Anyone with even a slight interest in the natural health market has surely noticed the latest trend: mushroom powder. Derived from functional mushroom species like reishi and lion’s mane, mushroom powder boasts an array of potential wellness benefits.
Functional mushrooms have taken center stage as celebrated superfoods in recent years. From providing nutritional properties to promoting immune health, these potent fungi are an excellent addition to any health and wellness routine.
Different species provide different therapeutic effects. For instance, reishi may reduce stress and support sleep, while lion’s mane mushroom powder is excellent for improving focus and concentration.
Mushroom supplements, like powder, offer a more practical and convenient way to reap the rewards of functional mushrooms.
What Is Mushroom Powder?
Generally, mushroom powder is exactly what it sounds like – dried mushrooms milled into a fine powder. Although it can be made from any culinary mushroom, it typically refers to functional mushrooms, which, as alluded to above, provide health benefits beyond their nutritional value.
One of the primary differences between whole mushrooms and mushroom powder is that the latter is more highly concentrated. In other words, you get a more potent dose of nutrients, amino acids, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds.
Furthermore, while some functional mushrooms can be consumed fresh and cooked, most need to be processed in a way that our bodies can utilize the nutrients. Typically, fresh mushrooms are processed using hot water or alcohol extraction to draw out the beneficial compounds.
Following the extraction process, the liquid is concentrated into a powder. The resulting mushroom powder is more concentrated and has a higher bioavailability than the original mushroom.
Functional mushroom powders can be made from a single mushroom species or several varieties. Often, they incorporate a few different mushroom extracts to maximize the therapeutic effects of each type.
How Do You Use Mushroom Powder?
The versatility of mushroom powder is unmatched. It can be added to your favorite food or beverage or infused into capsules. Although the flavor may differ slightly depending on the species, it generally has a mild, earthy flavor that blends well into many recipes.
The best way to use mushroom powder is subjective; it depends on your needs, lifestyle, and personal preference.
Here are the most popular ways to use mushroom powder.
Adding Mushroom Powder to Hot Drinks
Blending mushroom powder into tea or coffee is an excellent way to incorporate the recommended dosage of functional mushrooms into your daily routine. The slight bitterness of some functional mushroom powders pairs particularly well with coffee and cocoa drinks.
Those keen on a sweet option can make dalgona coffee by combining the mushroom powder with hot coffee, milk, and sugar and frothing it to a creamy consistency. Mushroom powder can also be added to a latte with frothed milk.
There are several fun and interesting ways to experiment with mushroom powder for coffee: a blended coffee drink, black, or in a latte. There are tons of ideas available online with easy-to-follow recipes.
Alternatively, you can simply mix your mushroom powder into hot water and drink it as is.
Incorporating Mushroom Powder into Smoothie
Similarly, mushroom powder can also be added to cold beverages, like smoothies. Whether it’s your breakfast smoothie, post-workout smoothie, or bedtime smoothie, mushroom powder can enhance its nutritional powder.
Depending on the ingredients used, smoothies are customizable beverages that serve as an entire meal replacement or provide a quick, refreshing pick-me-up.
Choosing a specific mushroom species to supplement your wellness needs is a great way to enhance the health benefits of your smoothie. Alternatively, multi-species mushroom blends provide the benefits of several functional mushrooms.
Cooking with Mushroom Powder
Finally, mushroom powder can be easily incorporated into everyday foods. It can be sprinkled over scrambled eggs, into pasta sauces, soup bases, stir-fries, and over salads. You can even coat a steak, chicken, or fish in mushroom powder before tossing it on a grill.
It makes for an excellent seasoning agent in savory dishes but may even work for sweet dishes. There are tons of mushroom powder recipes online that you may find useful.
Final Thoughts on the Best Way to Use Mushroom Powder
Functional mushrooms are proving very popular in the health and wellness space. Mushroom powders provide a quick, easy, and convenient way to reap the benefits of these powerful fungi.
Mushroom powders are incredibly versatile and can be used in several exciting ways. They can be added to hot or cold beverages or incorporated into your favorite foods. The best way to use mushroom powder depends on what works best for you. It’s important to find a method that fits easily into your routine.
