Converting Mushrooms Into Vitamin D Poppers – Mushroom Caps – GAPS Approved

Many people mistakenly believe mushrooms feed pathogens which feed yeast, giving a person a yeast infection, when in fact, the opposite is true. These mushroom caps taste just like traditional mushroom caps however, with these clean ingredients they don’t feed pathogens. The only problem will be there are never enough of them!

The mushroom itself has anti-yeast properties to it, spores that reside on the mushroom protecting it from other mushrooms or fungi. This keeps the mushroom in tact and stable. It’s what protects the mushroom, keeps it as it’s own species and subgroup.

If you take mushrooms and put them out in the sunshine for 20 minutes, they will absorb vitamin D from the sun. Mushrooms are incredible for holding vitamin D and become a free vitamin source, a great way to increase your natural vitamin D levels. When vitamin D levels are high it is more difficult for the body to get ill. 

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Medline Plus says, “Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium. Calcium and phosphate are two minerals that are essential for normal bone formation. If you do not get enough calcium, or if your body does not absorb enough calcium from your diet, bone production and bone tissues may suffer.”

Fungi Perfecti, a site dedicated to mushrooms and the education thereof, says, “even sliced and dried mushrooms—including wild ones picked the year before—will soar in vitamin D when placed outdoors under the sun. Now, the summer time, from June until September, is the best seasonal window for people in northern latitudes to make vitamin D enriched mushrooms!”

They go on to say, “Mushrooms and animal skins create vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. Mushrooms are rich in the vitamin D precursor ergosterol, which ultraviolet B (between wavelengths of 290 nm to 315 nm) converts to ergocalciferols, also called provitamin D2. Mammfal epidermis has cholecalciferol, which ultraviolet light converts to D3.”

An experiment was done by placing organically grown mushrooms divided into three testing groups. The first group was dried inside, away from the sun. The second was dried outside in the sun, gills down, the third gills up outdoors. Before sun exposure, vitamin D levels tested at 100 IU/100 grams. “The most vitamin D was found in shiitake dried with gills up exposed to sunlight for two days, six hours per day. The vitamin D levels in these mushrooms soared to nearly 46,000 IU/100 grams. Their stems, though, produced very little vitamin D, only about 900 IU. Notably, vitamin D levels dropped on the third day, probably due to over-exposure to UV.”

With this trick these mushroom caps become vitamin D supplements!

For this recipe fresh mushrooms, not dried, are used. Exposing the mushrooms gills up outside to the sunshine for any length of time will increase the vitamin D content. Placing the mushrooms outside should be done with common sense regarding flies or other pests to avoid bacteria.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and place the caps gills up on a non-stick liner like this one. You pay the same shopping through Amazon while the author receives a small referral fee from Amazon. This offsets the costs of this site.

*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, GAPS who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia as well as through Skype and phone consultations. Most of her clients have Leaky Gut, histamine issues, autism or autoimmunity. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia through food she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. This is not a news article published by a paper trying to make money. This blog is put out by a mom who sees first hand the effects of nourishing food vs food-ish items. No company pays her for writing these blogs, she considers this a form of missionary work. It is her desire to scream it from the rooftops so that others don’t suffer from the damaging effect of today’s “food”.