With the holidays fast approaching, you may have less free time, may fall off track with your routine, become more stressed, see less sun, eat fewer veggies, the list goes on. We get it and it can happen to all of us.
This is why we are making it easier and more accessible to optimize your nutrient status this season with no additional effort and no crazy and lofty wellness goals. Through our partnership with Monterey Mushrooms, we’re encouraging you to enjoy mushrooms and reap the vitamin D benefits. It’s that simple.
Every new and current Baze customer, now through January, will receive a coupon for Monterey Mushrooms in their next Baze shipment. Remember the five Golden Tickets that were hidden in Wonka Bars in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory? It’s like that. But with Baze, everyone’s a winner.
Why mushrooms?
At Baze, we believe food is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and that supplements are an important supportive tool in your wellness toolkit. For certain nutrients, like vitamin D, supplements are a necessity for a large majority of people because there are not enough foods high in these essential nutrients.
Monterey Mushrooms has created the first ground-breaking solution to dietary intake of vitamin D. With mushrooms. We’re partnering with them to give you one more way you can optimize your vitamin D intake and status this winter.
The down-low on vitamin D
Vitamin D is not found naturally in many foods, yet it is a nutrient essential for overall well-being. 94% of the US population obtain less than the daily recommended intake for vitamin D. Our bodies naturally produce vitamin D3, a common form of vitamin D, from cholesterol, but only when adequately exposed to sunlight.
Vitamin D has a long list of well-established benefits, from bone health to cardiovascular health, and even cognitive performance. One particular key benefit of Vitamin D is its support of the immune system. Isn’t it funny how the nutrient we need for a strong immunity is least accessible during the season we need it most?
It is recommended that we consume 600-800 IUs of vitamin D a day. Unfortunately, dietary sources of vitamin D are limited to certain types of fish, animal livers, eggs, mushrooms, and fortified foods. For reference, one egg only has 44 IUs meaning it’s pretty difficult to get in enough daily vitamin D through food alone.
Mushrooms are the only fruit or vegetable that naturally contain vitamin D. Until Monterey Mushrooms, mushrooms still only contained less than 2% of the daily value per serving.
Monterey Mushrooms worked with the United States Department of Agriculture to replicate what happens in nature when mushrooms are exposed to light. Through their research efforts, they found that mushrooms respond to light in much the same way that humans do, by converting a previtamin into vitamin D. Through exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, Monterey Mushrooms can naturally increase the stable level of vitamin D within mushrooms to well above 50 percent of the FDA’s recommended daily value.
Look for the Monterey Mushrooms with the
“Excellent Source of Vitamin D” badge on the label.
Let’s give mushrooms their moment!
Long celebrated as a superfood source of powerful nutrients, fresh mushrooms are a delicious addition to any meal. Mushrooms are a good source of B vitamins, including riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3) and pantothenic acid (B5) and, when exposed to light, they serve as the only source of vitamin D in the produce aisle. It’s now easy to incorporate this essential nutrient in your diet. These high vitamin D mushrooms are a vegan source of vitamin D. Therefore, those who consume a plant-based diet and do not consume fish, milk, or eggs, now have an easy, delicious way to consume vitamin D.
The best part of these mushrooms, other than their extraordinary nutrient content, is there is so much you can do with them. Top your avocado toast with mushroom, add them to your pasta or salad, throw them on top of your next homemade pizza, or use them blended with meat.
Make mushrooms the star of the show
“The Blend” challenges the notion that these earthy shoots are only the sideshow. It presents the idea that meat and mushrooms are long-lost soulmates, equal partners on a holistic, healthy dinner plate. Meat and mushrooms were meant to be blended. Whether it’s a 70/30 blend in a chili or pot pie or a 40/60 blend in meat-heavy tacos or sloppy Joes, it’s as easy as blend, cook and serve. Mushrooms can be incorporated regularly into your modern diet by blending them with meat or other plant-based alternatives, for an added flavor boost and health benefits.
Go mad for mushrooms!
Now that you’ve been introduced to this incredible, revolutionary food product, RUN to your closest Sam’s Club, HEB, Walmart, Sprouts, and other local grocers. If you have any questions or concerns regarding vitamin D or Monterey Mushrooms, shoot us an email at dietitians@baze.com.
Curious where your vitamin D levels stand and how that relates to your immunity? Check out the Baze Starter Kit, which gives you an in-depth look at your nutrient levels, monthly personalized supplements, and allows you to talk directly with a Baze dietitian about your results.
References
- Anjum I, Jaffery S S, Fayyaz M, et al. (July 10, 2018) The Role of Vitamin D in Brain Health: A Mini Literature Review. Cureus 10(7): e2960. doi:10.7759/cureus.2960
- Irimia R, Gottschling M (2016) Taxonomic revision of Rochefortia Sw. (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales). Biodiversity Data Journal 4: e7720. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.4.e7720
- Cangussu, L.M., Nahas-Neto, J., Orsatti, C.L. et al. Osteoporos Int (2015) 26: 2413. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-015-3151-9
- Dobnig H, Pilz S, Scharnagl H, et al. Independent Association of Low Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D Levels With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168(12):1340–1349. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.168.12.1340
- Feart, C et al. Associations of lower vitamin D concentrations with cognitive decline and long-term risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in older adults. Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, Volume 13, Issue 11, 1207 – 1216 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28522216
- Qiong Hong, Jianhua Xu, Shengqian Xu, Li Lian, Mingming Zhang, Changhai Ding, Associations between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and disease activity, inflammatory cytokines and bone loss in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, Rheumatology, Volume 53, Issue 11, November 2014, Pages 1994–2001, https://doi.org/10.1093/rheumatology/keu173
- Miller JW, Harvey DJ, Beckett LA, et al. Vitamin D Status and Rates of Cognitive Decline in a Multiethnic Cohort of Older Adults. JAMA Neurol. 2015;72(11):1295–1303. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.2115
- Munger KL, Åivo J, Hongell K, Soilu-Hänninen M, Surcel H, Ascherio A. Vitamin D Status During Pregnancy and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis in Offspring of Women in the Finnish Maternity Cohort. JAMA Neurol. 2016;73(5):515–519. doi:https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.4800
- Parker, Johanna et al. Levels of vitamin D and cardiometabolic disorders: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Maturitas, Volume 65, Issue 3, 225 – 236 https://www.maturitas.org/article/S0378-5122(09)00468-X/fulltext