Corn has been getting a lot of bad press lately - mainly because of products like high fructose corn syrup. But that processed sweetener isn't corn as in the corn on the cob that so many feel is a significant joy of summer.
Since so many of us do look forward to summer and corn on the cob, it's good to know that in spite of some bad press, corn really is good food. It doesn't have the high nutrient benefits that some other summer produce delivers, but it's no slouch, either.
At 100 calories it doesn't have the slimming attributes of say, lettuce. But that's OK. It still has far fewer calories than a candy bar or an ice cream sandwich, and some would argue that it's a far more desirable treat.
While it's delivering those calories, it's also giving you about 10% of the recommended daily value of Vitamin C and folate, and about 12% of the Vitamin B1 you need each day. B1 helps you convert carbs into energy and keeps your heart, muscles, and nervous system working well.
Next are the minerals. Corn contains phosphorus for bone and tooth strength and manganese, which helps your body use other nutrients.
The yellow color in corn comes from the phytochemical zeaxanthin, which promotes healthy eyes, and cooked corn contains antioxidants which help protect against cancer and heart disease.
But the nutritive value isn't all that corn has going for it. Corn really is a grain rather than a vegetable, and as such, is composed of both soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber becomes gel-like when wet and binds to undesirable matter such as cholesterol, then escorts it out of our bodies.
We can't digest the insoluble fiber, but that doesn't mean it isn't important. In fact, it's very important, because it scrubs the "sludge" out of our intestinal tracts.
So all in all, when the corn leaves our bodies, it leaves behind vitamins and minerals vital to our health, while it takes with it a whole lot of "gunk" that our bodies just don't need.
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