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5 surprising health benefits of corn

Author: Claire Turnbull - NZ Registered Nutritionist, BSc (Hons) Dietetics

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A simple cob of corn is far more than just a tasty contribution to your daily vegetable target. Nutritionist Claire Turnbull shares health benefits of sweetcorn that you may not have heard before.

1 Corn has protein power

A cob of corn has approximately 6g of protein, which is the same amount as an egg! If you’re looking to have less meat on your plate, are vegetarian or struggle to get enough protein rich foods in your kids’ lunchboxes, then a simple cob of corn could be the answer.

2 Corn is a good source of energy

While we use corn as a vegetable, technically it is a grain and, as such, it contains carbohydrate. A large cob has approximately 22g of carbs, which is similar to 1/3 cup of cooked rice or 1.5 slices of bread, so if you have a whole cob with a meal, you might not need as much potato salad as you think to go along with it! (Note: As bread varies a lot, it pays to check what the bread you buy is for a comparison)

3 Popcorn is corn

Popcorn is just dried corn kernels that are then heated to pop. The super good news is that popcorn is a whole grain and is a really nutritious snack. It’s best to pop your own if possible, so you can control the salt and sugar levels, or check the labels of what you are buying to go for the lowest possible. To compare bought versus homemade popcorn, check this out.

4 Fabulous fibre

Fibre! Yay, more good news, corn is a great source of fibre which keeps your digestive system healthy and reduces your risk of bowel cancer. A large cob has 3g of fibre – not a bad contribution to the 28g women need a day and the 38g men need.

5 Frozen is as good as fresh

Fresh corn not in season? No worries. A cup of corn be it frozen or canned has the nutritional goodies that are in a normal fresh cob of corn. Top tip – if you do by canned corn, look for one without added salt or sugar. Need ideas for canned corn? Here are 10 to try.