Corn sometimes gets a bad rap, but in fact it can be a healthful part of your diet. Get the scoop on its nutritional benefits along with some fun facts about this versatile food.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Whether it’s creamed or, on the cob, in snacks, or succotash, corn is one of the most common foods in our diet.
Also known as maize from the Spanish word “maiz,” it was first grown ten thousand years ago in what is now Mexico.
Native Americans showed European settlers to how to grow and cook corn including popped corn, which they had for breakfast with milk and maple syrup.
We still eat corn in the morning, but now it looks a little different.
And it tastes sweeter than what the settlers ate, since varieties grown today contain more sugar.
Though you’ll find it in the produce section, corn is not really a vegetable. It’s a grain.
The average ear of corn has 800 kernels, arranged in 16 rows. There’s one piece of silk for each kernel. That’s a lot to get stuck in your teeth!
Corn is high in carbohydrates and contains fiber along with some vitamins and minerals.
It’s rich in nutrients that may help protect against certain eye conditions.
Frozen corn is just as nutritious as fresh corn.
But corn isn’t so healthful if you add lots of butter and salt.
Instead, rub it with a wedge of lemon or lime and sprinkle on cayenne pepper or other spices.
Popcorn can be a healthy snack, especially if it’s air-popped. But cooking it in oil and covering it with butter can increase the calories, along with your waistline.
Speaking of oil, corn is used to make it, along with a wide array of other products, from whiskey and sweeteners to plastics and fuel.
Corn is so versatile that it’s even used to describe jokes. What do you say when someone tells a bad one? That’s corny!