Corn can be boiled, steamed or roasted or can be used to make healthy snacks, like, popcorn (without butter or sugar). You can also use any food products made of corn, like cornflakes, puddy or any other kind of corn meal. Not only does corn tastes good, but also comes with a high nutritional value, which is beneficial for human health.
However, despite all these health benefits, corn has some disturbing side effects.The major points against
consumption of corn include a possibility of fungal and microbial
infection and toxicity and skewed Omega 6 : Omega 3 ratio. Besides
these, some other concerns over consumption of corn happen to stem
from the sugar and starch content of corn which gives this grain high
calorific value. Not a very good news for weight watchers! This
concern also gives rise to a very serious question - is corn oil good
for you? Considering the ubiquity of corn oil in just about every
processed and fried food and given its high trans fat content, corn
oil is not at all a good option for daily cooking purposes. If you
are a discretionary snacker and binge on those fries not more twice
or thrice a month then it won't be very harmful for you! Regular
consumption should be avoided. Is corn good for you? Not always!
Canned sweet corn can be
high in salt, with some brands containing as much as 545 mg of sodium
per cup -- close to a quarter of the recommended dietary allowance.
MayoClinic reports that excessive dietary salt can lead to fluid
retention and increased blood pressure in sodium-sensitive
individuals; it recommends getting no more than 2,300 mg of
sodium a day. Look for canned corn with no
added salt; the sodium level drops to a modest 31 mg per cup.
Although corn isn't
fattening, it is a starchy vegetable, meaning it does contain
carbohydrates. Consuming too many carbohydrates and overall calories
can lead to weight and fat gain. If you're overweight, the
Dietetic Associations encourage you to reduce your daily calorie
intake by 500 to 1,000 calories per day for a weight loss of one to
two pounds per week.
Corn allergies are seen in
adults as well as in children. When a person becomes allergic to
corn, his body develops antibodies against corn proteins. Therefore,
as soon as the person consumes corn products or even inhales corn
particles or pollen, the immune system reacts against it, which gives
rise to allergic reactions on the body. As corn is consumed by a
large number of Nigerians, the number of corn allergy cases is
increasing.
Symptoms of corn allergy
vary from very mild to severe ones. They are also found to differ
from person to person. When a person is over sensitive to corn,
consuming even a small quantity of corn can result in development of
symptoms.
