subject: Benefits Of Sweet Corn [print this page] Sweet corn is loved by adults and children both. It has become quite popular because of its sweet flavor. Sweet corn is not only sweet and delicious but it is a great source for many vitamins and minerals. Over the years it is becoming an essential part of our diet, especially in soups, like sweet corn soup.
Few of its benefits are:
Sweet corn is an excellent source of Folate. Folate is commonly known as vitamin B9. Consumption of Folate is effective in lowering the homocysteine levels in the body. Homocysteine is an amino acid that can damage the blood vessels. Elevated levels of homocysteine in the body can directly lead to heart attacks, strokes and peripheral vascular disease.
At 86 calories per 100 g, sugar corn kernels are moderately high in calories on comparison to other vegetables. However, fresh kernels have much lower in calories than field corn and other cereals like wheat, rice etc. Their calorie mainly comes from more simple carbohydrates like glucose, sucrose than complex sugars like amylose and amylopectin as in cereals.
Sweet corn contains a chemical known as beta cryptoxanthin. Beta cryptoxanthin is chemically similar to the well known chemical beta carotene. The human body converts beta cryptoxanthin to vitamin A when consumed in foods. The more beta cryptoxanthin consumed less will be the prevalence of lung cancer.
Corn is a good source of phenolic flavonoid antioxidant, ferulic acid. Ferulic acid plays vital role in preventing cancers, aging, and inflammation in humans. Sweet corn is also rich in other antioxidants like anthocyanins, beta-carotene, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, lutein, syringic acid, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, zeaxanthin.
Sweet corn also improves memory power as it contains plenty of thiamine or vitamin B1. This nutrient nurtures brain cells and improves cognitive function. Sweet corn also reduces the risk of contracting Alzheimers disease.
Sweet corn is rich in beta carotene, Folate and the antioxidant zeaxanthin. All these nutrients protect against eye ailments like macular degeneration.
Sweet corn is gluten free cereal and may be used safely much like rice, quinoa etc, in celiac disease individuals.
Sweet corn can be used or eaten in any form like boiled, fried, in vegetables, in soups etc. some people add extra butter and spices to enhance its flavors but they forget that by doing this they are losing on the various nutrients and minerals present in the vegetable. Moreover it should not be cooked too much.
