Danielle Moore
Whether cornflakes, on pizza, made into popcorn or tortillas, added to salads or grilled in one piece: corn is one of the tastiest and most popular foods in the world. But how healthy is it and does it actually help you lose weight? We have answers.
What exactly is corn?
Although we often refer to corn as a “vegetable,” it is actually a grain. It can be further processed into flour, into semolina (polenta) or boiled, grilled, roasted, puffed or baked.
Is Corn Healthy?
Corn is one of the healthiest grains out there. 100 grams of corn contains around 10 grams of fiber, 9 grams of protein, 4 grams of fat and 1.5 grams of minerals. The rest are carbohydrates. It does not matter anyway. Because the apparently low proportion of minerals is something to behold: corn contains a lot of potassium (295 mg), phosphorus (215 mg) and magnesium (90 mg). There are also calcium (8 mg), sodium (6 mg), zinc (1.7 mg), iron (1.5 mg), as well as manganese (415 µg), copper (240 µg) and selenium (up to 16 µg).
Also contained in corn: loads of vitamins! For example, corn contains vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, E and folic acid – an absolute health cocktail.
The whole thing is topped off with essential amino acids such as leucine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine and threonine.
In addition, corn contains no gluten – a major advantage over other grains.
Does Corn Really Help You Lose Weight?
Vitamins B2, B3 and B5 in particular boost fat burning. Added to this are the dietary fibers contained in corn, which on the one hand stimulate digestion and on the other hand fill you up. Minerals such as magnesium support muscle strength, potassium supports the cardiovascular system.
But beware! Corn also contains a lot of starch, more precisely a polysaccharide. This ensures that corn has a glycemic index of 70, which in turn means that the yellow kernels cause blood sugar levels to rise quickly and sharply at first, only to then cause them to drop rapidly. We all know what that means: food cravings! Corn can therefore not contribute to weight loss, but it does not have to be completely eliminated from the diet, since it also has many positive properties. Here, as is so often the case: the quantity is crucial!
The myth that corn helps with weight loss probably stems from the fact that the body cannot digest raw and little to no chewed corn and accordingly eliminates it without ingesting any carbs or anything else. In that case, of course, you can’t gain weight from corn – but you also miss out on all the fiber and vitamins…
