Healthy Hollywood: Ask Keri Glassman — What Is The Mushroom Diet?

NEW YORK, N.Y. --
 

Want to know how celebrities are getting their fabulous post-baby bodies? And, if their diet plan is right for you?

This week’s question…

“I heard about some mushroom diet, what is it?”

Keri says:

Oh yes, the M Plan! You probably heard about “The Mushroom Diet” or “M Plan” after Katy Perry Tweeted a picture of her daily supplement regimen last week that also mentioned the plan. And we all know what the twitterverse can do! Katy’s tweet sparked chatter and coverage of the M Plan that also noted Kelly Osbourne as a celeb M Diet fan.

The M Plan is a 14 day diet that replaces either lunch or dinner every day with a mushroom filled dish supposedly to help shed pounds quickly without losing curves. Do I even need to say…when it sounds too good to be true…in other words that’s quite a promise.

We all know veggies are good for us. They are high in fiber and water volume and people who eat lots of veggies are more likely to lose weight. Research has shown that mushrooms are a good meat substitute for those looking to reduce meat consumption and/or calorie and fat intake. Mushrooms are slightly “heartier” than many veggies so they do help you feel full and satisfied. Studies have shown substituting four ounces of mushrooms for four ounces of meat once a week for one year could save more than 18,000 calories and nearly 3,000 grams of fat – that adds up to more than five pounds!

But when it comes to mushrooms, it’s not all about the lbs. Mushrooms are the only produce that contain vitamin D - without vitamin D, your body can’t use the calcium that you eat. These funky looking guys also are great sources of selenium, an antioxidant that fights free radicals and boosts your immune system, as well as riboflavin, a B vitamin which produces energy for the body and is important in metabolic activity.

But is there anything really magical here or heroic enough to have a diet named after it? Probably not. If you are eating burgers daily for lunch and replace them with a mushroom and spinach salad, yes, you probably will lose (and be healthier!) but isn’t that just improving your eating habits by incorporating more veggies? Isn’t that just part of a normal healthy adjustment to your daily diet?

Yes. So, pull a Katy Perry: go add some ‘shrooms, some greens and cruciferous veggies to your overall diet… you might just fall in love with these fabulous fungi!