Cooked corn, served as a whole ear or as kernels cut off the cob, is available year-round, but at least in northern areas, is best during the summer harvest season. Corn is sweet-tasting and can be healthy on its own, but often becomes unhealthy when processed into other products. Unprocessed cooked corn is considered a whole grain food and also a vegetable.
Basic Nutrition
One cup of cooked corn kernels weighs about 164g and contains 177 calories. When boiled on the cob, a medium ear of corn measuring 6 3/4 to 7 1/2 inches long and weighing approximately 103 grams has about 111 calories. In a cup of corn kernels, there are 2g of fat, 41g of carbohydrates, 5g of fiber and 5g of protein. Water makes up 114g of the total weight. The fat in corn tends to be primarily polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat, including 29.5mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 961mg of omega-6 fatty acids. Corn cooked without salt has no sodium.
Micronutrients
Corn is high in folate, with a cup of kernels containing 75.4 mcg, or 19 percent of the daily recommended intake of this vital nutrient. Thiamin levels are also high in corn, which provides 24 percent of the daily recommendation. A single cup of corn provides over 10 percent of the daily intake of many other nutrients, including vitamin C, pantothenic acid, niacin, magnesium, potassium, manganese and phosphorus. Other nutrients present in corn in smaller amounts include vitamins A, E, B-6 and K, riboflavin, calcium, zinc, iron, copper, selenium and choline.
Phytochemicals
Corn contains phytochemicals, non-nutrient plant chemicals that operate chemically in the body to confer specific health benefits. One prominent phytochemical in corn is beta-cryptoxanthin, a carotene that helps to protect the lungs. Another class of phytochemicals in corn are the phenolics, which provide antioxidant activity. Other phytochemicals in corn include lutein, beta-carotene and zeaxanthin, explains the "Journal of Food Science."
Health Benefits
The high levels of folate in corn make it protective against cardiovascular disease and colon cancer. It helps to prevent birth defects when consumed by pregnant women, explains World's Healthiest Foods. Thiamin in corn may have a neuroprotective effect, and pantothenic acid keeps the body protected from the effects of stress.
Considerations
Cooking or serving corn with salt can increase the sodium content, turning a relatively healthy food into a high-sodium diet disaster. Refined corn products, such as cereals, breads and corn syrup lose many of the health benefits of natural corn and may actually be damaging to health. In particular, processing corn into other products causes it to lose much of its beneficial phytochemicals, antioxidants and fiber content.
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