While corn is a popular food and appears to fit well into most diet plans, there are some things you have to consider about it.
There's nothing like a good piece of corn on the cob at your summer barbeque or your buttered popcorn to go along with your favorite movie, right? Or wrong?
What a lot of people want to know is...
Does corn help or hurt diet plans?
Unfortunately, as much as 60% of corn in the United States is genetically modified. In fact, the numbers may be higher because it is hard to get solid statistics on such a controversial topic. This practice of genetic modification of corn began as a way to allow farmers to grow a bigger crop and make more money because the crops could now fight off insects that were resistant to insecticides.
Sweet corn has also been genetically modified (now called Bt-corn) so that it produces a poison which kills harmful insects. This means the farmer no longer needs to fight insects with insecticides.
There is not enough evidence to show that this new type of corn is safe to consume. While farmers may make more money, it raises the question about the real value of corn.
Well, because the introduction of GMO (genetically modified organism) foods is still relatively new, we're in a way being used as "guinea pigs" in a massive experiment (Yikes!). In April 2007, Arpad Pusztai, from the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, UK, announced that experiments had shown intestinal changes in rats caused by eating genetically engineered potatoes (and I don't know about you, but I'm not happy about anybody trying to mess with my intestines).
Doctors frequently deal with patients who have irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive problems. GMO foods may be playing a significant role in this issue.
Since GMO rather than corn itself is the main problem, would diet plans with non-GMO work?
Weight Loss And Carbohydrates
It is more accurate to classify corn as a grain rather than a vegetable, because the body "reads" corn as a carbohydrate. So a meal of corn with brown rice will actually be a meal with two carbohydrate servings. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, you should not consume an overabundance of carbohydrates if you are not an active athlete and plan to lose weight.
What about microwave popcorn?
Even organic microwave pop corn is not healthy for you. The bag is lined with the same chemical coating that is used in non-stick cookware and the pop corn contains preservatives.
Is air popped popcorn better for you?
This is the best choice, but it should only be eaten occasionally. Since pop corn is a grain, it is a carbohydrate, and having too many carbohydrates will not assist in weight loss.
I hope this information helps you to make a more informed decision at your next barbeque and at your next movie night with making food choices that fit in with your diet plans. Remember, corn is not off limits by any means, just remember you're looking for the non-GMO varieties and including it as a grain and not a vegetable into your diet plans.
There's nothing like a good piece of corn on the cob at your summer barbeque or your buttered popcorn to go along with your favorite movie, right? Or wrong?
What a lot of people want to know is...
Does corn help or hurt diet plans?
Unfortunately, as much as 60% of corn in the United States is genetically modified. In fact, the numbers may be higher because it is hard to get solid statistics on such a controversial topic. This practice of genetic modification of corn began as a way to allow farmers to grow a bigger crop and make more money because the crops could now fight off insects that were resistant to insecticides.
Sweet corn has also been genetically modified (now called Bt-corn) so that it produces a poison which kills harmful insects. This means the farmer no longer needs to fight insects with insecticides.
There is not enough evidence to show that this new type of corn is safe to consume. While farmers may make more money, it raises the question about the real value of corn.
Well, because the introduction of GMO (genetically modified organism) foods is still relatively new, we're in a way being used as "guinea pigs" in a massive experiment (Yikes!). In April 2007, Arpad Pusztai, from the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, UK, announced that experiments had shown intestinal changes in rats caused by eating genetically engineered potatoes (and I don't know about you, but I'm not happy about anybody trying to mess with my intestines).
Doctors frequently deal with patients who have irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive problems. GMO foods may be playing a significant role in this issue.
Since GMO rather than corn itself is the main problem, would diet plans with non-GMO work?
Weight Loss And Carbohydrates
It is more accurate to classify corn as a grain rather than a vegetable, because the body "reads" corn as a carbohydrate. So a meal of corn with brown rice will actually be a meal with two carbohydrate servings. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, you should not consume an overabundance of carbohydrates if you are not an active athlete and plan to lose weight.
What about microwave popcorn?
Even organic microwave pop corn is not healthy for you. The bag is lined with the same chemical coating that is used in non-stick cookware and the pop corn contains preservatives.
Is air popped popcorn better for you?
This is the best choice, but it should only be eaten occasionally. Since pop corn is a grain, it is a carbohydrate, and having too many carbohydrates will not assist in weight loss.
I hope this information helps you to make a more informed decision at your next barbeque and at your next movie night with making food choices that fit in with your diet plans. Remember, corn is not off limits by any means, just remember you're looking for the non-GMO varieties and including it as a grain and not a vegetable into your diet plans.
About the Author:
Saleem Rana recommends you learn more about diet from the free information offered by renowned nutritionist Isabela De Los Rios
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