Straw mushroom

Straw mushrooms, once cooked, can be offered when baby is ready for solids, around 6 months. Never feed baby foraged mushrooms unless you are an expert mycologist, since poisonous look-alikes grow wild.

Where it comes from

Straw mushrooms, also called paddy straw mushrooms, are native to East and Southeast Asia. They like the hot, wet setting of rice paddies and grow on the cut straw of rice plants. Where they are grown, they are sold fresh, often unpeeled, when they look like a small brown egg. They spoil very fast, so outside those regions they are usually found canned or dried.

Nutrition

They are rich in iron, zinc, folate, and fiber, which strengthen baby's blood, brain, immune system, and gut. They also contain ergothioneine, an antioxidant that helps the body's resilience. They give fiber and fluid and carry prebiotics that feed gut bacteria. Add fiber-rich foods slowly and regularly. A little gas or loose stool shows the digestive system adjusting.

Do not serve straw mushrooms raw. Raw mushrooms carry a higher risk of foodborne illness, notably Salmonella and Listeria. Cooking lowers the risk.

Many canned and pickled types hold more sodium than a baby needs. When sharing with baby, choose fresh or rehydrated dried mushrooms.

Buy mushrooms from a reputable source. Do not give foraged mushrooms. Straw mushrooms can easily be mistaken for the toxic death cap.

Straw mushrooms are small, slippery, and round, which gives a high choking risk.

To lower the risk, slice or chop the mushrooms so none stay round, and cook them well. Set up a safe eating space and stay beside your baby.

Straw mushrooms are not a common allergen. Mushroom allergy is rare but not unheard of. Anaphylaxis has been reported, along with rashes among people who handle mushrooms. Mushrooms also hold chitin, a carbohydrate found in shellfish and insects that may add to an allergic reaction in some people.

Related conditions

People with oral allergy syndrome, especially those sensitive to mold, may also react to mushrooms. That means short-lived itching in the mouth, with no dangerous reaction expected. Cooking can lessen or even remove the reaction.

Sulfites

Dried straw mushrooms may be preserved with sulfites. Sulfites are not a common allergen, but some people, particularly those with asthma, get allergy-like reactions to added sulfites. If sulfites worry you, avoid labels listing sulfur dioxide, potassium bisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, or sodium sulfite.

When introducing

As with any new food, give a small amount for the first few meals. Raise it slowly if there is no reaction.