Hi Bulls!
Welcome to Summer! I’m excited for all of the beach trips and BBQs that will be happening the next few months. This month’s Produce of the Month is great on a grill: corn! There are so many varieties of corn and they are all used for different purposes. A few include the sweet golden corn which we eat commonly as a vegetable, flour corn which is made into corn meal, and field corn which is usually used for animal feed. My favorite type of corn is flint corn or Indian corn which is beautifully multicolored and has been cultivated for thousands of years by Native Americans in North and South America. Corn is also called maize and is native to Central and South America. It is an integral part of Latin culture from Mexico all the way down to Chile. Have you ever counted the rows on an ear of corn? There are always an even number!
Corn is a good source of many B-vitamins like thiamine, niacin, and pyridoxine (vitamin B6). Thiamine and niacin are important in the Kreb’s cycle which is how our cells turn food into energy. Vitamin B6 is essential in brain formation and keeping our nervous system functioning properly. Corn is also a good source of magnesium and iron. Iron plays a role in blood cell formation and helps transfer oxygen throughout our body. Magnesium helps regulate many processes in the body like muscle and nerve function, blood sugar levels, and protein and DNA formation. Remember corn is a starchy vegetable which means it has a lot of carbohydrates (compared to most vegetables). It also has a good amount of fiber which aids in digestive health and keeping our bodies full. Corn provides a lot of energy for our bodies to use throughout the day!
Corn can be used in all types of recipes, from sweet to savory. Enjoy it grilled as corn on the cob. Toss it with edamame to make a yummy and colorful succotash. Use it to make sweet corn muffins or corn souffle. My favorite corn recipe is Mexican street corn. I recently found a new sweet corn recipe for ice cream with little bacon bits and cacao nibs too! Find all these are more in the recipe section of the Produce of the Month page.
Stay safe, stay healthy!
-Karina
nutrition-nook.com 