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America's most popular crop to pop can finally hold its ear high with some newfound nutritional respect. Formerly dismissed as a starchy, nutritional nothing, corn actually provides a good source of thiamin, folate, and vitamin C.
In fact, researchers at Cornell University found that a large cob of corn supplies a significant source of phytochemicals, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which could support eye health. And their research suggests cooked corn has higher carotenoid content than raw.
Researchers found that while heat in commercial processing diminished vitamin C content by 25 percent, corn's total carotenoid content increased to 44 percent. It seems cooking liberates carotenoids from the corn plant cell walls, while deactivating enzymes that would otherwise inhibit their activity.
Yellow corn has more nutrients than white, and blue corn has double the polyphenol content of blueberries. Plus, blueberries are not as much fun to eat as corn on the cob.
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