Many countries, including African countries and United States, have corn in the formation of their staple foods. Corn is the most popular cereal in the world. Corn or maize has priceless health benefits such as, prevention of neural defects at child birth, prevention of heart ailments, lowering hypertension, and controlling diabetes.
Warning: People with high blood sugar and high cholesterol should consume corn in moderation.
Health Benefits
In recent decades, the number of people suffering from Diabetes has risen. Adding more fresh fruits and vegetables, corn included, in your diet reduces signs of Diabetes. Phenolic phytochemicals are present in whole corns, which make it effective against hypertension. These phytochemicals regulate insulin release and absorption in the body, which reduces the chances of drops and spikes for diabetic patients.
Corn is a rich source of vitamins A, B, E and more minerals. Corn is also a great source of Pantothenic acid, an essential vitamin for lipid metabolism, carbohydrate, and protein in the body. Corns also have many antioxidant properties essential for protection and growth of the body from disease and illness. There are also other healing properties such as prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, niacin deficiency, maintains nerve health, cognitive function, deficiency of folic acid in pregnant women, maintains skin and good vision.
Using corn oil when cooking foods can protect your heart. Oil from corn has anti-atherogenic effect towards cholesterol levels. Meaning to say, it reduces risks of getting cardiovascular diseases. Corn oil is close to fatty acids that strip off the damaging “bad” cholesterol. Then, the “bad” cholesterols are replaced at the binding sites. Using corn oil also decreases the chances of stroke and heart attacks.
To top it all off, corn has vitamin B12 and folic acid that prevents anemia!
Selecting the Right Corn and Storing
When you’re at the market and looking for corn, the easiest way to get the one that’s freshest and most healthy is to make sure that the husks are not dry. To ensure good taste, consume corns within a few days after purchasing. When you are storing corns, store them in your fridge’s air tight containers. It’s perfectly fine to eat defrosted corn.
