Bamboo Shoots will ring a bell with most of our readers. They’re a prized ingredient in many Asian dishes. Just not many we in the West tend to make or order… But they’re wondrously nutritious, and may turn out to be the next breakthrough for gut health!
What they are…
“Bamboo shoots are tender, young, conical sprouts harvested from underground, offering a crunchy, earthy flavour often compared to artichoke hearts or white asparagus,” Healthline tells us. “They are packed with fibre, potassium, and vitamins but require thorough boiling (20 mins to 2 hours) to re-move bitter, cyanogenic toxins. ‘Bamboo hearts’ […] refers to the tender, inner core of the shoot itself.”
I said, in the intro to this post, that Westerners tend not to use Bamboo Shoots in the Asian dishes they cook. That’s true. But we do get them without realizing it in Asian dishes we order in restaurants and for takeout. I, for one, would miss them if they were not there.
Not threatened
Bamboo is not particularly endangered by climate change. In fact, it’s noted for its drought tolerance, and grows over a wide range of tropical and subtropical regions.
If it’s as good for us as the latest research suggests, it could become a much-higher profile part of all our diets in the not-too-distant future.
How you get them also offer ‘raw’ ones, which must be peeled and boiled before using them in recip-es. Like Cassava Root, Bamboo Shoots contain cyanogenic (cyanide-producing) substances, which must be broken down by heating before consuming them.
How use them…
Whether we recognize them or not, Bamboo Shots are found in a wide variety of Asian dishes such as stir-fries, curries (see photo, top of page), soups, and salads, hailing from a number of Eastern cult-ures and traditional cuisines. The truth is, you can’t really get away from them!
New science
New research, from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England, involving a massive data-mining effort on previous studies, appeared recently in the journal Advances in Bamboo Science. And it re-vealed a rich potential for Bamboo Shoots as agents of improved gut health.
“At the time of writing, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review to systematically collate and appraise the literature on the potential health benefits of bamboo consumption, includ-ing both in vivo [clinical] and in vitro [lab] studies.,” The study report states. “The review identified a total of 16 studies on this topic demonstrating a growing interest in bamboo consumption and health outcomes within academic arenas.”
“In this analysis, they identified a ‘wide range’ of possible health benefits, including bamboo’s po-tential to help regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and support digestive health,” she added.
My take
There’s no shortage of Bamboo Shoots. And no danger that they’ll be crippled or wiped out by clim-ate change. SO let’s waste no more time getting on the Bamboo bandwagon. It’s a journey to better health, in many directions at once!
~ Maggie J.