans....which by all means is not low cal....to much oils...but yummy...).

Your chinese dish sounds very yummy. I love ginger yet, if I use it at home, it doesn't taste great. Maybe I use to much (did this a few times with grilled veggies on the grill, marinated with soy sauce and ginger).

Ahhhh, a friend told me that the oyster sauce is called...well oyster sauce....I was grossed out thinking oysters...LOL...

I think I know what I want for lunch today.....

God Bless

saluki

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh,  I see why your family doesn't want to look at those mushrooms again.  I hope you discarded the stems.  They are inedible.

Should you ever want to attempt Chinese cooking again I recommend you use this book.  It is exactly what it says "Foolproof Chinese Cooking" by Ken Hom.  Very few ingredients needed, and nothing exotic, very easy cooking and guaranteed to succeed.

My pantry is bulging with Chinese sauces and condiments and frankly I'm trying to pair down to just a few. 

The last straw was 2 days ago--I collect stuff by an American primitive named Warren Kimble

I've been collecting his cat series and I have his mugs, all his lennox plates, egg holders, potholders and my prize of which I bid a heck of a long time on Ebay and is pretty rare-  my tuxedo cat cookie jar.

Don't you know I opened the cabinet and out fell all these sauces smashing it into pieces!  I was so attached since it looks like my cats and always brings a smile to my face.  I think I

may be able to repair it so it is usable---I hope. 

Anyway, certainly a sign to pare down my sauces.  I don't have the stamina to cook like that any more and I really need to go down to basics.

Anyway,  if you ever run across some sauces called Iron Chef it may be worth your while to try-surprisingly good quality.

Everything is already in there in the right proportions.  A trip to TJ's for some frozen stir fry

veggies and a few shrimp, chicken, or beef,  and you are good to go.  Okay, not traditional

but great for a quick meal. 

Their Sesame Garlic sauce is particularly good and I don't think you can mess it up.  Very quick stir fry.  If you want to get more elaborate you can start off quickly stir frying some chopped green onion, garlic, and ginger.  If you need to thicken the sauce just make a slurry of a spoonful of corn starch and cold water. 

Anonymous

Susie, you BETTER get your stamina back because I'm coming to your house to eat!

Shirley

JoanofArdmore

Not trying to be disagreeable, but when I was in the supermarket yesterday I looked at canned mushrooms.I did buy a small and a larger can, even though they contain..an enormous amount of salt, I noticed.There'll be no mushroom-eating for me in the summer, I can see that!

saluki

Okay Joan-I'm not understanding this?---You who live but a few miles from the mushroom capital of the world are eating canned mushrooms?  Girl--Get ye to Whole Foods and get some fresh ones---they are a wonderful diuretic when not canned!

JoanofArdmore

Wait, Honey.The Ladies Who Know said we need a huge amount of those white mushrooms to have an anti bc effect.

This is how we got to canned mushrooms.

You KNOW I've been eating all KINDS of 'shrooms from WFs,for years.But 150 to 200 gms of shrooms?They'd HAVE to be canned.

And I just read up--YOU are the Lady Who Knows.YOU gave that #!!!

Calico

Joan,

I will checko on the sodium, that's a bummer...haven't noticed.

I am just to darn lazy to clean mushrooms, that's why I use the can

How much is a pack of fresh white ones....about 8 oz. I guess, that would be close to 180 gramms, if somebody cleans them for me, I eat them lol.....it all comes down to conveniance for me....as usual.

That's why I take to chocolate so easy

Susie,

sounds like you are a pro. I am sorry about your tuxedo cat jar, hopefully you can clue it again.

God Bless

Calico

.....lol...use the can....hahaha....didn't mean THAT!...but using canned mushrooms......lol

Calico

we need an "edit" button ASAP

saluki

Yes--But I guess canned mushrooms just didn't occur to me.  150 grams amounts to 3/4 of a cup.

As a matter of fact I must have had that much tonight when I made whole Foods Triple Mushroom Bisque.  I had that with TJ's spanakapita.

Very good---However, I leave it to you Joan and the rest of you to make it healthier.  I like the decadent version with the cream!  I'm sure it could be lightened up so you don't clog our arteries while curing our cancer.  Here is the recipe. Very yummy!

Triple Mushroom Bisque

2 Tb butter

1Tb  Olive oil

1 large leek, thinly sliced and washed

1 large shallot minced

8 ounces of button mushrooms sliced (I say the more the merrier) I buy them already sliced

6 ounces portobello mushrooms stemmed and diced (3 small ones)---I just use the sliced baby bellas (quick and easy) 

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups vegetable stock

1 cup cream  (I did say decadent)

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup dry sherry

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper to taste

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large sauce-pot over medium heat.  Saute the leek and shallot for three minutes, until they are softened.  Add the mushrooms and saute for another minute.

Add the flour and incorporate it into the vegetables, cook for another minute.

Add the stock and stir in well with a spoon.  Bring the soup to a boil and continue to stir until the mixture thickens.  Lower to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.

Add the cream, thyme, and nutmeg; simmer for 10 minutes more.  Add the sherry and lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

I leave it to others to lighten it up--- 

 Variation:

For an intense flavor boost, add 3 or 4 chopped dried black mushrooms, which add a contrasting texture.

For you Shirley I'd leave that step out or your family may mutiny. LOL 

I think if we put our heads together we could come up with ways to sneak them in.

How about a vegetarian  mushroom mousakka?  What else?

Calico--No way am I cleaning mushrooms---I buy them cleaned and already sliced. 

If you want health and not decadent here is Marion Burro's mushroom barley soup

"The soup's quite simple: you dice up onions and carrots and garlic and soften that in olive oil, while you chunk up assorted fresh mushrooms (meanwhile, a small portion of dried porcini are soaking in hot water) and add them to the pot. When that's cooked for a bit, you throw in the barley, let it brown, then add what seems like an enormous amount of beef broth (I use this stuff - I think it's because Julie always talked about it), a bit of sherry, the drained and chopped porcini, their strained soaking liquid and some cracked pepper. This simmers until the barley's done and all the flavors have melded together into a comforting, multi-layered soup."

Have'nt made this one but it looks great  uses a heck of alot of mushrooms and is relatively healthy from Eating Well magazine

Creamy Porcini Barley Soup

Makes 4 servings, about 1 3/4 cups each

Ingredients

½ cup pearl barley
4 ½ cups mushroom broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
2 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup minced shallots (about 4 medium)
8 cups sliced white mushrooms (about 20 ounces)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup dry-to-medium sherry
½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
¼ cup minced fresh chives

Creamy Porcini Barley Soup Ingredients Cont.

 

Creamy Porcini Barley Soup Instructions

1. Combine barley and 1 1/2 cups broth in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat to low and simmer until the barley is tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine porcinis and boiling water in a medium bowl and let soak until the mushrooms are soft, about 20 minutes. Line a sieve with paper towels, set it over a bowl and pour mushrooms and soaking liquid through it. Reserve the soaking liquid. Transfer the mushrooms to a cutting board and finely chop.
3. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add white mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they have released their juices and started to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the porcinis, celery, sage, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring, until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Add sherry and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until most of the sherry has evaporated, about 1 minute.
4. Add the soaking liquid and the remaining 3 cups broth, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the celery is tender and the soup has thickened, 18 to 22 minutes.
5. Add the cooked barley and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in sour cream until incorporated. Garnish with chives.

Creamy Porcini Barley Soup Instructions Cont.

 

Creamy Porcini Barley Soup Tips

Prepare soup through Step 4. Cover and refrigerate the soup and cooked barley separately for up to 3 days. To serve, combine (Step 5) and reheat.

Creamy Porcini Barley Soup Tips Cont.

 

Creamy Porcini Barley Soup Nutrition Information Per serving: 288 calories; 10 g fat (5 g sat, 4 g mono); 22 mg cholesterol; 28 g carbohydrate; 12 g protein; 3 g fiber; 498 mg sodium; 894 mg potassium.


Nutrition bonus: Potassium (26% daily value), Selenium (23% dv), Vitamin A (20% dv), Iron (15% dv).

JoanofArdmore

Shhh, shhh, Susie.My Eating Well is still in the plastic!Dont tell me!

Well I had no idea whatever gms = less than a cup.SURE I'll use fresh 'shrooms!!

Calico--I'm not good at being meticulous.I will put a damp paper towel over my finger and wipe away..VISABLE stuff.But I dont see well any more, so I'm sure I miss a lot.Cast-iron stomach.Cant really get excited about a little schmutz if I'm going to cook the 'shrooms anyway.(For this reason I buy cut up raw from the salad bar at Whole Foods.Speaking of which-hell-if so+so gms is not even a cup, all I need do is buy a cup every day from the salad bar & toss them in my salad.)

Susie how do YOU clean mushrooms?

And please tell me how you took Jessie out today?It has been POURING all day!I had to dry Woody with towel & hairdryer.He's a VERY good boy.Hates to get wet, so will do his business, ALL of it  immediately.

Still, a dog DOES need to go out at least 2X a day...

I HAAAATE the balancing act:leash, plastic bag, keys, 'brelly.Rain, rain go away!

saluki

Joan  --Poor gal---Boy did I think about you yesterday!  My hip ached like hell yesterday with all that rain and I was wondering how you managed with Woody.

When I had to move my limited criteria was---I had to have a small back yard with a fence and the house had to have alot of light.  The other requirements--small, manageble NO STEPS, AND VERY LIMITED OR NO PAVEMENT---No shoveling for me and I'll wait out the snow till spring if need be.---Can't be dependent on kids who no longer think snow shoveling is worth any amount of money. A plus turned out to be a small deck.  If I can ever get them posted I have pics with my topsey turvy tomato plant and herbs I grew out there this year.  Really lovely and I never would have built a deck, so it was a nice bonus---even put a glider out there.-----Now if I could only get unpacked--What has it been ?  Two years?  And all the boxes are still sitting here.

Anyway my requirement for a fence and small yard for my animals ruled out condo's like yours even though it would have been convenient. I know I could never handle what you are doing--and the thought of snow would fill me with terror.  So, I think about you often.

Mine made a quick trip into the yard and ran back in for a towel dry.  She hates the rain.

JoanofArdmore

Susie your house sounds like Paradise!!How absolutely marvellous for you!

Snow, schmo.Rain is the hell.The building desnows very very well, it's a highrise, lots of us, it has to.But it cant keep the rain from falling.(Baby, the rain must fall..)

I had a nice fenced-in yard in my house(on 3 floors).Good size, sun, veggie& herb gardens, Echinacea and Sunflowers...Rupert would go in the garden and eat raspberries off the vine, or eat grape tomatoes off the plant.

But I have memories of Rupert ringing the bells on the back door to go out in DRENCHING rain.And then STANDING there smiling, all "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"Labbys are water dogs.Oh!The drying!

I have friends with smaller dogs who hate rain so much my friends must suit up and TAKE the little ...critters out.Or it's poop and pee in corners all over the house.

Anyway, since we're in global warming, I feel pretty sure the weather has gotten all the rain out of its system, at least the DAYS of consecutive pouring rain.

And knowing my little pal is gonna be so quick and good outside is comforting.

But I'd still rather be in my jammies, warm and dry.

Better get me some mushrooms.

Anonymous

Please send the rain to us.  We had a little, but we're still experiencing drought.  We are at least 20 inches below normal.

Shirley

JoanofArdmore

OMG Shirley!I hate droughts!Surely you'll get some fall rains now, right?

We have a HUUUUGE back park here, which I see from my apartment.Quiet, beautiful, and with 2 double rows of enormous old Sycamores.So now?The whole back is a lake.

I GLADLY would have sent you some!It rained HARD for 2 straight days!

Blundin2005

Hey you all!



Wow just a few days away from the boards and so much goes on! All the chat about mushrooms and I bought some from the lady's stand in Vetrella on the way home from getting our novel red wine in Montefiascone....the wine is really good this year. Probably I had a liiiittttlllee too much over the weekend. We bought galletti and porcini. DH made a red sauce with sausage and galletti to top fettucini. I baked the porcini in the oven to dry them so they wouldn't go bad before I used them. Then later, I added them to left over roasted fresh pork dish cooked in its' own juice (skimmed the fat). I don't know if that was the right way to do it, but it tasted really good.



...about cleaning them....I asked the lady at the stand how to clean the mushrooms....she explained to use a brush to take away the leaves and dirt, then some water to rinse. There were leaves stuck to the top of the porcini so I cut them away. I used most of the stems too...but they were a little more fiber.



Sorry to hear the weather news .... sounds like a little too much of everything. We had a couple of days of winter last week, then late summer returned.



abbracci,

Anonymous

AWWWWWWW!!!!  But the Fall has finally come! <BIG SMILES>  The boy next door was wearing a tobaggon and it was 62 degrees outdoors!  I thought, it's not THAT cold!  LOL

Shirley 

Blundin2005

Mushrooms made Yahoo news today, so I thought that I'd bump up a previous discussion.

A few months ago, my husband came home from the agricultural store with two cubes of earth wrapped in plastic...put them outside..poked holes in the plastic  to grow mushrooms.  We now have many mushrooms and many recipes.

The mushrooms are pioppini (shimeji).  

...put them in home made vegatable soup with beans

...chopped and put in red sauce

...chopped and layered in between egg plant, provolone, tomatoe, parmagiano and oregano (baked for 20 minutes)

...so far

If you can find a spot around the house it's not a bad idea, saves a lot of money too.

Was anyone successful to find info in US for this item?  I think that I gave information to contact Kennett Square (US mushroom capital) before but I can't find it.  Maybe the cube can be hand made.  I'll ask at the agricultural store more about this.