applied sciences Review Mushroom Nutrition as Preventative Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa Tito Fernandes 1,* , Carmen Garrine 1,2, Jorge Ferrão 3, Victoria Bell 4 and Theodoros Varzakas 5 1 CIISA, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal;
[email protected] 2 Faculdade de Veterinária, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, 3453 Maputo, Mozambique 3 Vice-Chancellor’s Office, Universidade Pedagógica, Rua Comandante Augusto Cardoso, 1260 Maputo, Mozambique;
[email protected] 4 Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Coimbra, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal;
[email protected] 5 Department Food Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, 24100 Antikalamos, Greece;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +351-91-992-7930 Abstract: The defining characteristics of the traditional Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) cuisine have been the richness in indigenous foods and ingredients, herbs and spices, fermented foods and bever- ages, and healthy and whole ingredients used. It is crucial to safeguard the recognized benefits of mainstream traditional foods and ingredients, which gradually eroded in the last decades. Notwith- standing poverty, chronic hunger, malnutrition, and undernourishment in the region, traditional eating habits have been related to positive health outcomes and sustainability. The research pre- vailed dealing with food availability and access rather than the health, nutrition, and diet quality dimensions of food security based on what people consume per country and on the missing data related to nutrient composition of indigenous foods. As countries become more economically de- veloped, they shift to “modern” occidental foods rich in saturated fats, salt, sugar, fizzy beverages, Citation: Fernandes, T.; Garrine, C.; and sweeteners.