World’s Next Superfood: Bamboo Shoots

B1 – Intermediate 

Superfoods are the types of foods that are full of nutrients and are supposed to be very good for your health. 

We see a lot of information about superfoods everywhere. The most recent superfood that people are talking about is bamboo shoots.

Read the article about bamboo shoots being a potential superfood.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2601/260129-bamboo-superfood.html

Vocabulary Questions:

1. What does “emerge from” mean? “However, people may not know that bamboo shoots are harvested as they emerge from the ground, while they are still soft.” Use the phrasal verb in a sentence. Give a synonym.
2. What does “stalk” mean here, “We do not eat the hard, woody stalks.”? Use the word in a sentence. Give another meaning of “stalk”.
3. What does “contain” mean here, “However, raw bamboo shoots contain toxins and must be cooked before eating.”? Use the word in a sentence. Give another meaning of “contain”.

Discussion Questions:

1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “superfood” and why?
2. Are superfoods really beneficial, or just marketing? What is your opinion?
3. Talk about other superfoods that you know of and what their benefits are.
4. What are the benefits that we can get from bamboo shoots?
5. Would you be interested to try bamboo shots? Why or why not?