“Sweet Corn: The Benefits and Risks for Weight Loss and Diabetes”

Is sweet corn fattening? Find out what benefits this food has when you’re on a diet, and why you should avoid it or consume it in moderation if you have diabetes.

Sweet corn is delicious and can be incorporated into many salads when you’re on a diet, satisfying your sweet tooth cravings (which we hope you gave up to lose weight). In addition to tasting good, sweet corn is also healthy. It is rich in fibers that help digestion and vitamins with an important role in the body, especially for the health of the eyes, nervous and immune systems. However, it also comes with a downside: the carb content.

Consumed in excess, sweet corn can increase blood sugar due to the starch it contains and turns from an ally into an enemy in the weight loss cure. There are just over 100 calories in 100 grams of sweet corn. But because it tastes so good, you can tend to go a little overboard and sabotage your diet. The same applies to nuts – they are healthy, delicious, but they have a lot of calories, a lot!

Is it good to eat sweet corn when you want to lose weight?

Many people avoid sweet corn in their diet because they mistakenly believe that it contains a lot of sugar, given its name. But the sugar content is relatively low: 3 grams per hundred grams of product.

The problem with sweet corn isn’t necessarily the natural sugar it contains, but rather the amount we consume. Whether good or bad, any food is harmful in excess. So, moderation is the order of the day!

Two spoonfuls of sweet corn over vegetable salad and chicken breast is not the end of the world. On the contrary, sweet corn will give a good taste to the salad and thus you will eat “diet”, but with pleasure, thus increasing your chances of reaching the desired goal.

Another benefit of eating sweet corn in the diet is that this food is rich in fiber. They help digestion and give satiety, so they keep hunger at bay. Moreover, fiber is important for general health, and can reduce the risk of certain diseases.

We will discuss fiber, vitamins and other beneficial compounds in sweet corn next.

What are the health benefits of sweet corn?

In 100 grams of sweet corn, there are about 2.4 grams of fiber, i.e. 10% of the daily requirement. Fiber stimulates digestion, but also plays an important role in preventing serious conditions such as stroke or heart disease. This, because it helps to reduce the level of cholesterol on the blood vessels, being able to prevent atherosclerosis – the main risk factor involved in the appearance of many health problems, especially cardiovascular diseases.

Moreover, thanks to the fibers it contains and their beneficial effect on intestinal transit and blood sugar, sweet corn can help reduce the risk of colon cancer or diabetes. With a diabetes twist, which we reveal to you in the next section.

Sweet corn is also rich in folic acid (vitamin B9), essential during pregnancy for the harmonious development of the baby, but also for supporting the immune and nervous systems. Folic acid can also reduce the risk of anxiety disorders and depression.

Sweet corn also contains vitamins A, B1 (thiamine) and C. These prevent fatigue, support iron absorption from food, stimulate collagen production, help maintain skin and vision health, and play an important role in immunity.

Magnesium, potassium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, iron and manganese are minerals with a beneficial role for the body that can be found in sweet corn.

Because it is a gluten-free grain, sweet corn can be consumed without problems by people suffering from celiac disease.

Sweet corn and diabetes

The glycemic index of corn is quite high (52), and therefore diabetics should consume this food in moderation.

Because it has a fairly high starch content, excess consumption of sweet corn can raise blood sugar. Also, according to a study by Harvard University scientists, eating corn can lead to weight gain when we overdo it.

Sources:

https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2416/2

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1028647

https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001878