Corn Nutritional Value & Health Benefits As Low Calories Source Of Carbohydrate

Corn is one of the world's most important food crops, except wheat and rice, in addition, corn is also one source of carbohydrate with low calories content that has a lot of benefits for health. Corn is also rich in fiber and a host of other nutrients such as vitamin B, and C, carotene, potassium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, omega 6, and unsaturated fats which can help lower cholesterol. Corn can be processed into a variety of tasty dishes, such as boiled, baked or used as pop corn.

Corn or sweet corn is one of the most popular cereal in the world and a staple food in many countries including the United States. Nutritional content of corn has the ability to protect our body from various diseases attack. More specifically, the health benefits of corn is for diabetes, prevention of heart disease, hypertension, and prevention of disability in the nerve (neural-tube) at birth.

Corn is high in fiber, plays a role in the prevention of diseases that attack the digestive such as constipation and hemorrhoids and colorectal cancer. Antioxidants in corn also act as anti-cancer agents and prevent Alzheimer's. Corn is also rich in phytochemicals, provide protection against a variety of chronic diseases. Before we discuss more specifically about corn health benefits, below we will discuss how many calories in corn and its nutrition facts first.

Calories in corn & Nutritional facts

Based from USDA National Nutrient data base, calories in every 100 gr of yellow sweet corn (whole kernel, canned, drained) contained 81 calories or equal to 339 kJ. To burn those calories, according to calorieking site, you only needs to do activities such as swimming for 7 minutes, or jogging for 9 minutes or cycling for 12 minutes. If you prefer walking, you can burn those calories by walking for about 22 minutes.

Corn kernels are rich in carbohydrates, mostly at the endospermium. Carbohydrate content can reach 80% of the seed dry material. Carbohydrates in the form of starch is generally a mixture of amylose and amylopectin. At glutinous corn, most or all of the starch is amylopectin. This difference has little impact on the nutritional content, but rather as a means in the processing of foodstuffs. Sweet corn is known to contain lower amylopectin, but increased fitoglikogen and sucrose. Another corn nutrition such as protein, calcium and phosphorus, and several types of vitamins that you can read in detail at table below:

More corn nutritional value

Health benefits of corn

Controlling cholesterol

Cholesterol is a substance produced by the liver. There are two types of cholesterol, good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL). Due to an increase in bad cholesterol intake of fatty foods, weaken the liver, and can lead to cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C, carotenoids, and bioflavinoids contained in sweet corn keep your heart healthy by controlling cholesterol levels and improve blood flow in the body.

Improve digestion

Corn has a lot of fiber which is a great advantage for digestion. It can prevent constipation, hemorrhoids, and even reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Preventing diabetes mellitus

Corn has low glycemic index do not raise blood sugar levels, so it is best eaten for people with diabetes mellitus.

Prevent anemia

Corn is rich in vitamin B and folic acid can prevent anemia. Anemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells is reduced considerably due to lack of iron.

Good for pregnant women

Corn can be one of the diet should be consumed by pregnant women. Folic acid is found in corn is very good for the health of pregnant women and infants. Corn could overcome the shortage of folic acid in pregnant women that affects infants. Lack of folic acid in the body will affect the baby weight. Benefits of sweet corn to prevent newborns are underweight and avoid other disability.

Skin care

Antioxidants content in corn helps keep skin younger for longer. Apart from regular consumption, corn can also be applied as corn oil which is a rich source of linoleic acid. Corn starch can also be useful to soothe skin irritations and rashes.

Diuretic

Corn is rich in potassium which is a diuretic, so it can overcome the irritation of the urinary tract, lower uric acid levels, and prevent kidney stones.

Corn allergy

Quote from wikipedia: Corn contains lipid transfer protein, an indigestible protein that survives cooking. This protein has been linked to a rare and understudied allergy to maize in humans. The allergic reaction can cause skin rash, swelling or itching of mucous membranes, diarrhea, vomiting, asthma and, in severe cases, anaphylaxis. It is unclear how common this allergy is in the general population.

Uses

Corn is central to Mexican food. Virtually every dish in Mexican cuisine uses corn. On form of grain or cornmeal, corn is the main ingredient of tortillas, tamales, pozole, atole and all the dishes based on them, like tacos, quesadillas, chilaquiles, enchiladas, tostadas and many more. In Mexico even a fungus of corn, known as huitlacoche is considered a delicacy.

Introduced into Africa by the Portuguese in the 16th century, corn has become Africa's most important staple food crop. Corn meal is made into a thick porridge in many cultures: from the polenta of Italy, the angu of Brazil, the mămăligă of Romania, to cornmeal mush in the U.S. (and hominy grits in the South) or the food called mealie pap in South Africa and sadza, nshima and ugali in other parts of Africa. Corn meal is also used as a replacement for wheat flour, to make cornbread and other baked products. Masa (cornmeal treated with limewater) is the main ingredient for tortillas, atole and many other dishes of Central American food.

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Writen by: Mr Soed - Sunday, June 16, 2013