Corn is Healthier Than You Think

Corn gets a bad rap when it comes to health, but it’s actually a lot more nutritious than we give it credit for. Let’s take a look at why we think corn is unhealthy and its actual nutritional value.

My kid loves corn. Seriously, he is obsessed. He asks me to add corn to basically every meal we make, and he will even eat frozen corn straight out of the bag (Don’t knock it until you try it!). He may be more corn than human, so corn’s nutritional value is on my mind a lot more than it maybe ought to be. And you know what? When you look more closely into it, corn is a lot healthier than we assume it is. 

DEFINING CORN

I think part of the reason that we assume corn is bad for us is that food companies turn corn into an array processed ingredients that are not healthy at all. High fructose corn syrup is probably the best example of corn gone wrong, though. Of course corn syrup isn’t healthy, but it’s not a good reason to dismiss corn all together.

The other problem with corn is that a lot of corn is genetically modified. If you’re worried about water quality, super weeds and pesticide residues, this is definitely something to consider when you’re deciding whether corn is healthy.

Whole corn used to be a safe bet, but Monsanto now produces a GMO sweet corn, so choose organic corn if you want to avoid eating genetically modified foods.

IS CORN HEALTHY?

Whole, organic corn is actually a pretty healthy food! You might think of corn as a vegetable, but it’s actually a whole grain, and like many whole grains it contains plenty of protein and fiber along with beneficial vitamins and minerals. One cup of corn kernelscontains:

• 177 calories
• 18 percent of your daily fiber
• 11 percent of your daily protein
• 17 percent of your daily vitamin C
• 24 percent of your daily thiamin
• 13 percent of your daily niacin
• 19 percent of your daily folate
• 14 percent of your daily pantothenic acid

You might be balking at that 177 calories, but that’s probably because you are still thinking of corn as a vegetable. Stop it! When you categorize it in your head as the whole grain that it is, 177 calories per cup is not too shabby. Compare that to a cup of brown rice or quinoa, which both contain more than 200 calories each.

What can make whole corn unhealthy is how we prepare it. Creamed corn, a corn cob slathered in butter, or buttered popcorn are full of saturated fat and high in calories, but the corn isn’t what’s to blame. Much like potatoes, corn can definitely be part of a healthy diet when you choose healthy toppings.

Next time you’re eating corn on the cob, skip the pat of butter and step away from the salt shaker. Try a squeeze of lime and a few dashes of chili powder instead. Or, if you’re like my kid, just eat your corn straight up. It’s sweet and delicious!