Corn

There are five principal classes of corn: dent or field corn, flint corn, pop or Indian corn, flour corn, and sweet corn. Dent is the predominant type
grown throughout the world. Sweet corn is the common “corn on the cob” that we eat today.

Archaeological studies indicate that corn was cultivated in the Americas at least 5,600 years ago. Corn, also known as maize, was domesticated
in Mesoamerica, which in pre-Columbian cultures included southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, western Honduras, and parts of
Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Corn spread to the rest of the world after Spaniards came to the Americas in the late fifteenth century and early
sixteenth century. Today, there are over six hundred food and nonfood products made from corn.

 

Where Is Corn Grown?

The United States is by far the largest producer of corn, accounting for forty percent of world production, followed by Canada, China, Brazil, and
many other nations. The “Corn Belt” includes the states of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan,
Missouri, Kansas, and Kentucky, with the first four states accounting for over fifty percent of corn production in the United States. About seventy-five
percent of corn produced in the United States is fed to livestock.

Why Should I Eat Corn?

Corn is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, folate, vitamin C, and pantothenic acid. Corn contains the phytochemicals beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein,
saponins, alkaloids, sitosterol, stigmasterol, malic acid, palmitic acid, tartaric acid, oxalic acid, and maizenic acid, which have heart health and
cancer-fighting properties.

Home Remedies

The entire corn plant has long been used in Native American cultures for medicinal purposes. Cornsilk is a well-studied tea that has diuretic
properties, and, accordingly, has been used for difficult, painful, or frequent urination. Cornmeal boiled with milk has been applied to burns,
inflammations, and swellings. Cornstarch, applied as a powder, may soothe chafing. Cornmeal mixed with castor or corn oil has been used to
relieve skin irritations. In Chinese traditional medicine, corn has been used for gall-stones, jaundice, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. The cobs stripped of
the fruit have been used to treat nosebleeds and unusual uterine bleeding. The hulls have been used to treat diarrhea in children.

Lifesaver!

HEART HEALTH: Corn is high in folate, a vitamin known to reduce homocysteine, an inflammatory marker attributed to heart disease.

LUNG CANCER: Corn is rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid that may significantly lower the risk of developing lung cancer.

One study evaluated the diet of 63,257 adults in Shanghai, China, finding that those who ate the most crytpoxanthin-rich foods had a twenty-seven
percent reduction in lung cancer risk. Smokers who ate the crytopoxanthin-rich foods were found to have a thirty-seven percent reduction in risk
compared to those who didn’t eat them.

COLON CANCER: Corn is very high in phenolic compounds that may help in preventing colon cancer and other digestive cancers. Corn is also

high in resistant starch that helps promote butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid found in the colon that may be beneficial in fighting colon cancer.

DIABETES: Cornstarch, a component of corn, was shown to improve glucose metabolism in normal and overweight women.

 Tips on Using Corn

SELECTION AND STORAGE:

• Corn kernels come fresh, frozen, canned, and canned creamed.
• Avoid ears of corn with shriveled husks that look burned or have a dark-colored slime in the tassel.
• Leave the husks on and place corn, uncovered, in the refrigerator. Use within a few days for best quality.

PREPARATION AND SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

• Fresh corn can be boiled, steamed, microwaved, or roasted on the grill or in the oven.
• Enjoy cold in salads.
• Use polenta (the Italian word for cornmeal) as a pizza crust for a healthy pizza.
• Use resistant cornstarch to replace up to twenty-five percent of flour to increase fiber content of your baked goods.