health benefits of Bamboo shoots

Bamboo plant is member in the grass family. After about 3-4 years of implantation, a new shoot arise from the root-system which is gathered and used as a vegetable. Some of important edible species are Bambusa bambos, Bambusa tulda, B. polymorpha, B. balcooa, Dendrocalamus hemiltonii, D. gigentius, and Melocanna baccifera.

Bamboo shoots are the sprouts which spring out beside the bamboo plant. These sprouts or shoots are edible and they belong to the Bambusoideae subfamily of grass. They are the largest and tallest in the grass family. Bamboo is also known to be one of the fastest growing plants in the world. The fastest growing species of bamboo is Chinese Moso. It reportedly grows up to 100 cm per day.

Some of the bamboo species whose sprouts are harvested include phyllostachys edulis, winter shoots, ‘hairy’ shoots, phyllostachys bambusoides, dendrocalamus latiflorus, bambusa vulgaris, bambusa oldhamii, and bambusa odashimae.

Every part of the bamboo plant is put to use by Asian cultures and various ethnic groups. Bamboo is used for various other purposes ranging from construction, support for buildings, simple housing, bamboo furniture, musical instruments such as flutes, dizi, xiao, shakuhachi, and in paper production. Thus, bamboo is one of the most utilized and versatile plants on the planet.

Apart from these many uses, bamboos shoots are also consumed in many Asian countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal and India. One can find evidence in old Chinese literature dating back to the Tang dynasty (618 AD- 907 AD), about the benefits of eating bamboo shoots. This was perhaps the first written record about bamboo shoots in human history. Another important scripture dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368 AD to 1644 AD) also mentioned the medicinal and other benefits of bamboo shoots. In Japan, bamboo shoots are considered as the “King of Forest Vegetables”. There are many bamboo species which sprout shoots, but only a handful of them are actually cultivated and consumed.

Bamboo shoots appear above the ground surface in different seasons depending up on the species. When the cone-shaped new shoot just appears above the ground surface, it is severed from its root attachment using a spade.  

On its exterior, the shoot features tough casing of leaves, firmly wrap around its central cream-white meat. The meat has crunchy texture, mild yet distinctive flavor. Once boiled and cured, it however, acquires almost a neutral taste.

§         Bamboo culms compose of adequate levels of soluble and non-soluble (NSP-non starch carbohydrates) dietary fiber. 100 g of fresh shoots provide 2.2 g of roughage. Dietary fiber helps control constipation conditions, decrease bad (LDL) cholesterol levels by binding to it in the intestines. Studies suggest that high-fiber diet can help cut down colon-rectal cancer risk by protecting intestines from the toxic compounds in the food.

§         Bamboo culms are also rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), and pantothenic acid those are essential for optimum cellular enzymatic and metabolic functions.

§         Bamboo is good in minerals, especially manganese and copper. In addition, it has small amounts of some other essential minerals and electrolytes such as calcium, iron, and phosphorus. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is required for cellular respiration and red blood cell formation.

Low Caloric Content: A 100 gram serving of bamboo shoots contains only 20 calories. Also, the carbohydrates found in bamboo shoots do not amount to more than 3-4 grams per 100 gram serving.

Low Sugar Content: The amount of sugar found in bamboo shoots is about 2.5 grams per 100 gram serving. This is less than the  amount of sugar found in many fruits and vegetables.

Negligible Amount of Fat: A serving of 100 grams of bamboo shoots contains less than 0.49 grams of fat. This fat consists of both saturated and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are needed by the body and they can control the spread of bad LDL cholesterol throughout the body.

Source of Protein: A 100 gram serving of bamboo shoots would have about 2 to 2.5 grams of protein. The proteins found in bamboo consists of seventeen essential amino acids and two semi-essential amino acids.

Vitamins and Minerals in Bamboo Shoots: Bamboo shoots contain vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid. Minerals found in bamboo shoots include calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and iron.