Having long passed the dreaded 40 in calendar years, and celebrated my 38th birthday a number of times, believe me when I say, what you put in your mouth makes much more difference to your face than any goop you can put on it or the injections you subject your brow to. You’ve heard it time and again – mushrooms are good for you! And they are! But why, you ask? One of the main reasons is Ergothioneine. It’s a naturally occurring antioxidant present in mushrooms, and antioxidants are the heroes of cell preservation in our bodies. They work by slowing or preventing the oxidative process caused by free radicals, which can lead to cell damage and the onset of problems like heart disease and diabetes. Chicken livers and wheat germ were considered the best sources of Ergothioneine, but researchers at the Pennsylvania State Mushroom Research Laboratory now say common button mushrooms contain four times the concentration found in chicken liver and 12 times more than wheat germ. So viva mushrooms! And Ergothioneine is heat-stable, so there’s no downside to cooking your fungi.