Corn is a grain plant of the Poa family. It is used in cooking, grown for livestock and industrial use.

Corn was discovered by European explorer Christopher Columbus in 1492 and later introduced to the world.

Composition and calorie content of corn

Corn is rich in vitamins and biologically active compounds. It contains minerals, phenolic acids, carotenoids and flavonoids.

Composition of 100 grams of corn according to the daily requirement:

Corn varieties differ slightly in composition:

The caloric content of corn is 86 kcal per 100 g.

Regular consumption of corn reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Corn improves digestive tract health.

Corn contains a lot dietary fiber which retain calcium in the body. This is especially important in adolescence and during menopause.

All corn products, including cornmeal and popcorn, reduce mortality from cardiovascular disease.

Corn contains the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which promote eye health.

Anthocyanins in corn prevent fatty liver.

Eating corn allows you to quickly get rid of excess weight. The digestive process is improved due to the fiber and soluble fiber in corn. They have a beneficial effect on intestinal motility and cleanse digestive tract from slags.

Corn contains many antioxidants that protect the skin from oxidation and aging.

Corn kernels reduce the risk of colon cancer. This good source antioxidants that inhibit cell destruction and strengthen the immune system.

Corn for diabetes

Studies have proven that eating corn reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Magnesium, fiber and vitamin E, which are involved in insulin metabolism, are found in corn kernels. Regular consumption of these substances regulates insulin levels, increasing the feeling of fullness and reducing body mass index.

Corn is beneficial for diabetes because it has a low glycemic index.

Almost all varieties of corn contain GMOs, which change the intestinal microflora, increase resistance to antibiotics, and disrupt the functioning of the reproductive and hormonal systems.

The harm of corn can manifest itself in digestive problems - flatulence, bloating and stool upset.

Corn allergies are rare. At the first symptoms, you should reduce or stop using the product.

How to choose corn

1. Do not buy a product grown from genetically modified seeds.
2. To avoid damaging the cob and determine its quality, estimate its weight. The heavier the corn for its size, the fresher the product.
3. Make sure there are no dry or moldy spots on the cob - squeeze it and determine the defects by touch.
4. The silky end of the corn, called the tassel, will indicate how long ago the corn was picked. White, yellow or light brown tassels indicate fresh corn. Avoid sticky black or dark brown tassels - this is a sign that the cob has been picked for a long time.

If the cob is heavy and has light tassels, this is a fresh product.

How to store corn

When storing corn, avoid dampness and direct sunlight.

You can freeze corn kernels raw or boiled. From canned corn can be made as a side dish or added to a salad.

Corn is a very common crop in Russia. Fresh corn is used as food; its grains, previously dried, are used in the production of popcorn.

The plant's flour is ideal for baking scones, pancakes and muffins. Corn grits are able to regulate blood cholesterol levels and do not contain gluten.

This is only a small fraction of the beneficial properties that the plant has, but first things first.

Composition and calorie content

In addition to its good taste, corn has medicinal properties. At the same time, she does not accumulate in herself harmful substances, which is several times safer than other plant products.

The calorie content of the “golden grain” is high. On 100 grams of product contains about 350 kilocalories.

Calorie content of boiled corn

In 100 gr. boiled corn has about 125 kilocalories.

Most useful substances in fresh vegetable. It is rich in fats, carbohydrates, sucrose, proteins and dietary fiber.

Cobs contain the most vitamins of group B, among which choline predominates. His beneficial properties known firsthand. He protects cell membranes, normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood plasma, improves performance nervous system, helps maintain normal body weight. Other vitamins - A, E, H - affect the aging process, as a result of which the skin becomes a little younger and healthier.

Corn contains a huge amount of minerals: potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, vanadium, silicon, nickel, titanium, molybdenum, sulfur, iodine, etc.

Corn is used in both cooking and medicine.

Doctors advise treatment with “corn silk”. They lower blood sugar levels, have a choleretic and diuretic effect, help improve blood clotting, and prevent the appearance of worms. Decoctions based on “stigmas” are prescribed for cholecystitis, hepatitis and cholangitis.

You can buy corn silk extract at the pharmacy and, if desired, prepare it at home. If you use such drugs long time, then even kidney stones can dissolve over time.

Corn products contain selenium, which prevents the development malignant tumors and slows down the aging process. They also improve performance gastrointestinal tract, quickly remove the remaining alcohol from the body and make it easier to tolerate unhealthy and fatty foods.

During a diet, it is recommended to consume corn dishes when food is fermenting in the intestines.

In folk medicine, corn products were a source of strength during exhaustion, helped with menopause and irregular periods. They have also been successfully used to treat " loose stool", for infertility and even impotence!

If you have diarrhea

Corn kernels fried with honey will help you regain your joy in life. They should be eaten one teaspoon every half hour, washed down with boiled water.

If you are constipated

Boiled cob will help get rid of this disease. In this case, it must be watered with oil. This recipe is also suitable for the treatment of gout, liver and nephritis.

If you have gastritis

Puree soup - ideal remedy treatment of gastritis, it has a calming effect on the gastric mucosa.

You can reduce the risk of developing cancer by simply eating corn porridge with suluguni cheese.

Corn in cooking

Many chefs add this vegetable to dishes to give them originality. Corn kernels are delicious regardless of whether they are boiled or roasted. Porridge is cooked from crushed grains and flat cakes are baked. The flour of the plant is used to prepare dough from which dumplings, dumplings and bread are made.

The most a simple dish are boiled cobs. They are cooked for an hour and a half in slightly salted water, in a saucepan with a tightly closed lid. To preserve more beneficial properties, the cob can be cooked in a double boiler.

To achieve maximum benefit for your body from corn - prepare dishes based on it. Eating grains alone is not enough. Today there are many recipes for your creativity on the Internet. The only contraindication is not to eat vegetable-based popcorn and chips, which are sold at every turn today. They contain a lot chemicals, harmful to the body.

Corn is successfully used as a cosmetic product. For uneven skin, acne, pimples, pigmentation, you can make a mask from corn. To do this, take one tablespoon of flour and brew it with boiling water.

After the mixture swells, it is applied to a previously washed and cleansed face for fifteen minutes. The mask is washed off warm water without soap, then the face is smeared with corn oil.

After another fifteen minutes, the remnants of the mask must be removed with a napkin. This procedure is done three to four times a week.

Corn treatment: traditional methods

You can alleviate your condition with hypertension by preparing the following mixture:

• one glass warm water;
• half a glass of corn flour.

Mix everything and leave in a cool place for 24 hours. Take two tablespoons two to three times a day before meals.

For hepatitis and uterine bleeding You can prepare this decoction: take five tablespoons of “stigmas” and pour 0.5 liters of boiling water. Leave for two hours. Then strain and drink a quarter glass 30 minutes before your meal, four times a day.

A decoction of stigmas copes well with swelling, helps with overweight, helps dissolve kidney stones.

Harm

If you have low body weight, “poor” appetite, frequent thrombophlebitis, increased coagulability blood, as well as gastrointestinal ulcers and duodenum, you better stop eating corn in any form.

In all other cases, you not only can, but also need to eat more cobs in order to protect your body from various kinds ailments. You can buy cobs in the store, although they are not sold everywhere. The cost of one piece is from 40 rubles.

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According to scientists, people began cultivating corn 7 thousand years ago. Among the indigenous inhabitants of modern Mexico, the Mayans and Aztecs, it was called maize and was held in special honor. It was believed that during the years of the great famine, the sun god Kukulkan irrigated the territories belonging to the tribes with a golden shower of grains.

It was then that the first corn porridge was prepared. Meanwhile, the wild analogue of this cereal has not yet been discovered, and the grains that have fallen into the ground cannot survive without a caring human hand. What secrets do the sun's cobs keep? What are the benefits of corn for the body and what harm can its excessive consumption cause?

Corn, like other cereals, is an invaluable source of many beneficial substances. From vitamins - A, C, E, PP, H, K, D, group B. For example, daily norm Vitamin B1 is contained in only 150 g of boiled grains. It is noteworthy that it contains more than 20 elements of the periodic table, including selenium, molybdenum, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, iodine, potassium, sodium, iron, copper, zinc, fluorine, tin, manganese, chlorine.

There are a lot of unsaturated ones in it fatty acids, pantothenic and ascorbic acid, as well as starch. From essential amino acids– tryptophan and lysine. Fiber is another delicious component of corn. And its bran is no less useful than oat or wheat bran.

Dietists love it because it has high nutritional value, porridge made from corn grits in very small quantities saturates the body quickly and for a long time. Doctors also appreciate another property of this cereal: it contains practically no substances that can cause food allergies. That is why liquid corn porridge is one of the first traditional complementary foods for a growing baby.

It is noteworthy that when heat treatment Corn does not lose any nutrients: the dense shell of the grains allows them to be kept intact.

What are the benefits of corn?

This amazing plant is notable for the fact that almost all its parts have beneficial properties. Healers and traditional healers Its medicinal components are highly revered. Most Applications Found corn silks - a decoction or infusion of them will save you from many ailments. But health benefits are also provided when eating grains.

Corn:

• stabilizes blood sugar levels;
• helps cope with the problem of excess weight;
• useful for heart and liver diseases;
• has a diuretic effect;
• reduces the level dangerous cholesterol in the blood;
• improves metabolism;
• lowers the level of bile in the body;
• promotes better blood clotting;
• relieves swelling;
• its benefits are obvious for patients with enterocolitis: it prevents fermentation processes in the digestive tract;
• effective for hepatitis, cholecystitis, kidney and urolithiasis;
• increases vitality, helps overcome apathy and bad mood;
• affects various types of tumors due to the selenium content;
• improves brain function and blood circulation in it (this is facilitated by the high content of phosphatides);
• has a beneficial effect on digestion and the gastric mucosa;
• strengthens the immune system and increases the body's ability to resist many diseases;
• helps improve the condition of the skin, hair and nails (this is facilitated by the content of B vitamins and calcium);
• removes waste and toxins from the body that harm it;
• cleanses the intestines thanks to high content bran.

Why is corn harmful?

And yet, even such a healthy, divine grain can cause harm to the body. The first and main rule: in order for the benefits of eating corn to be maximum, fresh It is permissible to consume no more than 150 g of grains at a time: maize is a heavy food, and overeating in this case can provoke disruption of the stomach.

Tendency to form blood clots and increased performance blood clotting - direct indications that corn and dishes made from it, including such widespread porridge, can be harmful. It is better for people suffering from these ailments to completely exclude them from their diet.

Cornmeal can also be harmful. Dishes prepared from it may not cause any obvious reaction. However, used in home cosmetology, maize flour, which serves as the basis for masks and scrubs, sometimes provokes irritation and rashes on the skin. Therefore, to ensure that this ingredient is homemade cosmetics will not harm the skin, you should first test it on a small area of ​​skin.

Cook? Bake? Canning?

The scope of use of corn in cooking is unusually wide. Flour, cereals, bran, and vegetable oil are produced from it. The grains themselves are boiled, canned and even baked.

Sprouted or fresh, as well as canned, it can be included in first courses, salads, appetizers, stews and complex side dishes. Boiled corn, sprinkled with salt, is a wonderful dish in itself. This type of corn is delicious to eat, biting straight from the cob. Cobs baked in the ashes of a fire are also amazingly tasty - hard on the outside and soft on the inside, with a strong aroma of smoke, the grains just beg to be chewed.

One of the most famous dishes is corn porridge. Cooked from cereals, this porridge perfectly nourishes, fills the body with vitamins and nutrients, and gives a charge of vigor and strength for the whole day. Especially tasty is corn porridge with sheep cheese, omelette cooked in lard and fried fish. Benefits for the figure with such a diet are not provided by default, but a feast of taste is guaranteed! However, served with cold milk, such porridge is a completely dietary dish.

In many countries around the world, they are familiar with this cereal primarily due to the enormous popularity of popcorn. Indeed, puffed corn is one of the most favorite types of fast food.

And its benefits, remarkably, are quite high - provided that such an airy snack is prepared with only a small addition vegetable oil or without it at all. But puffed corn richly flavored with salt, fats and artificial colors will only bring harm to the body.

Choosing quality corn

Boiled corn is a wonderful delicacy that is easy to buy in markets during the season. However, much best option– buy raw cobs and boil them yourself. The best fresh corn is young, juicy, moderately soft, with bright green leaves tightly adjacent to the cob. The color of the grains themselves should be light and uniform.

Canned corn is no less beneficial for the body than boiled corn. When choosing a product in a store, give preference to glass containers: the liquid in which the grains are stored, when combined with metal, does not form the most useful substances. Also, pay attention to the production date of the product.

If these are the summer or first autumn months, then rest assured: the jar contains the freshest grains filled with natural strength. In winter and spring period roll up pre-frozen corn. The harm from it may be small, but the health benefits are hardly possible.

Corn, the beneficial properties of which are not known to everyone, is used not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine.

Surprisingly, the cereal is included in all kinds of medicinal herbs and infusions. The rich composition has a beneficial effect on the human body, improves its general condition and is also used in cosmetology.

Calorie content and product composition

There are 338 kcal per 100 grams of product. Despite the high energy value, corn is included in the diet of those losing weight. The fact is that it quickly gives a feeling of fullness, which eliminates the risk of overeating and nourishes the body. important vitamins and microelements to maintain normal life.

Why should you eat corn? The beneficial properties of the product stem from its composition, which includes:

Vitamins – A, B, PP, E, H;

Micro- and macroelements – iodine, calcium, potassium, manganese, copper, phosphorus, zinc, iron and others;

Acids that regulate blood cholesterol levels.

Useful elements composition are very quickly absorbed by the body, due to which metabolic and digestive processes. As a result, a person replenishes the deficiency of vitamins and minerals, is constantly in good shape and is less exposed to stress.

Corn: beneficial properties for the human body

Eating corn has a beneficial effect on general condition body. This product will be useful for both adults and children, it allows you to fill the deficiency of important nutrients necessary to maintain normal life.

Corn: beneficial properties

1. Has a mild laxative effect. Normalizes intestinal microflora, so you can forget about constipation.

2. The starch included in the composition nourishes nerve cells and shapes muscle fibers.

3. It also contains glutamic acid, especially useful for children. It stimulates the brain and improves memory.

4. It is especially good to eat boiled young corn. The beneficial properties of the “sweet treat” allow you to cleanse the body of accumulations of waste, toxins and salts heavy metals.

6. Allows women to go through menopause more easily, reduces painful sensations during menstrual cycle.

Corn: beneficial properties and applications

Sweet corn retains its beneficial properties both fresh and canned.

Applications

1. Traditional medicine. IN medicinal purposes All parts of the plant can be used. For example, silk is an excellent diuretic, and corn-based oil helps normalize blood cholesterol levels. To improve reproductive abilities, women and men are recommended to eat dishes made from corn flour.

2. Cosmetology. The components of corn have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin and hair, so plant extracts are used in the manufacture of creams, shampoos and other beauty products.

3. Dietetics. It is known that consuming sweet corn normalizes metabolism. In boiled form, the product is recommended for those who want to get rid of excess weight because it allows you to speed up the process of breaking down fat deposits.

4. Construction. Few people know that corn is used in the production of paper and cardboard.

5. Agriculture. Corn is an excellent balanced feed for livestock.

Traditional medicine recipes

Each good housewife must have recipes in your “arsenal” traditional medicine, which may be useful for treating loved ones. Corn is one of the products whose beneficial properties you must know.

1. Remedy for inflammation of the gallbladder

For 500 ml of water you will need 20 grams of pre-crushed corn silks. The pan must be placed on low heat and brought to a boil, kept under the lid closed for another 30 minutes and turned off. The diuretic drink should be drunk every 3 hours for 2-3 days. The product is safe, side effects There were no noticeable effects from use.

2. Remedy for hepatitis and cholecystitis

Choleretic properties make corn useful for cholangitis, cholecystitis and even hepatitis. You need to pour 1 tablespoon of crushed grains with 1 glass of boiling water, put the container in a dark place. When the drink has cooled, it must be filtered. Accept medicinal liquid recommended 3-4 days, 1 tablespoon every 3.5 hours.

3. Remedy for diabetes

You need to mix corn silk (30 grams), wild strawberries and violets (10 grams each), 20 grams of sunflower. Dry ingredients are mixed, then 2 tablespoons medicinal collection pour boiling water (400 ml) and boil over medium heat for 5 minutes. After cooling, the drink is filtered and drunk 3 times a day before meals, half a glass.

Corn: beneficial properties for beauty

Recipes for beauty and health based on corn are used in great demand among the fair sex. Knowing a few “secrets”, you can forget about expensive cosmetics, take care of your skin and hair with natural remedies.

Corn: beneficial properties, recipes for beautiful hair and skin

1. Corn flour is great for cleansing your face from acne. It is enough to take 1 tablespoon of the product, add water to make a porridge-like mass - the face mask is ready. The mixture is applied to the skin for 20 minutes, then washed off cool water. An excellent result will be noted after the first use. The pores will be cleansed and the oily sheen will disappear from the skin.

2. Simple and healthy recipe for hair. You need to buy corn oil at the pharmacy, heat it a little in a water bath and apply it to the scalp, then distribute it over the entire surface of the curls. In the mask for better effect you can add egg yolk. After an hour, the hair is washed with shampoo - after the first time it will acquire a healthy, radiant shine. Corn oil restores the structure of curls, nourishes them and strengthens them.

Useful advice! The water in which the corn was boiled does not need to be thrown away. This decoction treats diseases associated with the pancreas and normalizes metabolism. It is recommended to drink the drink 2 times a day, 1 glass.

Main contraindications to eating corn

The value and usefulness of corn is beyond doubt. However, dishes based of this product have several contraindications that you definitely need to know about in order to prevent undesirable consequences.

Contraindications

1. If a person has a decreased appetite, be sure to consult with your doctor before consuming corn.

2. Dishes with corn are prohibited during periods of exacerbation of duodenal and stomach ulcers.

4. If marked individual intolerance to the product, its use for medicinal and cosmetic purposes is strictly prohibited.

Corn, the beneficial properties of which were presented above, is very valuable product. Despite the rich vitamin composition You need to be careful when using the product, always know when to stop, in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.