Can You Eat Corn On Mediterranean Diet

When you decide to go on a diet very often one of the questions you ask yourself concerns the calories contained in foods. In particular, a series of doubts begin to arise regarding the intake of certain foods. In particular, what is important to know is whether that particular food can hinder our weight loss or not.

In this article, we want to give you some tips on the consumption of corn because very often this food is considered high-calorie and therefore eliminated from the diet: nothing could be more wrong, than eliminating one or more foods from your menu can cause deficiencies or lead to a sudden recovery of weight once you re-enter the diet.

In addition, it must be considered that corn is found in various forms: from canned to the classic cob, pasta to popcorn, and corn cakes.

How many calories does corn provide?

In addition to mineral salts and vitamins, corn also contains a fair amount of starch, on which the caloric value of this food depends.

100 g of corn contains approximately 350 kcal.

But be careful: canned corn contains more calories than natural corn and this is due to the fact that the storage liquid often contains glucose that is used as a preservative.

Not to mention that being a preserved product, it is rich in sodium due to the salt that is often added to the preparation.

For this reason, it is always better to rinse it under running water before using it to enrich salads or other dishes even if it loses some of its flavor.

Let’s delve deeper into this difference between canned corn and classic corn cob. The latter, if used at home, is simply boiled and subsequently shelled to obtain the grains.

In this process, no salt is added, except for that which is eventually added to the cooking water.

Different speech for the canned one that by force of things must be stored for prolonged times and that for this reason requires the addition of preservatives that are very often salt and sugar.

All this greatly affects the caloric impact and the healthiness of this food; if we add to this that many enhance the flavor of this food by adding butter and various sauces the calories increase considerably.

In short, much healthier and lighter boil the cobs yourself.

What are the benefits of corn?

This precious cereal has considerable benefits and points in favor that help to counteract various problems. It is excellent to counteract constipation thanks to the fiber content that is very present in the outer part of the grain.

That dark and crunchy part that can be seen in popcorn is very rich in fiber and antioxidants and is beneficial for regulating intestinal transit.

The intake of fiber is also important to keep cholesterol values under control.

Cholesterol is not contained in corn as it is precisely a food of plant origin. These characteristics make it a perfect ally of the cardiovascular system, especially for people who have problems with hypertension and hypercholesterolemia.

Thanks to the content of phosphorus and calcium and other mineral salts, corn helps prevent osteoporosis, while vitamin A guarantees a very strong antioxidant effect.

The benefits of this food do not end here: it is indicated in the diet of celiacs and is suitable for the diet of those suffering from diabetes, as it is a food with a lower glycemic index than bread and pasta.

Thanks to its iron content it counteracts anemia, helps phosphorus memory and is a diuretic because it is rich in water.

Does corn make you fat?

Let’s start by saying that compared to other cereals it has fewer calories, so it can be consumed in low-calorie and slimming diets, naturally paying attention to the quantities ingested otherwise corn makes you fat.

This cereal contains carbohydrates, most of which are complex and only a small part is composed of simple sugars.

This reason actually makes the cereal we are talking about suitable for any type of diet, just think that corn contains a third of the calories of bread and potatoes, this means that by preferring corn to other flours/cereals, it is possible to increase the doses.

However, corn can make you fat as it contains a lot of starch, as we have seen.

Corn starch, especially canned starch, is hydrolyzed into glucose which makes this product really unsuitable for a low-calorie diet.

Canned corn kernels are soaked in a glucose solution, which, when ingested in large quantities, increases blood sugar and insulin production.

High insulin inhibits fat burning and causes them to accumulate, resulting in weight gain. For this reason it is best to avoid eating canned corn.

Can corn, then, be eaten when you are on a diet? Does it make you fat?

The benefits of this cereal are manifold, however, we have seen that canned or corn-based snacks are more caloric and at risk of weight gain. So it is better to prefer the natural one, perhaps boiled by you at home.

If you have decided to go on a diet, however, we advise you to consult a dietician or a nutritionist, avoiding eliminating foods from your diet by taking the clichés as absolute truths.