Whole Grain Foods : Corn ???

Americans have a strange view of corn.

Most of the rest of the world calls it 'maize'.

The interesting part is that most Americans would consider corn to be a vegetable. But the word 'corn' actually has the same meaning as the word 'grain'.

If you hear someone in England talk about 'corn', they are most likely talking about wheat. If you hear it in Scotland, they are most likely talking about oats.

Most uses of the term 'corn' in the bible are actually referring to grains in general.

So, why do we think of it as a vegetable, if it is actually a grain?

Well, as researchers look at the history of corn, or maize, it seems that it used to be much more grain like. It grew small kernels in hard husks. Over time it has gradually been crossed with other plants and selectively changed to be what we have today. Large ears with many soft kernels grouped together for easy eating. So, we boil it, or steam it, and think of it as a vegetable.

Maize used to be grown in many different varieties. It was a food staple for some cultures, but not nearly to the extent that some would have you believe. It is not a complete food, and cannot sustain healthy human bodies. No indigenous peoples lived off of it. They used it as a big part of their diets, but ran into health problems when they tried to live off of it.

Today's modern version of corn is still not a complete food. It is high in sugar, and high in polyunsaturated oils. And it can still cause a vitamin B deficiency.

Another major problem with corn these days, is that the tradition of trying to engineer it into being something different has continued. So now we have genetically modified (GM) corn. GM corn can cause many health problems. And the sad part is that more and more of our corn crops are becoming GM.

Many of the natural corn crops are being converted into GM corn, through wind caused cross-pollination. Due to these factors, I don't recommend that people eat a lot of corn.

If you grow your own corn and know for certain that the seeds are not GM, then enjoy your crop. Just be sure to eat a variety of other grains and vegetables, etc., to get a balanced diet.

On the other hand, processed and/or extracted corn oil should be avoided like the plague. It is know to cause all kinds of health problems in both man and beast.

So, yes, corn on the cob can be called a whole grain. But it is not a balanced and complete food.