The Naked Truth Behind The Cob

“So is corn really bad for you?”

Now that’s a question I keep getting asked over and over.

That poor old corn cob has been the victim of some bad press in recent years.

Gossip is a bitch.

And bullshit is so much more pervasive and insidious than the truth.

Isn’t it?

Just between the two of us, isn’t some titbit of juicy fat gossip better than dry old truth??

Ha!

Well, let’s just get some of our facts straight on this much maligned plant, shall we?

Here are some of the myths – and the truth behind them.

 

#5 – CORN IS NOT HEALTHY

First things first.

There is corn…and there is corn.

Which is which?

Fresh sweetcorn – the vegetable – is the good guy. The family friend, the old style corn-on-the-cob, the comfy deal.

Unfortunately, that’s just about 1% of all the corn produced in the US.

So, all the rest of the 94 MILLION acres (minus 1%) of the stuff is called field corn.

It’s…well…the bad guy.

It’s the corn that is used to make ethanol, oil, paint, crayons and the dreaded High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).

So, the first thing you need to do is get your facts straight.

The second thing you need to do is go out and support your minority of local farmers who are growing healthy, organic sweetcorn.

By BUYING the stuff.

Because THIS corn is high in insoluble fiber, folic acid, niacin, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and minerals, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron, and copper.

Oh yeah!!!

 

#4 – CORN IS CHOCK FULL OF SUGAR

So, all that sugar will make you fat, right?

OK, so it IS actually true that corn contains more starch than most other veggies.

So, is that enough evidence to condemn it?

No!!

Check this one out – corn actually has a much lower Glycemic Index (GI) than an equal volume of baked potato, basmati rice, or even sweet potato.

The GI is a measure of the rate at which food turns into sugar and is uploaded into the bloodstream.

The higher the GI, the higher the ability of the body to store bodyfat after a meal.

Just to put things into perspective, check the following:

1 ear of corn on the cob (approx 1 cup) = 60 calories and 2.3 grams of sugar

1 cup of pineapple = 80 calories and 16 grams of sugar

So – unless, of course, you like to slather butter over your cob and sprinkle salt over it – tote up another one for good old sweetcorn!

 

#3 – SO MANY PEOPLE ARE FAT BECAUSE THEY EAT CORN

Corn wasn’t invented yesterday.

It has actually been a staple of the human diet for a pretty long time.

In fact, we have evidence of popcorn from as far back as 4700BC, in Peru.

Meanwhile, the obesity epidemic is a fairly recent phenomenon.

It started when humans began to consume “food like products” in the place of food.

That’s stuff that is full of calories but nutritionally empty.

I guarantee you that corn is not to blame for your fat ass.

However that pizza and those fries you’re guzzling might know something about it.

 

#2 – CORN IS A GRAIN…RIGHT?

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

So, here is a quick and easy refresher course.

First, a vegetable is defined as a plant cultivated for an edible part or parts such as roots, stems, leaves, flowers, or seeds/fruit

So, with that in mind, fresh corn is a vegetable.

Dried corn (as in popcorn and corn meal) is classified as a grain.

And, according to its botanical nomenclature, corn seed, is a fruit.

Talk about being popular.

Remember, you read it here first.

 

#1 – CORN IS GENETICALLY MODIFIED ANYWAY

What is this GMO thing you keep seeing about everywhere?

A Genetically Modified Organism is an organism whose actual genetic structure has been modified by those dudes in the white lab coats.

You see, these guys think that millennia of natural evolution hasn’t done a good enough job, so they’re just going to do it a whole lot better.

Right now, only 4% of the sweet corn grown in the US is GMO.

Obviously, there is nothing better than organic produce, so ALWAYS go for that. Support organic farmers all the way!!

 

PLAY IT SAFE

OK, so we have established that corn is not really all that bad for you.

Despite all the anti-corn scaremongering going on.

However, a few more tips can go a long way to ensuring that you’re actually on track to losing a few unwanted pounds – using facts, not corn fiction.

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Corn is grown on every continent except Antarctica. Those poor old Antarcticans don’t know what they’re missing.

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Know thy difference between ye olde sweetcorn and that nasty field corn.

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A corn cob is an innocent and defenceless little thing. Bathing the cob in butter and salt is where the baddies start coming out of the woodwork – or, rather, the corn patch.

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Use corn as the starch source for your carb intake. That means, no mashed potatoes next to the corn cob on your plate.

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Right next to the corn on your plate, make lots of space for non-starchy vegetables like spinach, broccoli, peppers and zucchini.

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Corn and HFCS are not the same thing.

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Avoid HFCS like the plague! That means avoid eating breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soft drinks, soups, and condiments. Oh boy, did I just say 50%+ of your normal nutritional intake is BAD for you?

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We are being fed HFCS and sugar in quantities never seen in human history – the average person consumes 140 pounds per year today versus 20 teaspoons per year 10,000 years ago.

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The presence of HFCS in foods indicates low level quality items, calorically dense but nutritionally empty. They are more often than not contaminated with mercury, fats, salts and other chemicals, such as flavourings and colourings.

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Now go grab a couple of cobs and enjoy!!

 

 

 

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