If we go back over a billion years ago, before there were plants and animals, fungi were here first. In fact, research shows the animal and fungi kingdoms actually come from the same evolutionary branch, perhaps revealing why mushrooms inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, just like humans.
It’s thought that 40% of the diet of ancient primates was derived buy hippie flip from fungi, and strong evolutionary connection may be a reason why mushrooms provide so many potential health benefits. Today more and more research is uncovering the many health benefits of this super food (sorry, I know that term gets thrown around a lot, but mushrooms may actually fit the bill).
Let's take a closer look at how mushrooms can impact health and performance.
Benefits of Mushrooms
Mushrooms are incredibly nutrient-dense, chock-full of micronutrients like iron and B-vitamins, as well as key nutrients like glycoproteins (i.e., ergosterols) and polysaccharides (i.e. beta-glucans). They also provide an array of health benefits:
antioxidant
anti-inflammatory
antiviral
boost metabolism
improve lipid levels
anti-cancer

Different types of mushrooms can provide different types of benefits. The following is a list of eight mushrooms you can think about adding to your nutritional arsenal to support better health, recovery, immunity or potentially performance.
Eight Mushrooms for Health & Performance
Reishi
Athletes need to train hard and train often. This takes its toll on your nervous and immune systems. If you're constantly busy and on the run, this is also a tremendous stressor on these systems. Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) are known as the “king of the mushrooms” and have been used in traditional medicine for centuries to boost resiliency and immunity.
Shiitake
If you live in a city with a true winter climate, your vitamin D falls dramatically throughout the coldest months of the year. Unfortunately, very few foods contain much vitamin D (making supplementation a good option for most people).
All mushrooms contain ergosterol, a plant sterol compound that makes up a fundamental part of the cell membrane. Sun exposure converts ergosterol into vitamin D, and a 100g serving of fresh mushrooms will provide 2,000 IU.
For example, shiitake mushrooms not only provide a buy hippie flip natural source of vitamin D but also chocked-full of B-vitamins (riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, etc.), selenium, zinc, and copper. (They also taste great in omelettes and on steaks!) Here's a quick tip; slicing your mushroom will yield even higher vitamin D levels as it exposes more of the surface area to light.