Eating This Veggie for Breakfast Makes You Feel Fuller, Longer—and Could Aid in Weight Loss

Nitr/ShutterstockIf you’re already a fan of mushroom recipes—good news, you could be in for some serious weight loss if you go shroom-wild every morning.

A recent randomized controlled crossover trial out of the University of Minnesota, found that eating mushrooms for breakfast each morning can have a satiating effect that potentially lasts much longer than typical American breakfasts—think sugary cereals and donuts with coffee (sad, we know).

Researchers wanted to see if regularly eating mushrooms, from cremini to white buttons, for breakfast makes you feel fuller—an important component in the battle to lose weight. Participants ate either a mushroom sandwich or a minced beef sandwich (which we’re pretty sure this is the clinical, scientific name for a sloppy joe, but can’t say for certain) for breakfast for ten days, and then were told to eat the opposite for the next ten days.

The shroom-eaters reported feeling fuller in the hour or more afterwards. Research findings suggested the mushroom recipes also had plenty of protein by the way they were prepared, but that fungi, in general, offer more belly-filling volume than an equal-energy portion of meat. Mushrooms are higher in fiber content, helping the participants who ate the mushroom recipe sandwiches feel significantly fuller, longer. (Not a fan of mushrooms? Find out if you can get the same benefits by drinking mushroom coffee.)

While technically weight loss wasn’t measured as a part of this study, it’s not unreasonable to assume that bulking up on fiber-rich meals will help people lose weight. This Harvard study found a strong connection between fiber intake and weight loss, for example. Either way, the verdict is clear—this is a great excuse to try our mushroom marsala with barley recipe.