Mushrooms
Avoid — On the avoid list of the leaflet this book follows, or restricted almost everywhere.
Mushrooms are not plants and their structure is not made of the fibre found in vegetables. The cell walls of a fungus are built largely from chitin, the same material as an insect shell, and the human gut has no enzyme for it. A piece of mushroom that goes in recognisable comes out recognisable, however long it has been cooked and however carefully it has been chewed.
That is what puts it on the blockage lists rather than any argument about grams of fibre.
Where hospitals differ
Barely at all, which is unusual in this diet. Mushrooms appear on the Oxford ileostomy blockage list, on the Leeds obstruction avoid list and in the St George's high tier. They are not named on the leaflet this book follows, which is a gap rather than a permission, and this book treats them as restricted on the strength of everywhere else.
What to use instead
The thing you want from a mushroom is savoury depth, and that can be rebuilt from other directions. Marmite dissolved into a gravy or a broth. A well-reduced clear stock. Parmesan or a mature Cheddar. Soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, both allowed by the leaflet this book follows. Browning meat properly rather than steaming it grey in the pan.
What this book does
No recipe uses mushrooms in any form, including dried, powdered or as a stock. This is one of the few places where there is no judgement call to make and nothing to ask about.
Swaps
- Instead of Mushrooms, use Leave out, and rebuild the savoury depth with marmite, a well-reduced stock, or parmesan
- Mushrooms are excluded on nearly every low-residue list, so this book rebuilds the same savoury depth from marmite, a good stock or parmesan instead. Some hospitals allow small amounts of well-cooked mushroom, so it is worth checking with your own team before you rule it out completely.