Sweet corn or Zea mays var. Saccharata is variety of special maize which is genetically different from field maize variety. Corn itself is from Central America that is eventually introduced to world through the explorers from Spain. What makes sweet corn different with field corn is the mutation of sugary locus. Besides, it saves a lot of nutrients which is good for body health. Sweet corn nutrition facts and benefits will be explained further in the following section.
The characteristic of sweet corn is having tender kernels. It is also delicious and can be eaten as vegetable in a lot of cuisines worldwide. Unlike traditional corn, the corn crops will be harvested when the corn ear just reaches the milky stage. The corn cobs can be used immediately after harvesting or used later by make it frozen. This is because the sugar content in sweet corn will turn quickly into starch.
Sweet Corn Nutrition Facts and Benefits as well as How to Prepare It Appropriately
Before knowing about sweet corn nutrition facts and benefits, you are going to know first about the growing process of this plant. Corns can grow to the height of seven up to ten feet. They can grow even quickly in well-drained, sunny and fertile soil supported by fine moisture conditions. Optimum pollination will be needed for the growth of corn because it is important for full development of kernel.
Some sweet corns even provide various colors, maturation growing, and sweetness based on regional and local requirement. It will be ready to harvest in 65 up to 90 days depending on cultivar types. So, here are some facts and benefits you should know.
1. It is perfect diet food for diabetes
Sugar corn has phyto-nutrition profile in high quality which contains of vitamins, antioxidants, and dietary fiber in moderate portions. This corn is good source of dietary fiber in which 100 grams of kernels present 2 grams or as much as five percent dietary fiber for daily requirements. This dietary fiber is able to help regulating the level of blood sugar which may increase gradually.
2. It helps preventing oral cavity and lung cancer
The sweet corn nutrition facts and benefits have to do with pigment antioxidant of phenolic flavonoid in high level. These are including lutein, cryptoxanthin, and xanthins pigment, vitamin A, and beta carotenes. Providing fresh kernels as much as 100 grams can fulfill six percent or 187 IU as vitamin A’s daily requirement. These all compounds will work together in maintaining healthy skin, vision, and mucusa. So, the consumption of this natural food with rich content of flavonoid will be able to help preventing you from oral cavity and lung cancers.
3. It provides moderate amount of calories
For 100 grams of sugar corn, it provides as much as 8 calories. This amount is moderate in comparison with other vegetables. Meanwhile, sweet corn which is fresh has fewer calories than field corn or another cereal grain such as rice, wheat, and so on. It calorie come from sucrose and glucose as simple carbohydrate instead of amylopectin and amylose from complex sugar.
4. It is gluten-free
There are a lot o people that are intolerant to gluten. Sweet corn will be ideal food for those people since it is gluten free naturally. Sweet corn can be made into flour form to make pasta that is free from gluten. This food can be another option or alternative for wheat version with the same health benefit.
5. Sweet corn can help preventing aging in humans
This plant will be good sources of ferulic acid as the antioxidant of phenolic flavonoid. According to several researches, the content of cerulic acid has very important role to prevent aging, inflammation, as well as cancers. So, it is suggested for you to consume this sweet corn.
6. Sweet corn is good for body metabolism
Sweet corn also contains of niacin, thiamin folates, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, and riboflavin as B vitamin complex. These valuable vitamins provided by such corn in good level. It is said that it is good for body metabolism of human. It is because these vitamins can function as enzymes’ co-factors during the substrate metabolism.
7. It provides good sources of minerals
Moreover, it also contains some important and healthy minerals such as magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, and copper that is needed by your body.
In order to get some healthy benefits appropriately from sweet corn nutrients mentioned above, you should prepare and serve this corn using the methods properly. It is important for you to buy organic sweet corn from some grocery stores to prepare or even get it from local farmers, because organic food is much better than the non-organic food.
When you buy this corn, you have to look for the one with well-formed ear, golden brown silk and tight husks in light color. If you buy fresh cobs which are wrapped using plastic paper, you must look at its harvest date. This helps you to get the fresh corn. The kernels will turn sugar into starch sooner and lose its juicy and sweet flavor. Therefore, buying the fresh corn is necessary to keep fresh kernel with its perfect flavor. Avoid to buy matured cobs overtly or the one with dry husk. Dry husk of sweet corn indicates that it is out of flavor and old stock.
After buying the corn, you need to use it as soon as possible or keep the corn inside your refrigerator. Store them along with husk in order to maintain moisture, taste, and flavor. Stored sweet corn can stay well until three days only if they are stored well at ninety percent of 32 degrees Fahrenheit humidity.
The organic version will not need too much washing. What you need to do is juts removing its silk and husk form the corn and then use it as vegetable. You can wash husked cob in running cold water. Alternatively, drip it for 15 up to 20 minutes into salt water. Mop it dry using paper towel. By choosing the right sweet corn, you will be able to get optimum benefit.