Many of the people you follow on social media are sipping a warm drink that tastes like coffee. You find out that many people are singing the praises of mushroom coffee when you look into it more. But how could something like that taste good? The last thing you’d want to drink is a warm cup of portabella soup. The taste can’t be more important than the benefits, can it?
Ryanne Lachman, a registered dietitian, says that it’s interesting that mushroom coffee tastes a lot like regular coffee. “At the end of the day, it’s just coffee with mushroom extracts mixed in.”
Adaptogens, which is a fancy word for things like herbs and mushrooms, have been used in Chinese medicine for a long time. So it’s not like adding mushrooms to your diet to improve your health is a new idea.
So, is this kind of coffee the magic drink we’ve been waiting for?
How does mushroom coffee work?
Most of the time, the most popular mushrooms found in coffee blends are:
- Reishi.
- Chaga.
- Lion’s mane.
- Cordyceps.
You can’t just throw a few mushrooms into your coffee and call it a day, thank goodness (because that would be, well, gross). In order to get the good compounds out of the mushrooms used in mushroom coffee, they are dried and extracted. These compounds are then mixed with regular coffee.
Most mushroom coffees are actually mixes of mushroom extract and instant coffee. It tastes like coffee because it is coffee.
So, is mushroom coffee actually good for you?
There are a lot of claims about how good mushroom coffee is for you. Here are some of the most popular:
- Better sleep.
- cut down on stress.
- Boosts your immune system.
- helps you remember things.
- Higher energy levels.
- Relaxes sore muscles.
- cut down on inflammation.
But do these claims have any truth to them?
“Mushrooms, in general, are good for you in a lot of ways,” says Lachman. “Reducing inflammation is usually a big one. Mushrooms also have substances called antioxidants that can help the immune system.
Mushroom coffee also has less caffeine, which, depending on who you ask, usually makes people feel less anxious and sleep better.
But don’t put too much stock in the long lists of benefits that are said to be unique to mushroom coffee. There isn’t a lot of evidence that all of the claims are true.
Lachman says that you might be better off eating normal foods that contain mushrooms instead of drinking special (and expensive) coffee.
Mushrooms are good for you on their own.
The good news is that mushrooms are full of fibre, vitamins, and minerals when they are eaten on their own.
Try adding whole mushrooms to the dishes you already make. You can put them in salads, cook them with pasta, or grill them at a barbecue. You’ll still get the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits, but you won’t have to give up your usual cup of coffee or spend a lot of money on a fancy blend.
If you’re still sure you want to add the mushroom powder to your diet, try one type at a time and write down any side effects you might have.
Mushrooms can sometimes make it hard to digest, especially for people with kidney problems or who have trouble digesting grains. In fact, Chaga mushrooms have a lot of oxalates, which are known to cause kidney stones and make them bigger. Before turning to fungi, it’s best to talk to your doctor or a dietitian if you have digestive problems.
Lachman says that there is nothing wrong with mushroom coffee as long as you don’t put in a lot of sugar or creamer. “But if you eat mushrooms as part of your regular diet, you’ll get the same benefits and even more, like fibre.”