Roasted or boiled, here is a toast to sweet corn

Sweet corn is one of summer’s simplest, purest pleasures. A fresh-picked ear, grilled (roasted) to caramelised perfection and lightly buttered, offers incredible, complex sweetness, an intoxicating texture and plenty of nutrition benefits to boot. But many people have convinced themselves that sweet corn is bad. They claim maize has fats and could make one fat. That’s a shame. It’s easy to take a few real nuggets of fact and use them to come to a distorted conclusion about this super-delicious summer veggie. Sweet corn is a starchy vegetable that doubles as a functional food. Starchy means it is high in carbohydrate content. Functional means it contains multiple nutrients that can bring benefits to the body. When it comes to the diet, sweet corn works well as a side dish, or an ingredient in soups, salads or casseroles. By combining it with other foods, you can boost the nutrient content even more. In Barry Estabrook’s feature in the July/August issue of EatingWell, “Sweet Summer Corn,” he set the record straight about this misunderstood vegetable. Here are some of the biggest myths about corn that he dispels: Myth #1: 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 #2: 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 midsize ear also offers a helpful 3-gramme dose of dietary fiber. Myth #4: 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.

Health

Roasted or boiled, here is a toast to sweet corn