What is the difference between corn and popcorn?
In this article we are going to answer the question,”What is the difference between corn and popcorn?”, and discuss what corn is, the nutritional properties and health benefits of corn, standard serving of corn, what popcorn is, the nutritional properties and health benefits of popcorn and the standard serving of popcorn.
What is the difference between corn and popcorn?
The difference between corn and popcorn is that corn is a general term which may include many varieties and popcorn is a variety of corn. In corn, a dent forms in the top of the kernel when it starts to dry on the stem, whereas popcorn has a hard hull that is resistant to moisture which surrounds starch which is densely pocketed into corn.
What is corn?
Corn is a crop that grows annually belonging to the Poceae grass family. It is a staple food in many countries of temperate and tropics with a well drained system and fertile soil.
What are the nutritional properties of corn?
Corn is rich in B-complex vitamins such as B1, B2, B3,B5 and B6, It also contains fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, E, and K and a fair amount of selenium. Corn also contains some amount of fibre.
½ cup corn contains about 80 calories, 15 gram carbohydrates, 1-3 gram proteins and negligible amounts (0-1g) fats.
What are the health benefits of corn?
Corn is beneficial for hair, skin, digestion, heart and brain. The presence of selenium in corn is beneficial in thyroid disorders.
Corn is also used for treating haemorrhoids, alleviates pain and possesses analgesic activity. It is also beneficial for the formation of sex hormones, thereby contributing to sexual health specially in cases of erectile dysfunctions in men.
Corn is also beneficial in curing and treating problems of the urinary tract and kidney stones. It also alleviates blood pressure and can be used in moderate amounts because of it’s low glycemic index in patients with diabetes. Corn acts as a good emollient to treat ulcers, wounds and swellings and is found extremely beneficial in nausea and vomiting.
What is popcorn?
Popcorn is a variety of corn which pops when heated. The hull of the popcorn is strong and hard and consists of endosperm, which is a hard starch shell containing 14-20% moisture. The endosperm turns to steam when heated.
Popcorn is a healthy whole grain snack option for people of all ages. The popped grain is also used as infant food
What are the nutritional properties of popcorn?
Popcorn is rich in folate, and water soluble vitamins such as vitamin B3, vitamin B2, vitamin B1, vitamin B5, vitamin B6 as well as fat soluble vitamins such as A, E and K.
3 cups popcorn contain about 90 calories, 1-3 g of proteins and 15-18 g of carbohydrate with negligible amount of fats and sugars
What are the health benefits of popcorn?
Popcorn is beneficial in reducing the risk of diabetes because of its low glycemic index. This means that popcorn maintains your blood sugar levels and avoids rapid sudden fluctuations in blood sugars.
Popcorn contains significant amounts of fibre which is beneficial for reducing the risk of heart disease and hypertension. The fibre in popcorn also adds to satiety (a feeling of fullness) which leads to lower intake of calories and therefore prevents weight gain.
Another health benefit of popcorn is that it is useful for weight management because of quite a low amount of calories in a large portion size which makes it an excellent food source for overweight individuals.
How much is a standard serving of corn and popcorn?
The standard serving of corn is ½ cup boiled or steamed, whereas the standard serving of corn is 3 cups popped.
Other FAQs about Corn that you may be interested in.
How do you know when corn is done boiling?
How to store canned corn after opening?
Conclusion
In this article we answered the question,”What is the difference between corn and popcorn?”, and discussed what corn is, the nutritional properties and health benefits of corn, standard serving of corn, what popcorn is, the nutritional properties and health benefits of popcorn and the standard serving of popcorn.
References
Siyuan, S., Tong, L., & Liu, R. (2018). Corn phytochemicals and their health benefits. Food Science and Human Wellness, 7(3), 185-195.
Kumar, D., & Jhariya, A. N. (2013). Nutritional, medicinal and economical importance of corn: A mini review. Res J Pharm Sci, 2319, 555X.
