Corn is a type of grass that is referred to as a starchy vegetable. It is also considered a grain. In fact you can call it a whole grain.
Corn (Zea mays) or maize in Spanish is a staple ingredient in South, Central and North America for thousands of years.
It is a traditional food for Native Americans, but its nutritional value makes it a global food.
However, the nutritional benefits of this grain makes it almost available in all regions of the world. It can grow almost anywhere.
Types Of Corn
Corn comes in different varieties – red, pink, black, gold, white, purple, multicolored and blue.
The colour really tells you more about the nutritional value.
Also, you can differentiate them by names.
Sweet corn: This is the most common kind of corn and it comes in yellow, white, or a combination of the two colours.
It has a mildly sugary taste.
Popcorn: It comes with a smaller kernel and has a soft, starchy center surrounded by a hard gold-coloured shell.
This also contains a tiny drop of water inside.
Another type is the flint or Indian corn. It is harder than sweet corn and it comes in red, white, blue, black, and gold colours.
In the United States, flint corn grows in Central and South America and people use it mainly for fall decorations.
Dent corn comes in white and yellow colours. It has a dent in the top of each kernel. Its main uses are animal feed and manufactured foods, like tortilla chips and grits.
Furthermore, corn is most popular as the staple ingredient used to make tacos or burritos. You can also use it for polenta, flour, fritters, soups and sauces.
Corn Health Benefits
Basically, the benefits you get from corn depends on the colour.
Why do we have lots of colours you will ask? They are for different nutrients and also for different ages.
Here, we believe that the older a person gets, to stay healthy with diet, darker colours should come into your diet more.
This is because they often contain more nutrients, especially antioxidants, that help the body fight infections.
However, we will identify the general health benefits of corn.
1. High In Nutrients
The grain is rich in nutrients that promote good health.
According to a study, corn contains phytonutrients and bio-active chemical compounds (1).
Furthermore, it also contains vitamins A, B, E, and K, minerals – Mg, P, and K and phenolic acids – ferulic acid, coumaric acid, and syringic acid (2).
Others are carotenoids, flavonoids (anthocyanins) and dietary fiber.
These enzymes provide multiple health benefits.
In fact the consumption of this grain and other whole grain products has been linked to the reduced risk of chronic diseases (3) (4) (5).
Basically, every 100 grams of corn provides 365 calories and every 100 grams of sweet corn provides 86 calories (6).
Carbohydrates and water are the main chemical substances in corn.
Carbohydrates content in corn is close to 75% while sweet corn takes account of nearly 18%.
Water content in corn is about 10% and water content in sweet corn is about 75%.
Corn and sweet corn provide a wide variety of vitamins (carotenoids, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, ascorbic acid, vitamin E and vitamin K).
It also contains other minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc) and resistant starch.
The nutrition profiles of corn and sweet corn are similar, with the only exception being vitamin C, which is only found in sweet corn.
2. Healthy Eyes
You see, the eyes is the source of light to the body. Once it goes off, the person will need help of sort.
Adding corn to your diet could help you maintain a good eyesight.
The grain contains carotenoids – lutein and zeaxanthin (7) (8).
These compounds are amazing for eye health (9).
According to a study, these are macular pigments that are present in the retina.
Most importantly, they are antioxidants that prevent any damage that may be caused by free radicals (10).
Yellow corns are high in these compounds.
3. Anemia Prevention
Sometimes, a person may lack enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body’s tissues. When this happens, it is referred to as anemia.
Unfortunately, anemia is spreading more than ever and it is especially true for women.
You may start to develop symptoms of anemia when there is profound deficiency of vitamins and minerals.
The most prominent deficient mineral that may cause this is iron.
You see, your body needs iron and folate to form new red blood cells.
Corn is a very good source of iron. In fact, 100 grams of serving provides an impressive 2.7 mg of iron.
4. Corn Is A Good Source Of Fiber
Corn is a good source of fibre.
According to studies, fiber helps the body in several ways by reducing cholesterol and making the digestive system more efficient.
Adding this grain to your diet gives you adequate fibre for good bowel movement.
It provides a healthy and impressive amount of fiber when eaten either on the cob or in the form of popcorn.
For instance, in a 100-gram serving, you will get 7 grams of fiber.
Also, fiber helps prevent constipation and also lower cholesterol levels.
5. Lowers Risk Of Diabetes And Helps In Management
This whole grain that is rich in fibre also helps non-insulin dependent diabetes. It has a low glycemic index even though it is sweet.
Basically, the fibre in the grain helps slow down how fast sugar hits your blood when you eat. If slows down the digestion.
However, experts recommend that you should go for organic kinds.
They are the best because they retain most of the nutrients and are free of harmful elements such as pesticides.
The regular consumption of corn provides energy to people suffering with type-2 diabetes without spiking blood sugar levels too much (11) (12).
Also, it is rich in manganese. This mineral has multiple benefits and keeps the blood sugar levels in check.
6. Corn Prevents Heart Diseases
Also, the grain is amazing for your heart health.
When you take corn, you load your body with phenolic phytochemicals that help regulate blood pressure.
This regulation prevents hypertension (13).
Furthermore, there is also a good amount of vitamin B that is beneficial for the optimal functionality of your adrenal glands.
7. Contains Anti-cancer Properties
Corn contains some amazing antioxidants that help prevent development of cancer.
Furthermore, there are many studies that show that antioxidants fight free radicals cells and prevent oxidative damage to the body (14), (15), (16).
Sweet corn, when cooked, is observed to have more antioxidants than non-cooked corn.
Also, corn is rich in vitamin C which helps your immune system fight off antibodies that could cause cancer.
8. Lower Obesity Risk (Weight Management)
This whole grain is good for anyone who wants to lose weight. Also, it helps reduce chances of gaining weight.
According to a study, fibre helps lower weight gain.
The prospective cohort study on the association between whole grains and dietary fiber intake and development of obesity on 74,091 US female nurses found that women who consumed more dietary fiber weighed 1.52 kg less than those who had only a slight increase intake of dietary fiber (17).
9. Gluten Free
For persons who have gluten intolerance that cause different types of health complications, this is a good addition to their diet.
Corn flour is a good option for their meals.
It is naturally gluten free and a better option than other grains.
10. Rich Source Of Energy
This grain contains a high amount of carbohydrates. This class of food provides the energy required for the body and mind to function properly.
It is a complex carbohydrate that takes time to get fully digested.
Other Helpful Research Findings About Corn, Others
- Ogi, Pap: Health Benefits And Side Effects To Watch Out For
- Omi Ogi (Pap Water): Amazing Things About Claims It Is Medicinal
- Why You Must Not Boil Tiger Nuts Milk
- How Long Does It Take Goron Tula To Work? | Best Timing
Complex carbohydrate helps you stay fuller for long. Also, it is a good post workout snack.
Also, the manganese in corn helps fuel the body by breaking down complex carbohydrates.
11. May Prevent Alzheimers – Boosts Brain Power
It has been studied as a source of thymine, which is an antioxidant that sharpens brain functions.
The grain also helps synthesize acetycholine, which in turn leads to an improved memory (18).
12. Corn Improves Digestive Health
Sadly, less than three percent of the US population meets the adequate intake recommendation of 14 g dietary fiber per 1000 kcal.
Adding corn to their diet could help boost intake of dietary fibre that comes in as resistant starch.
For instance, a daily consumption of 20 grams resistant starch had a beneficial effect on promoting digestive heath (19).
Corn and products derived from it are rich in resistant starch, a form of insoluble dietary fiber.
According to the USDA national nutrient data base, there are 7.3 grams of dietary fiber present in every 100 grams of white and yellow corn grains.
Some basic benefits of resistant starch to your body are enhancing laxation and fermentation, increasing uptake of minerals, serving as prebiotics and reducing the symptoms of diarrhea.
The truth is that most resistant starch survive through the digestive tract. When they do, they bring more bioactive compounds to the colon.
This is one of the reasons corn could lower risk of colon cancer.
These compounds feed healthy bacteria in your digestive tract and that fights cancer cells.
For instance, popcorn may also help prevent diverticulitis, a condition that causes pouches in the walls of your colon.
13. Boosts Fertility
Being a rich source of folate, the grain is good for anyone who is preparing her body for conception.
Folate is a good mineral for women wo are trying to conceive.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, taking folic acid before getting pregnant and in early pregnancy lowers the risk of having a baby with certain birth defects (20).
The recommendation is that all women who can get pregnant should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily.
Side Effects Of Eating Corn
When you take too much of this grain it could cause digestive upset. You could get bloating, gas, and diarrhea.
Also, it contains phytic acid, which may reduce mineral absorption. However, this is not so much of a worry since cooking reduce the amount of this phytic acid in corn.
There is also a chance that the soluble fiber may cause symptoms for some people who are allergic to it.