What would go through your head if someone set a nice cob of sweet yellow corn in front of you? Lately it seems people are more reluctant than eager to take a bite. In fact, I’m hearing more people say they’re avoiding corn altogether because they think it will lead to weight gain.
Some are connecting corn (fresh, canned, or frozen) to the bad press surrounding high-fructose corn syrup. Others have seen documentaries like King Corn or Food, Inc. (or read other stories about the damage corn can do to cows) and are banishing corn from their humans diets.
But my diet is heading in the opposite direction. After attending the Make Half Your Grains Whole! conference earlier this year, I’ve put corn back on the menu. (Details on exactly how I’m eating corn and other whole grains are coming next week.) This week, I wanted the truth about this veggie, so I did a little digging and had Marisa Moore, a registered dietitian in Georgia and a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, break down the chatter about corn. Here’s the good, the bad, and the bottom line.
The good
“Corn is a whole-grain product, so you can include it in a healthy diet,” Moore says. “The goal is to get half your grains from a whole-grain source, so if you include corn, have half a cup. It also provides vitamin C and fiber.” And the Whole Grains Council points to research showing that corn has more antioxidants than any other grain.
To get all of the good stuff, though, you have to read labels to be sure you’re getting whole-grain corn. “People love grits, but grits are not usually whole grain.” (There are a few sources of whole-corn grits, like Anson Mills and McEwen & Sons.) Another one? Popcorn. A study earlier this year showed that people who eat popcorn tend to eat more whole grains. That’s a no-brainer. As is Moore’s advice that deserves repeating: “Practice portion control, especially with buttered popcorn.” The difference between buttered and 97% fat free can be hundreds of calories.
The not-so-good
So, does corn make you fat? Not exactly. Though Moore explains that it has more calories than non-starchy veggies like spinach, she says it’s all about portion control: “You just have to watch the amount you eat. Like anything else.”
Now onto the confusing topic of high fructose corn syrup. Personally, I avoid it, but the most recent studies show it’s not anymore likely to make you fat than any other sweetener. “It’s important to make sure to minimize all the added sugars in your diet,” Moore says. So treat it like any other sweetener, and use it sparingly.
And the bottom line
“Sure, corn’s a starchy vegetable, but it’s not necessarily bad for you,” Moore says. She advises people to make room on their plates for corn and a variety veggies.
Corn isn’t my only veggie, nor is it my only whole grain. But it certainly is a fave. Next week, see how I’m getting my antioxidants and fiber through corn—and some other tasty grains, too.
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Comments (7)
With confirmation from the agriculture department at UC-Davis, I can clarify the classification issues brought up here. Corn is both a grain and a fruit. (And a grass.) It is a grain, grown for the edible seeds, which contain germ, endosperm, and bran, as any other grain. Corn is also botanically a fruit, not a vegetable — we eat the reproductive part of the plant.
As far as the recommendation to eat more whole grains, Americans do not eat enough whole grains by any measure. As many as 40 percent Americans never eat whole grains at all, and the current recommendation is 3 to 5 servings of whole grains a day. Popcorn is one of the most fun whole grains to eat, and it’s easy to prepare. Studies show whole grains can help reduce the risk of stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, and improve weight maintenance. For more, check out some of the studies available at the Whole Grains Council (a non-profit) website: http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org.
Andrea,
I did read the article. Yes, you can eat anything in the right proportions and be healthy, including candy bars and potato chips. However, corn has an impact on the body similar to those foods and should be eating in the same proportions.
I like most people in the US have grown up in a culture where corn, potato and wheat products have been mass marketed to me since I was a child because they are cheep calories and rapidly increase blood sugar.
Its irresponsible for a health related board to recommend corn when the average American is eating 10-15 times more than they should.
Your right I have done more than eliminated corn. I eliminated corn, potatoes and refined wheat and sugars. That’s it!!!
I don’t understand how something can be a veggie and be a whole GRAIN at the same time. Aren’t veggies and grains different from each other?
I think,it¨s all about portions,but it´s true that we could save some calories if we don´t eat corn almost every day
I liked that information so much
Fructose corn syrup is not so much an issue that it makes you fatter than other high cloric sweetner (cane, beet, etc. sugars), but the way that the body processes fructose corn syrup versus other sugars. Another real problem with fructose corn syrup is how heavily the processed food industry utilizes this very cheap sugar. Read the labels if you buy canned foods especially and the concentration of ingredients are listed from what is most to least used in that product in the ingredient listing.
I do agree that eating an ear of corn is a lot healtier than people tend to think, since hearing about fructose corn syrup gives the public an impression that anything corn is bad. The more a food is processed, the more items our body has to process and some of those items that helps keep the shelf life safe are not as good as fresh (provided the fresh product is in good condition and not coated in pesticides and fertilizers). Can or frozen corn does have nutrional value, but the message of more whole grains is very good and important. So is canned corn better than a fried corn chip or 64 ounce big gulp of soda? Of course it is and if fresh is not readily avilable or overpriced and you have to get frozen or canned, then eat as whole as you can, that is the message I agree with.
Joe, it is all about portions, read the article, i’am sure you made other changes to loose those 50 lbs
I have avoided all products with corn and potatoes for 6 months and lost 50 pounds. Calling corn “whole grain” is like calling pork “white meat”. What really matters is that corn is a very dense food and has a very high ratio of starch and sugar to fiber.
Sorry… forgot to say great post – can’t wait to read your next one!