Eating corn helps you lose fat and weight because corn contains some good bacteria that aid digestion and help keep the body fit and healthy. Corn is usually yellow, but it also comes in red, orange, purple, blue, white, and even black. The kernel material of corn holds most of the nutrients and is the most consumed part. The following article will help you better understand the weight loss effects of eating corn.
1. 9 benefits of corn in your diet
1.1. Moderate calorie content
Corn is very good for health, corn is rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that help promote healthy vision. Compared to other vegetables, sweet corn is moderately high in calories with 96 calories per 100 grams serving.
As a cereal, popcorn is low in calories with 62 calories per serving. An average serving of popcorn is about 200 grams. Calories are needed for a healthy metabolism, and the recommended daily calorie intake according to nutritionists is 1,600 to 2,400 for adult women and 2,000 to 3,000 for men, depending on age.
1.2. Low in fat
Cooked yellow sweet corn has a low total fat content of 1.5 grams, which is about 2% of the recommended 25 to 35% of daily calories. Of this, saturated fat accounts for a minimum of 0.2 grams.
Popcorn contains only 0.6 grams of fat per 2-cup serving, but if you mash the popcorn with butter, that will increase the fat and calories significantly. Try adding flavor with spices, herbs, or nutritional yeast to keep the fat to a minimum.
1.3. Source of carbs for energy
Carbohydrates in sweet corn are complex, plant-based, healthy carbs that are important in everyone's diet to produce the energy needed for metabolic and physical processes. Carbs help fuel our brains, hearts, kidneys, and nervous systems. The recommended daily intake of carbs is 130 grams. Sweet corn provides 19 grams of total carbs per 100 grams; popcorn has 12.4 grams per 2-cup serving.
1.4. Supports Digestive Health
Fiber is important for digestive health and is especially effective for those looking to lose weight. Both sweet corn and popcorn provide 10% of the recommended daily value for each person at just 2.4 grams.
The fiber in sweet corn is notoriously difficult to digest, so it's a top bulking agent that helps food move through your stomach, intestines, and out of your body. This can help prevent constipation or diarrhea, as well as reduce the risk of developing hemorrhoids or diverticular disease.
Additionally, fiber can help improve blood cholesterol levels, reduce the risk of metabolic heart disease and stroke, and even help control type 2 diabetes, according to the American Heart Association. Dietary guidelines recommend that people should consume between 22.4 and 33.6 grams of fiber per day, depending on their sex and age.
1.5. Sweetness in Corn
Because sweet corn is harvested when it is still young, the kernels have more sugar than starch. Although the amount varies between varieties, sweet corn contains 4.5 grams of sugar per 100-gram serving. That's less than half the amount in a banana and less than a third of the amount in a serving of beets.
Too much sugar can indeed put you at risk for disease, obesity, diabetes, high blood cholesterol, and tooth decay, says the American Heart and Stroke Association. But too much sugar is usually from sugar added to processed foods or from high-fructose corn syrup.
The harms of excess added sugar generally don’t apply to sugar from naturally occurring fructose found in corn and other vegetables eaten as part of a healthy diet. It would be difficult to consume so much corn that you’d exceed your daily sugar limit. Dietary guidelines recommend that you consume no more than 10 percent of your daily calories from added sugar.
1.6. Helps increase bone density
Corn is a good natural source of magnesium, with sweet corn providing 26 milligrams per 100 grams and popcorn providing 21 milligrams per serving. About 50 to 60 percent of the body's magnesium is located in our bones, so a diet rich in magnesium has been shown to increase bone density - a measure of bone strength - and may reduce the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
The potassium in sweet corn - 218 milligrams per 100 grams - is also important for bone health by increasing bone mineral density. Popcorn has 48 milligrams per serving. According to the National Institutes of Health, consuming too little potassium can deplete the calcium in our bones. Additionally, your body also needs potassium for proper kidney and heart function, muscle contraction, and nerve transmission.
Corn is also a good source of phosphorus, with sweet corn containing 77 milligrams per serving and popcorn containing 48 milligrams. Phosphorus is another element that is important for bone development. With 85% of the body's phosphorus found in bones as calcium phosphate, a deficiency in this mineral can cause serious bone diseases.
Other nutrients found in corn that are beneficial for your bones are copper, iron, and zinc.
1.7. Source of vitamin C
Sweet corn contains the antioxidant vitamin C, with 9% per serving, which helps protect your body's cells from damage caused by harmful free radicals.
Corn's nutrition also includes valuable B vitamins, including thiamin (vitamin B1), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid, folate (vitamin B9), riboflavin, and vitamin B6. The body needs B vitamins to produce energy and maintain normal brain and nervous system function.
1.8. Corn helps lose weight
The high fiber content in corn can help you control your weight by slowing down digestion, making you feel full sooner. That can prevent you from overeating or snacking later so you get fewer calories overall. Harvard Health Publishing suggests that eating 30 grams of fiber a day can help you lose weight quickly.
The carbs in corn rank between 55 and 60 on the glycemic index, or GI. The GI is a ranking of how quickly a carbohydrate-containing food raises our blood sugar. A rating of 55 or less is considered a low value.
You might think that eating a lot of the carbs in corn or popcorn will make you gain weight. But a study found that a high-carb diet, combined with low-fat, high-fiber, low-glycemic foods, had a positive impact on weight management, according to a 2018 analysis reported in the journal Nutrients. After 16 weeks, overweight participants lost overall body weight and body fat, as well as reduced insulin resistance without any additional exercise.
1.9. Improve vision
Corn is high in zeaxanthin, along with its isomer lutein, which contributes to its characteristic yellow color. These fat-soluble antioxidant carotenoids are found in the retina of the eye. Our bodies cannot synthesize these compounds, so they must be supplied through our diet.
A 2017 study used corn as one of the food sources to evaluate the association between lutein and zeaxanthin and eye health. Evidence from the study, published in the journal Nutrients, determined that a diet containing lutein and zeaxanthin may prevent or delay the progression of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness. Interestingly, the researchers found that cooking foods containing carotenoids increased their bioavailability compared to uncooked foods.
2. Can eating corn lose weight?
Many people love eating corn, not only because of its taste but also because of its health benefits. But in fact, corn is not among the top weight loss foods recommended by nutritionists. However, it has other benefits that are worth mentioning.
In general, corn is not an ideal weight-loss food. But a small amount of corn mixed with other vegetables can be part of a healthy weight loss plan, especially for those who love eating corn.
Many people have always eliminated corn from their diet because it is higher in carbohydrates and sugar than other vegetables. Nutritionists also recommend eating other high-fiber, low-starch vegetables in addition to corn whenever possible. But there is a way for you to eat a little corn and still lose weight.
Here are some nutritional facts about corn:
- Corn has more than twice the calories of carrots and four times the calories of green beans and broccoli.
- It also has three to six times the carbohydrates and a little more sugar than other vegetables we can think of in dishes.
- In the best foods for weight loss, fiber will be more than sugar. Sugar and fiber are about the same in corn (and carrots), but fiber is twice or more than sugar in peas, broccoli and green beans - making them much better for weight loss because they will keep you fuller for longer, resulting in more fiber.
- Corn is rich in fiber and plant compounds that can support digestive and eye health. However, it is also high in starch, which can spike blood sugar and prevent weight loss when consumed in excess. The safety of genetically modified corn is also a top concern for many people around the world. However, in moderation, corn can be part of a healthy diet.
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Reference sources: livestrong.com, masalabody.com, healthline.com
