The benefits and properties of corn are wide: can prevent colon cancer, heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer's and even combat daily stress.
Most of us know corn by its yellow color, but it can also be pink, red, blue, and black. 9,000 years ago the Mayans and Aztecs began to cultivate it in Mesoamerica. This cereal would gain popularity in the world of gastronomy over the centuries.
That is why it is today one of the three most produced cereals in the world together with rice and wheat. Corn is an important food for your diet since it is rich in vitamins B and C. It has folic acid, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, magnesium and has fiber. Its high level of carbohydrates and proteins makes it an essential element to provide us with energy and benefits to our health.
Here are twelve benefits that corn has for your health:
1.Can prevent colon cancer thanks to the fact that it contains a large amount of folic acid.
Traditional Chinese medicine considers corn to have these health properties:
Various studies affirm that corn has more antioxidants than any other cereal and vegetable. That is why it is essential in a healthy diet and as you just read it has a lot to offer to your health. For this reason, in developed countries, the majority of the population consumes corn to obtain the calories and protein it needs. While in India it enjoys a privileged position in agriculture and cereal constitutes an indispensable and valuable food for the most disadvantaged social classes.
On the other hand, everyone can enjoy corn in different ways by adding it to different dishes. Remember that you can keep it in the refrigerator with or without the shell for five or seven days. You can cook a polenta-cornmeal porridge- which is a very creative and healthy way to incorporate this food into your diet..
In addition, you can add this cereal to your salads and pasta to give them a more appetizing touch. You can remove the shell from fresh corn and cook it in a pot to boil, in the oven or even on the grill. The corn kernels can be eaten in a guacamole plate, a tomato salad with onion or any other similar tasting. It allows you to enjoy it in the way that is most comfortable and rich for you so as not to exclude it from your diet.
As for popcorn, it comes from a plant that has features that differ slightly from that of normal corn: it is spindly and its branches are drooping..
Popcorn is an ideal food because it is high in carbohydrates and high in fiber. In this sense, there are two types of fiber: soluble and insoluble. The first regulates hunger, cholesterol and blood sugar level. The second is very important for gastro-intestinal function..
Don't forget that popcorn without sweeteners or seasonings is low in calories. A cup of this type of cereal (approximately 120 grams) provides about 30 calories. On the other hand, if we add a seasoning to this amount, such as butter or margarine, the calories would rise more or less to 130.
Another way to enjoy this cereal is by trying the so-called 'baby corn'. This is the corn that comes out of the first harvest when it has not yet fully matured and the cereal has not even been fertilized. The advantage of this 'baby corn' is that it is free from the effects of pesticides and its grains are very well protected by the peel because it is the very first harvest.
Baby corns can also be cut into two-inch pieces, dried, and then stored for up to three months. During that time all your vitamins and proteins will remain intact. You can also freeze them as long as you keep the cold chain.
However, when freezing them you should not leave them for a long time since they will lose their ascorbic acid -with antioxidant properties-. In the first 30 days of freezing it loses about 7% of this acid, in 60 days, 9% and in 90 days, 11%.
Regarding its reputation in the world of gastronomy, corn is the hallmark of Mexican food. In the lands of Mexico it was cultivated for the first time 9,000 years ago and since then it has been part of the Mexican diet.
In fact, in 2010 UNESCO recognized corn as one of the bases of traditional Mexican cuisine, which was inscribed that same year on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage: “The basic elements of the system are: corn, beans and the chili ".
This international organization awarded this merit to Mexican gastronomy because it includes ritual practices and customs and "it is possible thanks to the collective participation that goes from planting and harvesting to cooking and eating.".
Following this path, UNESCO recognizes that Mexican gastronomy uses "culinary preparation procedures, such as nixtamalization (husking of corn with lime water to increase its nutritional value)".
In this way, it emphasizes more the role that corn plays in the diet of Mexico, where around 9,000 years ago the Mayan and Aztec culture began to cultivate it. And precisely, this country continues to preserve corn as a hallmark of its gastronomy and also of its cultural identity.
What's more, the famous Mexican tortilla is made of corn and is one of the most international dishes of this gastronomy. It is one of the offerings on the Day of the Dead.
Despite all the benefits and successes of corn, it has not been without controversy. The development of biotechnology has sown controversy regarding genetically modified corn. It has been discussed whether it could increase the risk of suffering from some type of cancer, toxicity or potential nutritional alterations.
According to scientific research, there is no evidence that can link the intake of genetically modified corn with health problems, toxicity or cancer. Genetically modified foods would be as healthy as natural.
In any case, the genetic modification of foods is a relatively young science and therefore its possible benefits or damages in the long term are not known with certainty.
José Antonio López Guerrero, professor of Microbiology at the Autonomous University of Madrid and director of the Department of Scientific Culture of the Severo Ochoa Molecular Biology Center, affirms that from the point of view of molecular biology “transgenic foods do not pose any more danger to health than the same non-transgenic product ".
He adds that "in the case of corn, there is no relationship - serious and / or scientific - that relates it to cancer - much less in humans." In reference to the study carried out by French scientists in 2012 and which pointed out that tumors in rodents could be related to the consumption of genetically modified corn, López Guerrero says that "it was withdrawn due to dubious methodology".
A study by Brookes and Barfoot, directors of PG Economics, shows that in the first 15 years in which genetically modified cereal crops have been used, the use of pesticides has fallen by almost 450 million kilos. In other words, 9% less pesticides than 15 years ago.
Biotechnology and the use of genetically modified cereals have increased productivity on farms. They have also reduced the emission of greenhouse gases, which are produced by over-tilling and plowing. They have made it possible to reduce soil erosion and fuel consumption.
Following this path, corn not only produces benefits for our health, but also for the environment. Corn growers use the seeds of this cereal to produce ethanol, which is an alternative biofuel to petroleum. Hence comes the great value that corn has in international trade.
As you can see, it not only serves to feed millions of families, but also to generate an alternative energy source that reduces dependence on oil..
Ethanol, the substitute for petroleum, is not only extracted from the corn plant, but also from the sugar cane. In Brazil, this biofuel is derived precisely from sugar cane and has made it possible for more than half of the vehicles to use this source of energy instead of oil..
It is time to speak, on the other hand, of corn production in the world. The world's largest producer is the United States, which produced more than 360 million tons in 2014. In that same year, Spain produced 4 million tons and Mexico, 23 million tons, according to the FAO.
According to this international organization, in 2014 more than 50% of world corn production was concentrated in the American continent, secondly followed by Asia (29%) and third was Europe (11%).
In short, corn is a necessary and rich cereal in your diet due to the many benefits it has for your health.
We have revealed twelve reasons to eat this food. In addition, corn not only benefits our body, but also the environment. Ethanol is extracted from the corn plant, which is a biofuel that can reduce our dependence on oil. And of course, corn can be easily incorporated into your dishes (salads, guacamole, tortilla) and it is low in calories..
And you, what other benefits of corn do you know??
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