Should you eat bamboo shoots during pregnancy?

Many pregnant mothers worry and avoid eating bamboo shoots during pregnancy for fear of losing blood and affecting the fetus. So the truth is, should pregnant women eat bamboo shoots?

Bamboo shoots are used a lot in the meals of Vietnamese people in particular and Asians in general. There are many people who love dishes made from bamboo shoots, because they have their own aroma, flavor and unique texture.
Should pregnant women eat bamboo shoots is probably the question of many people. According to nutritionists, pregnant women can completely eat bamboo shoots throughout pregnancy, because this is a food rich in nutrients, including fresh and dried bamboo shoots.
But pregnant women should be careful not to eat too many bamboo shoots during pregnancy. Nutritionists recommend that pregnant women should only eat bamboo shoots about 1-2 times in a month and the maximum amount to eat each time is 200g.

Bamboo shoots are known to be a food rich in vitamins A, E and many other essential minerals such as niacin, thiamin (available in freshly picked bamboo shoots). Therefore, eating bamboo shoots during pregnancy is very good for pregnant women, specifically:
Strengthening immunity: Eating bamboo shoots during the changing seasons can help pregnant women strengthen immunity and prevent diseases such as flu. During pregnancy, colds because bamboo shoots have antibacterial and antiviral properties. Strengthens heart health: The abundant fiber in bamboo shoots has the effect of reducing bad cholesterol in the body, thereby limiting the risk associated with cardiovascular diseases. Good for the digestive system: Eating bamboo shoots during pregnancy is one of the ways to increase the amount of fiber in the body to prevent constipation during pregnancy, to support intestinal digestion. Weight control: Bamboo shoots contain very few calories and fat but are high in fiber, so they can create a feeling of fullness when eaten. Cancer prevention: Bamboo shoots are very rich in antioxidants, so when consumed, the antioxidants in bamboo shoots will prevent the formation of free radicals in the body, helping to prevent some cancers. .

In order not to affect the fetus, nutritionists advise pregnant mothers not to eat too much bamboo shoots, although so far there have been no scientific studies to prove that bamboo shoots can be harmful to the fetus.
In addition to the nutritional values ​​mentioned above, many pregnant women are afraid that eating bamboo shoots during pregnancy will be poisoned, so they should avoid eating bamboo shoots during pregnancy. The truth is that bamboo shoots contain glucoside, if it enters the body, this substance will be absorbed by the stomach and converted into a substance that can cause poisoning, which is cyanhydric acid.
Therefore, there have been many cases of poisoning by eating bamboo shoots due to the failure to remove this poison before cooking, causing food poisoning symptoms such as nausea, headache, numbness of the tongue, low blood pressure, convulsions, severe can be respiratory paralysis.
Active glycosides in bamboo shoots can be reduced when bamboo shoots are cooked, specifically, this value decreases from 32 - 38 mg to 2.7mg in 100mg of fresh bamboo shoots, while bamboo shoots broth can contain 10mg of glucoside. Therefore, limit the use of bamboo shoots for cooking.
Another note for pregnant mothers to eat bamboo shoots during pregnancy is to avoid eating bamboo shoots in the first 3 months of pregnancy, because at this stage, the pregnant mother is adapting to the changes inside her body, if she eats a lot of bamboo shoots. can cause flatulence, indigestion, glucoside in bamboo shoots also reduces iron metabolism in the body.
Therefore, to ensure safety for the health of both pregnant mother and unborn baby, when eating bamboo shoots, mothers need to pay attention to how to prepare and cook as follows:
To reduce the toxicity of fresh bamboo shoots, it is necessary to preliminarily prepare bamboo shoots. as follows: remove the outer skin, cut the bamboo shoots into thin slices and soak the bamboo shoots in water overnight. Pour the soaked water, wash the bamboo shoots and boil them. While boiling, do not cover the lid. After boiling, continue to soak and wash bamboo shoots before processing into dishes.
Pregnant women eat bamboo shoots during pregnancy, if it is dried bamboo shoots, they should also soak bamboo shoots with salt for at least 6 hours, wash bamboo shoots thoroughly, boil and continue rinsing with clean water, until the water soaked bamboo shoots is no longer cloudy. . Pregnant women should absolutely not eat prepared bamboo shoots bought at the market because the seller may not have prepared and cleaned the bamboo shoots properly, so the bamboo shoots may still contain toxins. After eating cold food, pregnant women should not eat bamboo shoots, because they may have flatulence and indigestion. Because the amount of fiber in bamboo shoots is very high, pregnant mothers who eat bamboo shoots during pregnancy should chew slowly to digest all the fiber, limiting bloating. In particular, if pregnant women have digestive diseases, or have gallstones, kidney stones, they should avoid eating bamboo shoots during pregnancy. Finally, the secret to buying delicious and safe bamboo shoots is to choose fresh bamboo shoots, fragrant bamboo shoots, smooth bamboo shoots, and no spots. It is advisable to buy preliminarily processed products with ivory white color, avoid buying white or yellow ones because they may have been impregnated with chemicals. Pregnant women can completely eat bamboo shoots during pregnancy, because this is a food that provides a lot of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Once you have understood the uses and ways of eating bamboo shoots during pregnancy, pregnant women should pay attention to the nutrition regime in each stage to ensure the best for the mother's health and the development of the baby.
Vinmec International General Hospital has developed a package of maternity care services to help mothers during pregnancy to be fully monitored and cared for under the advice of a team of highly qualified doctors. , has many years of experience. Thanks to that, the pregnancy process becomes safe and ensures good development for the baby until birth.

Reference source: parenting.firstcry.com