Although it may seem that corn is a good food to add to your diet, there are some good reasons why it would not work well in diet plans.
It's hard to imagine watching a good movie without some buttered pop corn or a great barbeque without corn on the cob, but it may be time to rethink these popular choices.
This question seems to be coming up more and more often...
Does corn have a place in diet plans?
Unfortunately, as much as 60% of corn in the United States is genetically modified. In fact, the numbers may be higher because it is hard to get solid statistics on such a controversial topic. This practice of genetic modification of corn began as a way to allow farmers to grow a bigger crop and make more money because the crops could now fight off insects that were resistant to insecticides.
Sweet corn has also been genetically modified (now called Bt-corn) so that it produces a poison which kills harmful insects. This means the farmer no longer needs to fight insects with insecticides.
This may sound like progress--especially from the perspective of the farmer and the national income--but there is a reason to be concerned. The new foods may have long term effects on ruining our health.
The plain fact is that we do not know if any GMO foods are safe. Everyone is an involuntary guinea pig. In April 2007, a researcher from Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, UK, announced that rats had intestinal problems after eating genetically engineered potatoes.
Doctors frequently deal with patients who have irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive problems. GMO foods may be playing a significant role in this issue.
Assuming that you can get your hands on non-GMO foods, then does corn fit into good diet plans?
How Carbohydrates Affect Weight Loss
The most important thing to be aware of is that your body processes corn as if it were a carbohydrate rather than a vegetable. This means that you should not consider meal with brown rice and corn as a carbohydrate and vegetable meal. Instead, it is more accurate to classify corn as a grain. Thus, a meal with corn should be counted as a meal with a serving of carbohydrates.
How does microwave popcorn help or hinder a healthy diet?
Even organic microwave pop corn is not healthy for you. The bag is lined with the same chemical coating that is used in non-stick cookware and the pop corn contains preservatives.
Is air popped popcorn better for you?
This is your best bet and can definitely be used as an occasional snack. But notice I said "occasional". Remember most people lose weight faster by decreasing (not necessarily eliminating) many grains. Snacking on popcorn every day could and most likely will, impede your weight loss efforts.
I hope this information helps you to make a more informed decision at your next barbeque and at your next movie night with making food choices that fit in with your diet plans. Remember, corn is not off limits by any means, just remember you're looking for the non-GMO varieties and including it as a grain and not a vegetable into your diet plans.
It's hard to imagine watching a good movie without some buttered pop corn or a great barbeque without corn on the cob, but it may be time to rethink these popular choices.
This question seems to be coming up more and more often...
Does corn have a place in diet plans?
Unfortunately, as much as 60% of corn in the United States is genetically modified. In fact, the numbers may be higher because it is hard to get solid statistics on such a controversial topic. This practice of genetic modification of corn began as a way to allow farmers to grow a bigger crop and make more money because the crops could now fight off insects that were resistant to insecticides.
Sweet corn has also been genetically modified (now called Bt-corn) so that it produces a poison which kills harmful insects. This means the farmer no longer needs to fight insects with insecticides.
This may sound like progress--especially from the perspective of the farmer and the national income--but there is a reason to be concerned. The new foods may have long term effects on ruining our health.
The plain fact is that we do not know if any GMO foods are safe. Everyone is an involuntary guinea pig. In April 2007, a researcher from Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen, UK, announced that rats had intestinal problems after eating genetically engineered potatoes.
Doctors frequently deal with patients who have irritable bowel syndrome and other digestive problems. GMO foods may be playing a significant role in this issue.
Assuming that you can get your hands on non-GMO foods, then does corn fit into good diet plans?
How Carbohydrates Affect Weight Loss
The most important thing to be aware of is that your body processes corn as if it were a carbohydrate rather than a vegetable. This means that you should not consider meal with brown rice and corn as a carbohydrate and vegetable meal. Instead, it is more accurate to classify corn as a grain. Thus, a meal with corn should be counted as a meal with a serving of carbohydrates.
How does microwave popcorn help or hinder a healthy diet?
Even organic microwave pop corn is not healthy for you. The bag is lined with the same chemical coating that is used in non-stick cookware and the pop corn contains preservatives.
Is air popped popcorn better for you?
This is your best bet and can definitely be used as an occasional snack. But notice I said "occasional". Remember most people lose weight faster by decreasing (not necessarily eliminating) many grains. Snacking on popcorn every day could and most likely will, impede your weight loss efforts.
I hope this information helps you to make a more informed decision at your next barbeque and at your next movie night with making food choices that fit in with your diet plans. Remember, corn is not off limits by any means, just remember you're looking for the non-GMO varieties and including it as a grain and not a vegetable into your diet plans.
About the Author:
Saleem Rana, who has been studying better eating habits for twenty years, recommends that you check out the free diet tips offered by renowned nutritionist Isabela De Los Rios