Stuck in a dietary rut?

Eating the rainbow is one of the best ways to diversify your meals and nutrient intake—not to mention inch you closer to consuming 30-plus different plants per week for optimal gut health. That said, while some colors and their complementary whole foods are on the duller end of the ROYGBIV spectrum, they’re no less beneficial for your health.

Take mushrooms, for example. They may lower your odds of experiencing depression and anxiety, and can be a rare source of plant-based vitamin D when exposed to UV light while growing.

But have you ever wondered if you can eat raw mushrooms, or if they’re always safer to consume cooked? To discover if eating uncooked mushrooms ultimately gets a yay or nay, we consulted Chef Sandro Falbo, culinary director at Kimpton Mas Olas, Todos Santos.

Is it safe to eat raw mushrooms?

In short, the safety of eating raw mushrooms varies by type—and a lot of guesswork can potentially be involved. Of the 14,000 mushroom species on earth, about 2,200 are edible and around 650 species have been studied and approved for consumption. “Mushrooms have spores that contain metals, poisons, and various other elements that come from the earth, so you really need to know about the different varieties,” says Falbo.

According to a 2021 review in the journal PLoS One, mushrooms have a high ability to accumulate toxic substances such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and arsenic—all of which may spur the development of malignant diseases with prolonged (excessive) consumption and exposure.

Thankfully, Falbo notes that the bulk of the farmed, budget-friendly mushrooms you’ll find at the grocery store are “all quite safe to eat raw.”