Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Eat Corn

Posted by Matt on August 20th, 2009 at 08:00am

Come August, nothing is better than fresh sweet corn. Eating corn on the cob is a symbol of summertime. No matter how you prepare it, corn is a delicious and healthy vegetable that a wide variety of uses. Just in case you needed it, here are 5 reasons why you should eat corn this summer.

1) For Its Taste:
Frankly, do you need more reason than this? Fresh corn is sweet, crunchy and delicious. Filled with natural sugars, corn is a tasty addition to any meal. For maximum taste, try cooking corn on the grill.

2) For Its Nutrients:
Corn is a nutritional powerhouse. Corn is a superb source of B vitamins, vitamin C, dietary fiber and phosphorus, amongst other nutrients. 1 cup of yellow sweet corn has less than 200 calories yet has over five grams of protein. Corn is low in fat and calories, but high in nutrients and carbohydrates. As an ideal source of vital nutrients, corn is hard to beat.

3) For Your Health:
As a good source of folate, corn can help reduce the risk of heart-related health issues and potentially prevent birth defects. Corn can help improve memory and lung health. Low in cholesterol, fat and calories, corn is a healthy source of many nutrients.

4) For Its Cost:
Considering how tasty and healthy corn is, it is still affordable. Unlike other super-healthy foods, corn is readily available on the cheap from any supermarket. The United States is the world’s largest grower of corn, so the large supply means lower prices for consumers. Considering its nutritional value and taste value, corn is one of the best affordable food items out there. Generally, one ear of corn ranges in price from $0.25 to $1.00, making corn a budget-friendly food source.

5) For The Environment:
This point is actually a bit controversial. The large amounts of pesticides used in commercial corn farming does cause environmental damage, mainly via runoff. However, about two and half acres of corn plants produces, during one summer day, enough oxygen sufficient for roughly 325 people. Corn farming produces high levels of organic matter to the soil, replenishing nutrients in the ground. During the course of a year, 2 and a half acres’ worth of corn absorbs over 24 tons of carbon dioxide from the air.

For more information on healthy foods to eat, click here.

Tags: food, healthy foods, nutrition, summer, what to eat

Under Diet Foods Tags: food, healthy foods, nutrition, summer, what to eat