Mushrooms: Nutrition, Benefits, Side Effects, and More
Diet & NutritionFood & Ingredients
Explore This Topic

Mushrooms 101: A Complete Guide

Mushrooms 101: A Complete Guide
Adobe Stock
By
Updated on September 30, 2025
by

Mushrooms are nutrient-rich fungi with a savory, umami flavor and a wide variety of culinary uses. Explore the common types of edible mushrooms, their potential health benefits, how to eat and store them, and how health experts recommend adding them to your health and wellness routine.

How to Cut It: Portobello Mushroom

Mushrooms are a low-calorie, antioxidant-rich superfood that can be used as a meat substitute. Everyday Health staff nutritionist Kelly Kennedy, RDN, shows you how to cut mushrooms.
How to Cut It: Portobello Mushroom

Next up video playing in 10 seconds

Types of Mushrooms

White button mushrooms are the most popular variety. You may also find the following edible mushrooms at your grocery or specialty store or at a farmers market.

  • Beech
  • Cremini (baby bella)
  • Enoki
  • Maitake
  • Morel
  • Oyster
  • Porcini
  • Portobello
  • Shiitake

Mushroom Nutrition Facts

The nutritional value of mushrooms can vary from one type to another. Below are the nutrition facts for 3.5 ounces of three popular varieties of mushrooms. In addition to being low in calories and fat while comparably high in protein, mushrooms tend to be a good dietary source of both potassium and selenium.

White Button Mushrooms

  • Calories 31

  • Protein 2.9 grams (g)
  • Fat 0.4 g
  • Carbohydrates 4.1 g
  • Potassium 373 milligrams (mg)
  • Selenium 20 micrograms (mcg)

Cremini (Baby Bella) Mushrooms

  • Calories 30

  • Protein 3.1 g
  • Fat 0.2 g
  • Carbohydrates 4 g
  • Potassium 380 mg
  • Selenium 15.3 mcg

Portobello Mushrooms

  • Calories 32

  • Protein 2.8 g
  • Fat 0.3 g
  • Carbohydrates 4.7 g
  • Potassium 349 mg
  • Selenium 14.7 mcg

Forms of Mushrooms

You may be most familiar with the fresh mushrooms that you add to a salad or stir-fry, but mushrooms come in a variety of other forms as well. At specialty grocers, health-food stores, dietary supplement stores, and online retailers, you can find mushroom-based supplements, nutraceuticals (whole-mushroom-based products), and drinks like mushroom coffee and mushroom tea. Some of these products have been researched, but generally, more clinical trials are needed to confirm exactly how they work and how effective they are. There’s also a need to standardize mushroom supplement production, including mushroom farming and the manufacturing and testing of supplements, to ensure that these products function as marketed.

 If you ingest mushrooms in these processed forms, tell your healthcare provider.

Potential Health Benefits of Mushrooms

“Mushrooms are low in calories and saturated fat, and they add micronutrients, flavonols, and phytochemicals to your meal,” says Katherine Brooking, RD, who is based in New York City. As such, they may provide the following health benefits:

  • Improved Gut Health Mushrooms supply prebiotics, which feed probiotics, the beneficial bacteria in your gut.

  • Healthy Blood Pressure Mushrooms are a helpful food source of potassium, a mineral that helps keep blood pressure within a healthy range.

  • Reduced Cancer Risk Two powerful antioxidants in mushrooms, ergothioneine and glutathione, may help defend against oxidative damage.

     As a result, eating mushrooms regularly is associated with a reduced risk of cancer.

  • Cognitive Health Support The same oxidative-stress-reducing compounds may be helpful in preventing the onset of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

  • Bone and Immune Health Some mushrooms are exposed to UV light as they grow, which generates vitamin D, a micronutrient that helps maintain strong bones and supports immunity.

     A 1/2 cup of UV-exposed white mushrooms contains about half of the recommended daily intake of vitamin D.

  • Reduced Fat Diet Mushrooms have a savory, umami flavor while being low in calories and fat, making them a healthy substitute for ground beef or steak — a dietary swap that’s associated with a lower risk of dying of any disease.

     In many cases, mushrooms are also more affordable than meat, especially the white button variety, says Brooking.
  • Emerging Mental Health Treatment Ongoing research explores the use of psilocybin, the hallucinogenic compound found in certain types of mushrooms referred to as “magic” mushrooms, as a potential therapy for depression.

10 Different Kinds of Mushroom Extract Supplements

With their anti-aging effects, mental health benefits, and cancer-fighting properties, you aren't going to want to sleep on these shrooms!
10 Different Kinds of Mushroom Extract Supplements

Next up video playing in 10 seconds

Potential Side Effects of Mushrooms

The risk of side effects from mushrooms depends on the type, source, use, concentration, and quantity consumed. “Broadly speaking, mushroom varieties that you find in your grocery store are extremely safe,” says Brooking. On the other hand, it’s recommended that you not pick wild mushrooms unless you’re an expert in the field. “There are thousands of varieties of mushrooms, and some are poisonous,” she says.

Wild mushrooms can cause a range of possible side effects. Nausea, vomiting, cramping, and diarrhea are most common, typically showing up 20 minutes to four hours after ingestion. Other signs and symptoms of mushroom poisoning include excessive salivation, sweating, tears, confusion, delusions, and convulsions, depending on the type of mushroom consumed. Mushroom poisoning can be fatal, as it may lead to organ damage and organ failure.

Magic mushrooms, which contain substances such as psilocybin and psilocin, may cause hallucinations and delusions.

 While these mushroom varieties have been used medicinally, ritually, and recreationally for centuries, consuming them can come with side effects, including increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, vomiting, nausea, agitation, confusion, extreme fear, anxiety, panic, and paranoia, especially at higher doses.

How to Select and Store Mushrooms

Mushroom varieties have different flavor profiles, so the type you choose depends on your taste preferences.

White button mushrooms tend to be considered mild in flavor and easily pair with other foods, which is why you often see them as a pizza topping or salad bar option.

Stronger-flavored mushrooms include maitakes and lion’s mane, or pom-poms. Maitakes have a rich, earthy flavor and can hold their own as an entrée, while lion’s mane has a crablike flavor and texture that goes well with shellfish and fish.

After choosing and buying mushrooms, keep the fungi dry to prolong their shelf life. Store them in a refrigerator unwashed.

Mushrooms are packed with nutrients and health benefits, and mushroom coffee is a unique, antioxidant-rich way to enjoy them. Discover the best mushroom coffee to invigorate your mornings and support your well-being.

How to Eat Mushrooms

After you brush off any dirt or give them a quick rinse, mushrooms can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of ways.

 Sliced, diced, and chopped mushrooms work well in most dishes that feature ground meat such as burgers and meatballs, as well as egg dishes like omelets and quiches. Many people enjoy grilling larger varieties like portobellos as the main event of a meal. Mushrooms make for a delicious side dish as well, sautéed or roasted with butter or olive oil and sliced garlic.

“Bring them in wherever you can,” says Brooking. “That means slicing them into a salad, stirring them into a soup, or adding them to a frittata.”

Remember that mushroom stems are both edible and nutritious, so chop and remove dry ends rather than discarding entire stems when preparing your mushrooms for cooking.

Common Questions & Answers

What are the health benefits of mushrooms?
Mushrooms are low in calories and fat, and serve as a good source of protein, potassium, and selenium. They can help support gut, bone, and immune health, as well as promote healthy blood pressure and defend against oxidative damage.
Avoid eating wild mushrooms, as many varieties cause side effects ranging from nausea and vomiting to organ failure and death. Stick to mushrooms found at your grocery store, which are safe to eat
Mushroom coffee is a drink made with ground coffee and medicinal mushrooms. Varieties in these products include chaga mushroom, reishi, and cordyceps, as they're thought to improve immune health, relieve stress, and support cognition.
Research suggests that the antioxidants in mushrooms may help reduce oxidative stress in the body, which may help preserve cognitive health and prevent the onset of age-related neurodegenerative diseases.
Psilocybin is the psychedelic compound found in certain mushroom varieties that people use for hallucinogenic effects. Emerging research explores the use of psilocybin to treat mental health conditions like depression.

The Takeaway

  • Mushrooms are nutrient-rich fungi that are low in calories and fat, high in potassium and selenium, and available in many varieties.
  • Mushrooms may provide a range of health benefits, including improved gut health, reduced cancer risk, and support for cognitive, bone, and immune health.
  • While common store-bought mushrooms are generally safe, wild varieties can be poisonous and may cause severe side effects, and magic mushrooms can cause hallucinations.
  • When preparing mushrooms, eat them raw or cooked in a variety of dishes, and store them unwashed in the refrigerator to prolong their shelf life.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Mushrooms Are One of the Most Unique Grown Produce. Mushroom Council.
  2. Potassium. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. June 2, 2022.
  3. Selenium. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. September 4, 2025.
  4. Mushrooms, White Button. U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central. October 28, 2021.
  5. Mushrooms, Crimini. U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central. October 28, 2021.
  6. Mushrooms, Portabella. U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central. October 28, 2021.
  7. Venturella G et al. Medicinal Mushrooms: Bioactive Compounds, Use, and Clinical Trials. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. January 10, 2021.
  8. Kulshreshtha S. Mushroom as Prebiotics: A Sustainable Approach for Healthcare. Probiotics and Antimicrobial Proteins. September 30, 2023.
  9. How Potassium Can Help Prevent or Treat High Blood Pressure. American Heart Association. August 14, 2025.
  10. Sivakumar D et al. Mushroom Biomass Waste Is a Source of the Antioxidants Ergothioneine and Glutathione. Sustainability. August 3, 2023.
  11. Ba DM et al. Higher Mushroom Consumption Is Associated with Lower Risk of Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies. Advances in Nutrition. March 16, 2021.
  12. Liuzzi GM et al. Antioxidant Compounds from Edible Mushrooms as Potential Candidates for Treating Age-Related Neurodegenerative Diseases. Nutrients. April 15, 2023.
  13. Starck C et al. Mushrooms: A Food-Based Solution to Vitamin D Deficiency to Include in Dietary Guidelines. Frontiers in Nutrition. April 9, 2024.
  14. Vitamin D. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. June 27, 2025.
  15. Ba DM et al. Association of Mushroom Consumption With All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among American Adults: Prospective Cohort Study Findings From NHANES III. Nutrition Journal. April 22, 2021.
  16. Carhart-Harris R et al. Trial of Psilocybin versus Escitalopram for Depression. The New England Journal of Medicine. April 14, 2021.
  17. Mushroom Poisoning Syndromes. North American Mycological Association.
  18. Psilocybin (Magic Mushrooms). National Institute on Drug Abuse. January 2024.
  19. White Button. Mushroom Council.
  20. Maitake.  Mushroom Council.
  21. Lion’s Mane. Mushroom Council.
  22. Mushrooms 101: How to Select and Store Mushrooms. Mushroom Council.
  23. Mushrooms Make Healthy Meal Magic. Mayo Clinic. January 23, 2023.