Eggplant vs Mushroom – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing eggplant to mushrooms, we picked the mushrooms.

Why?

Well, there wasn’t mushroom for disagreement!

But first, you may be wondering: which mushrooms? Button mushrooms? White mushrooms? Chestnut mushrooms? Portobello mushrooms? And the answer is yes.

Those (and more; it represents most mushrooms that are commonly sold fresh in western supermarkets) are all the same species at different ages; namely, Agaricus bisporus—not to be mistaken for fly agaric, which despite the name, is not even a member of the Agaricus genus, and is in fact Amanita muscari. This is an important distinction, because fly agaric is poisonous, though fatality is rare, and it’s commonly enjoyed recreationally (after some preparation, which reduces its toxicity) for its psychoactive effects. It’s the famous red one with white spots. Anyway, today we will be talking instead about Agaricus bisporus, which is most popular western varieties of “edible mushroom”.

Of course, technically all mushrooms are edible, just, some of them are edible only once 😉

^{(the above line is a joke, please do not eat the kind that will kill you)}

With all that in mind, let’s get down to it:

In terms of macros, eggplant has nearly 2x the carbs and 3x the fiber, while mushrooms contain more than 3x the protein. We’ll call this a tie for macros.

In the category of vitamins, eggplant is higher in vitamins A, E, and K, while mushrooms contain more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, and D. Most notably for vegans, mushrooms are a good non-animal source of vitamins B12 and D3, which nutrients are not generally found in plants. Mushrooms, of course, are not technically plants. In any case, the vitamins category is an easy win for mushrooms.

When it comes to minerals, eggplant has more calcium, magnesium, and manganese, while mushrooms have more copper, iron, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc. One more strong round in mushrooms’ favor!

One final thing worth noting is that mushrooms are a rich source of the amino acid ergothioneine, which has been called a “longevity vitamin” for its healthspan-increasing effects (see our article below), so that’s one more point for mushrooms.

Adding up the sections makes for an overwhelming win for mushrooms, but by all means do enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!

Want to learn more?

You might like:

The Magic Of Mushrooms: “The Longevity Vitamin” (That’s Not A Vitamin)

Enjoy!