Toxins in bamboo shoots are extremely harmful to health if you do not know how to remove them.
Bamboo shoots are a favorite food of many people and are easy to eat. However, if you do not know how to prepare and process them, the toxins in bamboo shoots are extremely dangerous to the health of the user.
Fresh bamboo shoots contain very high levels of cyanide. When eaten, under the influence of digestive enzymes, cyanide turns into hydrocyanic acid (HCN), which is extremely toxic to the body.
Children and the elderly are susceptible to its toxicity. In 100g of unboiled fresh bamboo shoots, there are 32-38mg of HCN. In well-boiled fresh bamboo shoots, the amount of this substance is 2.7mg. In pickled fresh bamboo shoots, it is 2.2mg, in well-boiled pickled fresh bamboo shoots, it is 10mg.
With a dose of 50-60mg (about 200g of unboiled fresh bamboo shoots), HCN will cause death, starting with symptoms of difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, muscle paralysis, convulsions, respiratory arrest...
Fresh bamboo shoots contain glucid - when combined with the sour taste in the stomach, it will create an acid that can cause poisoning.
How to remove toxins in fresh bamboo shoots
- Peel off all the leaf sheaths (bamboo shoot skin), wash off the dirt and sand, then cut into thin slices or shred into small pieces, soak in clean water overnight to reduce toxicity, then wash again before processing into dishes.
- Peel the fresh bamboo shoots, put them in a pot of boiling water. Boil them 2-3 times. Then soak them in rice water for 2 days before eating (change the rice water regularly, 2 times/day). Or boil them many times in boiling water and then rinse with clean water. When the bamboo shoots are soft, the bitterness has been removed, then prepare the dish.
- Peel, cut into small slices, add a handful of Malabar spinach leaves and boil in the pot once. When the bamboo shoots are cooked, drain all the hot water, then add cold water, remove the Malabar spinach leaves and rinse with cold water again to prepare the dish.
- Leave the fresh bamboo shoots in their skins and arrange them neatly in the pot, add a few chili peppers with the seeds removed, add rice water to almost cover the bamboo shoots. Cook over medium heat, when the bamboo shoots are soft, turn off the heat. Wait for the bamboo shoots to cool, remove and peel, then rinse several times with clean water, the bamboo shoots will no longer taste bitter and can be used to prepare dishes.
- During the process of boiling bamboo shoots, when the pot of bamboo shoots boils, you need to open the pot lid so that the toxic substances in the bamboo shoots can escape. Bamboo shoots that have an unusual white/yellow color or a strange smell (a sign of a strange smell or that the bamboo shoots have been soaked in chemicals) should be discarded and not used.
Who is not allowed to eat fresh bamboo shoots?
- People with stomach pain:Doctors say that patients with stomach pain (or those taking stomach medication) should not eat bamboo shoots because the hydrocyanic acid content in bamboo shoots is also harmful to the stomach, making the disease more serious and taking a long time to heal.
- People with gout:People with this disease always need to be careful with their diet because it can increase the amount of uric acid in the blood, making gout worse. Meanwhile, foods such as bamboo shoots, bamboo shoots, asparagus all increase the rate of uric acid synthesis in the body, they are classified as "do not eat" for all gout patients.
- People with kidney disease:When you have kidney disease, your diet needs special attention. Asparagus and bamboo shoots are foods rich in calcium that are not good for people with weak kidneys. It is best to try to remove this dish from your meal and replace it with other foods that are better for your health.
