A panda's daily diet consists almost entirely of the leaves, stems and shoots of various bamboo species. Bamboo contains very little nutritional value so pandas must eat 12-38kg every day to meet their energy needs. But they do branch out, with about 1% of their diet comprising other plants and even meat.

A panda’s diet is almost entirely bamboo. They eat the leaves, stems and shoots of various bamboo species. Because bamboo contains very little nutritional value, they must eat around 26 to 84 pounds of it every day, depending on what part of the bamboo they are eating. They spend at least 12 hours each day eating bamboo.

Pandas eat different types and parts of bamboo according to the season. In spring and summer, they like eating different kinds of shoots; in autumn, they enjoy the leaves of bamboo; in winter, their main diet is bamboo roots. With very little nutritional value in bamboo, pandas must eat 23–40 kg (50–90 lb) every day to meet their energy needs.

Despite adaptations in the forepaws, teeth, and jaws for bamboo consumption, the giant panda has retained the digestive system of its carnivore ancestry and is therefore unable to digest cellulose, a main constituent of bamboo.