This book is not just a cookbook. It covers the health benefits of the mushroom, a food that is neither a plant or an animal, and that may partly explain why they seem to offer benefits beyond those found with vegetables.

From mushroom research this century we have learned:
1. Mushrooms are one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world.
2. Mushrooms are very filling despite being low in kilojoules, making them a great 'weight control' food.
3. Mushrooms provide more than a quarter of your daily needs of the essential vitamins riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and biotin.
4. Mushrooms are a good source of the essential minerals selenium and copper.
5. Mushrooms are a wonderful source of fibre, to keep you healthy on the insides.

Mushroom science is moving at a rapid rate. Researchers right now are checking the common mushroom for its ability to stop breast and prostate cancer, and to enhance the immune system.