Corn came to us from far-away Mexico, thanks to Christopher Columbus. An unusual cereal in Europe was called "kukoruchcho" - reminiscent of a pointed hood. And the American Indians, he was called, and now is called - maize. According to the popular legend of the Mayan tribe, many years ago the Sun refused to shine and all the plants died. People prayed to the Gods, and the Sun shone again, but the hunger was terrible, and people again turned to the Gods, and they sent their messenger (the alien?) To Earth, who taught people how to grow maize. So corn is truly divine (or alien?) Gift. This plant uses everything - corn for food, corn oil and cooking flour, stems and leaves - for livestock feed, and even tender, delicate leaves that make up the "hood" - the Indians wrap minced meat in them and cook "tamale" - a dish in the manner cabbage, popular in our days in Bolivia, Peru and northern Argentina. It is worth adding that they used these leaves to wrap tobacco in them. So the first cigarettes appeared. On boiled grain, the natives successfully fish. This nozzle is now very popular among our fishermen - "carpenters" and "carp fish".
What vitamins are in corn?
As for vitamins in corn, there is, oddly enough, something to boast about (many consider these golden cobs to be beautiful and tasty, but completely useless.) So the composition of corn is rich - there is a lot of starch in it (almost 60 grams), a large amount vitamin B9, E, and in addition PP, B1, B2, B5, C. Corn contains a lot of iron, which is important to know who suffers from anemia or is simply dissatisfied with the level of hemoglobin.
Of the minerals contains - zinc, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, copper, iodine, cobalt.
Corn is a fairly high-calorie product. It contains 123 kcal and:
- proteins - 4.1 grams;
- fats - 2.3 grams;
- carbohydrates - 22.5 grams.
Caloric content of sweet canned corn is slightly lower - 118 kcal. And the composition is slightly different:
- proteins - 3.9 grams;
- fats - 1.3 grams;
- carbohydrates - 22.1 grams.
Corn for losing weight
Let's talk a little about the purposeful consumption of corn in a diet. Given that the composition we know less, we can immediately draw a few conclusions:
- Corn is a storehouse of vitamins, and by their content it can surpass most of the plant products. And vitamins, by the way, will be on the diet - it is proved, most of the disruptions in the moments of weight loss occur simply because the body does not allow to mock at itself and can not allow the critical depletion of the vitamin depot. That is, corn can help to stay on the diet, filling in part the lack of vitamins.
- In the golden cob there is a lot of fiber, and, alas, or fortunately, we ourselves can see it. On the one hand, the abundance of coarse dietary fiber leads to gas formation and swelling, on the other - to a long sense of satiety (not for minutes, but for hours!), And cleaning the intestines from un-digested food remnants.
- Corn is a source of unsaturated fatty acids omega-6. In this respect, it lowers the level of harmful cholesterol, cleans vessels and relieves atherosclerotic plaques.
- Well, and, finally, corn is a variant of the protein diet, especially if you stick to it
vegetarianism. True, her cob contains three times less protein than meat - but for vegetables it's already a lot! Corn is not just a protein product, but a source of easily digestible proteins. What, again, is important on a diet, and especially when it is combined with sports.
We are not Indians praying for the gods to save us from hunger (for now we are lucky), because they would not ask what is the use and what is the harm to the ear of corn, for them it is divine. But even to us, full and contented life, it is necessary to bow before really healing properties of this Latin American vegetable!