Great News! Now You Can Get Vitamin D From A Delicious Plant Source! Vegan Mushroom Gravy Recipe Using Dole's New Portobello Mushroom Powder Packed With Vitamin D2!

Get 600 IU plant-based vitamin D from each serving!

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I've Been Waiting For This!
This is perhaps one of the most exciting foods/products I've come across in years. It ranks right up there with chia seeds and hemp oil. 


One subject I write about frequently is how critical vitamin D is to our health. Besides being required for bone health, deficiency of this important vitamin is linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, arthritis, cognitive impairment, depressed immunity and more. Even though the body can make vitamin D through exposure to the sun, it often isn't sufficient and most people in the world are, in fact, woefully deficient. I often say that one of the cheapest ways to improve world health is to hand out vitamin D supplements. But many of my readers dislike taking supplements and would rather get their vitamins through food. Unfortunately there are few food sources of this vitamin other than certain fish and fortified milk.


In November of 2010, I blogged about research where they discovered that mushrooms, much like our skin, can create vitamin D when exposed to UV light. In fact, Monterey Mushroom company started selling high vitamin D mushrooms shortly after that. You can read the entire post, "Vitamin D - Do the New Recommendations Fall Short? What Vegans Need to Know about Vitamin D".


Well the mushrooms were a good idea but not very convenient and probably not easy to find. But recently I came across an amazing new product from Dole - Portobello Mushroom Powder. Using Portobello mushrooms that were exposed to UV and subsequently ground, they created a convenient powder that blends easily into soups, gravies, sauces, stews, stuffing, pasta and rice dishes and more. Each teaspoon delivers 600 IU of vitamin D (the current RDA)!

Dole's Portobello Mushroom Powder
available for purchase on their website.

How Its Cost Compares to Other Food Sources
A 3.25 ounce jar of Portobello mushroom powder costs $8.37 from their website (shipping was free). There are about 56 servings per jar so to get 600 IU, the current RDA, of vitamin D2 is 15 cents. Not bad!
* To get a similar amount of vitamin D from canned sockeye salmon, you'd have to pay around $4.00.
* You'd have to drink about 5 cups of fortified soy milk to get this amount which costs about $1.25.


How it Compares to Supplements
Vitamin D supplements are fairly inexpensive. 
* Deva (vegan) 800 IU tablets are 6 cents apiece.
* Natures Life (vegan) 2,000 IU tablets are also 6 cents apiece.
* Carlson 4,000 IU D3 (not vegan) drops are also 6 cents apiece.


As a food source, this mushroom powder is the cheapest way to get your vitamin D. Supplements are less expensive, especially when you consider than 600 IU is not the optimal dose, especially for those who are deficient. I personally try to take 4,000 IU per day. But this powder is a GREAT way to get more vitamin D into your family's diet. And did I mention - it's DELICIOUS!!!


Is it Raw?
The label states that it is raw. That said, I cannot yet recommend this for raw diets. Portobello (and even white button) mushrooms contain hydrazine's, a potentially carcinogenic substance that is deactivated upon cooking. I don't think eating a few white button mushrooms is all that dangerous but portobello powder is quite concentrated. So, at this time, I recommend this product only in cooked foods. I have written to the Dole institute to get their opinion on this and will report back if and when I get a response.


Here's what I made last night. I boiled and mashed a combination of russet and sweet potatoes and covered them in this yummy gravy.

Pour this healthy gravy on potatoes, vegetables, rice, pasta, quinoa, polenta, tofu and more!

Portobello Mushroom Gravy
Vegan, Gluten Free
[Six (1/3 cup) Servings]
600 IU vitamin D per serving


1 cup unsweetened, unflavored soy milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon Earth Balance buttery spread
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons Dole Portobello Mushroom Powder with vitamin D
1 cup veggie broth *
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
salt to taste
* If you make broth from a bouillon cube, you may not need additional salt


In a small bowl, stir cornstarch into soy milk until dissolved. Set aside.


Heat Earth Balance in a small saucepan on medium low heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Quickly stir in mushroom powder until onions are coated.


Add broth, garlic powder, black pepper and salt. Bring to a boil.


Stir the cornstarch and milk mixture. Add to the pot and stir well. Lower the heat.


Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened. Serve.


Per serving: 59.5 calories, 2.5 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.8 g protein, 6.1 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g dietary fiber and 230 g sodium (assuming 1/2 teaspoon salt).