I love sweet corns and so do my girls. The aroma of sweet corns steaming in the pot is really therapeutic, better than any expensive essential oils!  Today I am going to steam sweet corns for dinner, along with other dishes.  I have heard the not-so-sweet news on sweet corns but how true is it that sweet corns are bad for you?

Well, I always believe that moderation is the key. I do not think that eating an ear of sweet corn once or twice a week can cause diabetes or heart disease.

Antioxidant Phytonutrients in Corn

• anthocyanins
• beta-carotene
• caffeic acid
• coumaric acid
• ferulic acid
• lutein
• syringic acid
• vanillic acid
• protocatechuic acid
• zeaxanthin

Here’s what Eating Well Media Group, a communications company producing an award-winning consumer magazine in the US has to say about sweet corns:

Myth #1: Most sweet corns are genetically modified.
Truth: A lot of people mix up “sweet corn,” the vegetable you buy to eat, and “field corn”—the virtually inedible commodity crop used to make everything from livestock feed to ethanol to high-fructose corn syrup. While most field corn is genetically modified, most sweet corn is not. Last year only 3 to 4% of the sweet corn grown in the U.S. was GMO. Food-giant Monsanto hopes to change all that this summer, however. For the first time, farmers are planting Monsanto’s newly approved, genetically modified Performance sweet-corn seeds. A representative from the company wouldn’t divulge how much will be planted this year. One way to try to tell whether the sweet corn you’re holding is GMO is to ask the farmers you buy from if they plant GMO corn. (Syngenta’s Attribute and Monsanto’s Performance are the two varieties sold in North America.) Another way: choose USDA organic corn. GMO crops are forbidden under organic standards.

Myth #2: Corn is fattening and sugary.
Truth: An ear of corn has about the same number of calories as an apple and less than one-fourth the sugar. In other words, it can be one of the healthier foods at the cookout! Just remember: while sweet corn is healthy, some of the toppings people like to put on it aren’t. So don’t assume an ear of corn slathered in butter and doused in salt is still a healthy option.

Myth #3: Cooking corn makes it less nutritious.
Truth: Antioxidant activity, which helps protect the body from cancer and heart disease, is actually increased when corn is cooked.

Myth #4: Corn has no healthy benefits.
Truth: Sweet corn is loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that promote healthy vision. A mid-size ear also offers a helpful 3-gram dose of dietary fiber.

Myth #5: The best way to choose corn is by the color of the kernels.
Truth: Although corn lovers often profess to have favorite varieties, farmer Kevin Smith, interviewed by Estabrook for the story, says variety is far less important than freshness. “Any corn can be ruined if it’s old,” he says. Nor is color a key to quality. Yellow, white, bi-color—it doesn’t really matter. Preferences vary from region to region. Avoid corn with dry, pale husks and silks that are desiccated where they enter the cob. If pricked, kernels should squirt whitish juice. As for choosing the best-tasting corn, abide by Smith’s “one-day rule.” Don’t buy a cob that’s more than 24 hours out of the field.

So we are still going to have our once weekly  indulgence in sweet corns.  Eating sweet corns is still a much better option than tucking into some unhealthy snacks that are processed.  The sweetness from the sweet corns can satiate my kids’ craving for something sweet and this is way healthier than licking on a lolly or chewing on some colorful candies. 🙂