On Monday in the online journal of Pediatrics, a new study reports that American kids are not getting enough vitamin D, a problem that could lead to low calcium, high blood pressure and diabetes. The study suggested that approximately 7.6 million children in the U.S. may have low levels of vitamin D, and is the first to cover the issue of vitamin D deficiency on a nationwide basis.

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University conducted the study that examined more than 6,000 children to see what their vitamin D levels might be. A total of 9 percent of the study sample, which the study authors said was equivalent to 7.6 million children in the U.S., were found to be vitamin D deficient. Another 61 percent were found to be vitamin D insufficient.

It’s understandable that researchers aimed much of their blame on television, video games and too much time spent indoors, since the most abundant source for this nutrient is exposure to natural sunlight. However, the use of sunscreen markedly reduces natural production of vitamin D. Most parents act cautiously, slathering kids up with sunscreen, when sending their children out to play in the hot sun but it leaves them to ask the question – how can I increase my child’s vitamin D intake in a safe, natural way?

An easy way to increase your child’s vitamin D intake is adding more foods, like mushrooms, that have natural vitamin D to their diet. Don’t think your children will eat mushrooms? Take a look at A Mom’s Perspective on Mushrooms and the Advice in Action to learn some valuable advice on how to easily include mushrooms in children’s diets.

Also, get creative! Take a look at
these delicious Portabella Skins.
They’re a healthy snack the entire family will enjoy!

For more information on vitamin D, check out our Vitamin D Fact Sheet.

Food for thought: Good sources of vitamin D There is a lot of buzz around vitamin D in the news these days, and many people are wondering how they can add more D to their diets. News Channel 9 WSYR shares the tops sources for the essential vitamin, noting that the vegetable with the highest levels of vitamin D is mushrooms.

8 power foods to protect your health Yahoo! Health selected top eight power foods and guess what made the list, mushrooms! Some of the top reasons for being named a power food include that they’re low in calories and are a top plant source of B-complex vitamins, including riboflavin, which helps keep skin healthy and eyesight sharp. They also leave other produce in the dust when it comes to selenium, an antioxidant that may protect against some cancers.

Vegetarian? 6 tips for a healthy vegetarian diet One of the six tips for a healthy vegetarian diet offered by U.S. News & World Report: Replace the meat. To replace the savory taste of meat, try a Portabella mushroom burger!

Vitamin D Did you know Monterey Mushrooms launched Sun Bella Mushrooms this year? Now Monterey Mushrooms offers a safer and more nutritious alternative. Monterey’s Sun-Bella brand mushrooms. Whenever you buy Sun-Bella brand mushrooms, you will be assured of getting a minimum of 100% of the Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) as established by the FDA.  Mushrooms react to sunlight in the same way as humans and produce a totally natural form of vitamin D.  As such they are totally safe and good for you. A single 3 ounce serving will provide at least 100% of the RDI with no fat and no cholesterol. 

50% of Americans lack enough vitamin D My FOX Washington D.C. reports that more than 50% of people in the United States aren’t getting enough vitamin D. Did you know new research shows vitamin D could help with the prevention of cancer? To add more D to your diet, try this recipe, with more than half of your daily dose of vitamin D: Mushroom and Smoked Salmon Frittata. 

Inadequate vitamin D levels common in U.S. children Monday in the journal Pediatrics says that American kids are not getting enough Vitamin D, a problem which could lead to low calcium levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes. The researchers aimed much of their blame at soda, television, and sunscreen. Reuters reports on the study suggesting that most children could benefit from a little more sunshine.

You have probably already guessed us to be big fans of Tastespotting.  We even got Tastespotting editor Sarah J Gim to be our eyes on the scene for the Pizza Expo in the spring.  We love it. Photo after photo of beautifully styled and photographed food at every point in the cooking process.

Tastespotting is also an outlet we use from time to time to introduce us to bloggers doing beautiful things with mushrooms.  While looking around late last week, I came across not one but TWO stunners from the same blogger- Dana Treat. A personal chef in Seattle, Dana appears to have a way with a camera much like her way with a whisk…the whole site is GORGEOUS!

I had a hard time choosing between Asparagus Ragout with thinly sliced cremini mushrooms and her homemade gnochi with mushroom cream sauce.  I went back and forth in my head a few times and then figured I should just let you choose!

Asparagus Ragout with Cremini Mushrooms

Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce

Thoughts?

One of my favorite ways to eat mushrooms is in soup. I think their texture suits a liquid delivery quite well – they don’t wither away like other vegetables do. We love thick blended soups in our house, and my favorite mushroom soup is a puree of wild mushrooms topped with walnuts, which you can find on KERF: Wild Mushroom Soup.

But in the summertime I crave a lighter bowl, which led to me create this brothy mushroom recipe. Summertime collard greens and corn on the cob swim around with hearty creminis – just not within 30 minutes of eating J I think the key to good broth-based soups is the broth itself. If you use a bland broth, your whole soup will be bland. Nothing beats a homemade stock, but if you use boxed, I recommend the organic kinds by Pacific or Imagine.

Summertime Mushroom Soup

• 1 pint cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 corn cobs, with corn cut off
• 1 bunch collard greens, washed, trimmed and torn
• 1 box (32 oz) high quality vegetable or mushroom stock
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• Pinch sea salt
• Few grounds of pepper
• A few saffron threads, if you have them
• Sprinkle red pepper flakes (to taste)

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add garlic, mushrooms, corn and carrots. Cook until slightly tender. Add broth, greens and seasonings. Simmer until greens are tender.

Makes 3-5 bowl’s worth, depending on your portion size. Serve with crusty bread and some summer sunshine!