Don’t you hate it when someone refuses to pick a team? I am talking about a food which is a staple for many people in the world as a whole grain but when left unprocessed can call itself a vegetable, the one and only corn! Whether you enjoy this food at the movies as a treat food as popcorn, as a taco shell or corn chip with a Mexican dish or as part of your dinner as a corn on the cob, there are many reasons to fall in love with this vegetable or whole grain.
Corn also known as maize is the staple grain for people in Central America but it also enjoyed throughout the world. It is food rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to keep your body’s cells working well as well as boasting to be a great source of fibre to keep you regular to the bathroom and help prevent constipation. Corn is especially high in the type of fibre known as insoluble fibre, specifically the types called hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin. Insoluble fibre is not fully digested and is the type of fibre which makes you more regular to the bathroom. A bag of popcorn (112g) will give your body a whopping 16g of fibre when it is recommended you get between 25-30g of dietary fibre a day.
Comparing the vitamins and minerals in popcorn to sweet corn:
Popcorn contains:
- Manganese (although poorly absorbed because of the high phytate content)
- Phosphorous (importance for body tissue health and maintenance)
- Magnesium (important for heart health)
- Zinc (another which is poorly absorbed due to phytic acid content)
- Copper (important for heart health)
Sweet corn contains the vitamins and minerals:
- B vitamins: Pantothenic Acid (B5), B6, Niacin: These B vitamins have many roles one which includes making energy from the food you eat)
- Folate ( another B vitamin which is very important, especially if considering becoming pregnant)
- Potassium (very important for muscle contractions and for your heart to function properly)
Take home message from popcorn and sweet corn: sweet corn is higher in vitamins while popcorn is higher in minerals.
Do you need to be worried about the phytic acid or phytates in corn?
Phytic acid stops the proper absorption of some vitamins and minerals in your body like the minerals iron and zinc. Before you decide to stop eating corn this is not a huge dilemma if you have a balanced diet which is not solely reliant on cereal grains and legumes as a staple and includes other sources of iron and zinc such as red meat, poultry and fish. If you are still worried if you soak, sprout or ferment the corn this will reduce the phytate content.
The antioxidants found in corn, specially lutein and zeaxanthin which are responsible for why corn is the colour yellow, not only give this food a great colour but give your eyes the health to see it.
Food products you can find using or made from corn include:
- Corn flour
- Corn meal
- Corn syrup
- Corn oil
- Tortilla chips
- Taco shells
- Polenta
An additional bonus for those on a low FODMAP diet, celiac or have gluten intolerance is this cereal grain is gluten free so can be enjoyed and used to meet your body’s needs for whole grains.
Take Home Message: There are many health reasons to enjoy corn whether as a vegetable or as a whole grain. The diversity of this food means it can be more easily incorporated into a balanced diet and enjoyed in many different meals from tacos at dinner to corn on the cob at a BBQ.
