What are the nutritional benefits of eating corn?

Although a healthy food, corn by itself is not a nutritionally complete food. The people subsisting primarily on corn run the risk of developing pellagra, a vitamin B3 (niacin) deficiency. One way to avoid this is to eat it in tortilla form.

Tortillas contain cornmeal and limestone potash, which facilitate the absorption of B3. Corn is a fine source of vitamin B1 (thiamine). It also is considered a good supplier of vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamins C, E, folic acid, and the minerals magnesium and phosphorus.

Corn is considered to be low in protein content, as its levels of the amino acids lysine and trytophan are minimal. However, it is a good source of complex carbohydrate as well as healthful essential fatty acids and fiber. Various flavonoids and carotenes are responsible for the varying colors of the different varieties of corn.

Among the colors valued by the Native Americans were pink, red, black, and blue, and some varieties of corn also had stripes and spots. The concentration of these healthy phytochemicals is found in the outer layer of the endosperm, the nutritive tissue in seed plants. Yellow corn, the predominant corn used today, is high in the carotenoid called lutein.

Thus, yellow corn food products can protect against heart disease and macular degeneration, a condition of the eye typically seen in older age; 1.5 mcg of lutein is found in one 31/2-oz (100 g) serving of yellow corn.

Buckwheat contains two flavonoids with significant health-promoting actions: rutin and quercetin. It is also a very good source of magnesium (it has 86 g of magnesium in a 1-cup serving) and has a good supply of manganese, fiber, phosphorus, pantothenic acid, and protein. Finally, the protein in buckwheat is a very-high-quality protein, containing all eight essential amino acids.

In this way, buckwheat is quite complementary to other grains and will provide an even more complete protein when combined with them. The salutatory effects of buckwheat are in part due to its rich supply of flavonoids, particularly rutin and quercitin. These flavonoids extend the action of vitamin C and act as antioxidants.

They also maintain blood flow, keep platelets from clotting excessively, and protect low density lipoproteins from free-radical oxidation into potentially harmful cholesterol oxides. Diets that contain buckwheat have also been linked to a lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. As a result, they can lower heart disease.

One Chinese study clearly showed that buckwheat intake was associated with lower total serum cholesterol, lower levels of LDL (the cholesterol linked to cardiovascular disease), and a high ratio of HDL (the health-promoting cholesterol) to total cholesterol. Even though buckwheat lacks bran and germ, it still rates as a very good fiber source.

The protein content of millet varies from 5 to 20 percent, with an average of 10 to 12 percent. Millet is generally superior to wheat, corn, and rice in terms of protein content. It is also a good source of the minerals phosphorous and magnesium, as well as B vitamins such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and B6.

Besides its protein and vitamin content, millet is a hypoallergenic (low-allergy), gluten-free grain. As such, it is a perfect alternative to wheat. Like many other whole grains, it is a good source of fiber and offers protection against heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Oats are a very good source of manganese, selenium, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. Oats have more than thrice as much magnesium as calcium (177 mg versus 54 mg per cup of dried oats). In addition, oats are a good source of vitamin B1 and soluble dietary fiber.

Oat bran's dietary fiber is high in beta-glucan, which helps to lower cholesterol by binding bile acids and removing them from the body via the feces. Since 1963, more than 30 clinical studies have examined the effect of oat bran on serum cholesterol levels. Various oat preparations containing either oat bran or oatmeal have been used, including cereals, muffins, breads, and entrees.

The overwhelming majority of these studies demonstrate a very favorable effect on cholesterol levels: In individuals with high cholesterol levels (above 220 mg per dl ) the consumption of the equivalent of 3 g of soluble oat fiber per day typically lowers total cholesterol by 8 to 23 percent. This is highly significant, as with each 1 percent drop in serum cholesterol level, there is a 2 percent decrease in the risk of developing heart disease. 3 g of fiber can be obtained by consuming approximately one bowl of ready-to-eat oat bran cereal or oatmeal.

Although oatmeal's fiber content (7 percent) is less than that of oat bran (15 to 26 percent), it has been determined that the polyunsaturated fatty acids contribute as much to the cholesterol-lowering effects of oats as does the fiber content. Although oat bran has a higher fiber content, oatmeal is higher in polyunsaturated fatty acids. This makes oat bran and oatmeal quite similar in their effectiveness.

It is important to note, however, that although individuals with high cholesterol levels will see significant reductions with frequent oat consumption, individuals with normal or low cholesterol levels will see little change. Studies also show that oat bran has beneficial effects on blood sugar as well. Adults with type 2 diabetes, when given foods high in oat fiber, or oatmeal, or oat bran-rich foods, experienced a much lower rise in blood sugar than those who were given white rice or bread.

Rye is a very good source of dietary fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, and vitamin B1. It boasts a 4:1 magnesium-to-calcium ratio. Primarily due to its high fiber content, rye can prevent spikes in diabetic's blood sugar level and reduce the symptoms of people with irritable bowel syndrome.

Finnish studies have clearly shown the benefit, of reduction of colon cancer risk, due to rye's ability to provide extra soluble and insoluble fiber, as well as its function of encouraging colonic butyric acid production. Butyric acid is a fatty acid needed for the health of the colonocyte. Rye fiber is a rich source of non-cellulose polysaccharides with a high water binding capacity.

By binding water in the intestinal tract, rye breads give the sensation of fullness and help normalize bowel function. Dry rye breads or crackers rich in fiber may be the most useful for this purpose; however, look for products without unnecessary salt and oils.

Spelt is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates, complete protein, and fiber. It is also a very good source of a number of B vitamins and minerals. In a mere 100 calories, 1-oz of spelt cereal flakes provides 5 g of protein, along with 3 g of fiber.

Whole spelt grain is slightly lower in protein (3 g per oz) and calories (90 per oz) but higher in fiber and minerals. Spelt is an alternative for those allergic to wheat.

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The story of wheat in the U.S. unfortunately starts with a raw material that is very nutritious and a final product that in most instances is not. As a standard rule, wheat products such as pasta, noodles, breads, and cookies use flour that undergoes a process in which 60 percent of the wheat grain is removed. Included in the 40 percent lost are the most nutritious aspects of the wheat: the bran and the germ.

As a result, more than half of the B vitamins, folic acid, zinc, copper, phosphorus, calcium, and iron are removed. In the 1940s, the U.S. instituted laws requiring enrichment as a reaction to the observed health problems of the population. Unfortunately, enrichment does not even replace what has been lost.

Unextracted whole wheat, on the other hand, yields a good supply of dietary fiber and manganese. It also contains a healthful portion of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and E and folic acid, as well as calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, protein, magnesium, and iron. Wheat germ is the vitamin- and mineral-rich embryo of the wheat kernel that is removed during the refining of whole-wheat grains into white flour.

It is an excellent source of vitamins B1 and B6 and folic acid, as well as the minerals zinc, magnesium, and manganese. Wheat germ also has high oil content and therefore is an excellent source of vitamin E. Wheat's health benefits are maximized when 100 percent whole-wheat products that include the bran and the germ are used and are virtually non-existent in products made of bleached white flour.

Furthermore, bleached white flour has a higher glycemic index and affects blood sugar levels untowardly. Some of the benefits of unextracted whole wheat nclude: Reduction of the incidence of colon cancer, a benefit that has not been seen with oat bran or corn. Reduction of the risk of breast cancer, as wheat bran has been shown to decrease blood estrogen, a promoter of breast cancer.

Promotion of regular bowel function, which can significantly reduce the incidence of diverticular disease.

Amaranth seed's primary claim to fame is its unusually high protein content, particularly its content of respectable amounts of lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are not commonly found in grains. Just a cup of amaranth seed supplies 60 percent of an adult's daily requirement of protein. The protein provided by amaranth is well absorbed, too.

In fact, cooked amaranth seed is 90 percent digestible. In addition, using amaranth in combination with wheat, corn, or brown rice provides a complete protein as high in food value as that of fish, red meat, or poultry. This tiny but nutritionally mighty seed outperforms whole wheat, not only when it comes to protein, but in the categories of fiber and healthy fats, and in a number of minerals and vitamins as well.

The fiber content of amaranth is 25 percent higher than that of whole wheat (1/4-cup of dry amaranth seeds supplies 31 percent of the daily value of fiber); its iron and calcium content is five times that of whole wheat (1/4-cup of cooked amaranth seeds supplies 21 percent of iron's daily value); and it has twice as much magnesium. Amaranth seeds contain twice as much calcium as does milk, providing 7 percent of the daily value of calcium in a mere 1/4-cup. Also, amaranth seeds contain almost twice as much magnesium as calcium.

Amaranth seeds are also an excellent source of vitamins B2, B3, and B5 and a very good source of vitamin B6 and folic acid. In addition, amaranth seeds are an excellent source of minerals. Aside from their iron and calcium content, cooked amaranth seeds supply 61 percent of the daily value of manganese in a 1/4-cup, along with 42 percent of the daily value of both copper and magnesium, 19 percent of the daily value of zinc, and 5 percent of the daily value of potassium.

Amaranth seeds are also an excellent source of tocotrienols, a vitamin E fraction with numerous cardiovascular benefits, including cholesterol-lowering activity in humans. Last, unlike whole wheat and other grains, amaranth seeds' abundance of nutritional riches includes significant amounts of phytosterols, which research is beginning to show can play a major role in preventing chronic degenerative disease. Amaranth's leaves, nutritional stars in their own right, are an excellent source of minerals, too.