You know, almost any time you are on a restricted diet you are told to avoid starchy vegetables, with corn being on the top of the list. Now, this is no problem for me because I am, in general, sick to death of corn.
You may recall corn is one of the two vegetables Mr. Jelly Belly will eat – and only from a can. Every week I have to buy 3 cans of corn and 3 cans of peas (no vegetables on pizza night) and hope that I bought the right configuration to go with whatever meat he is eating. Because specific meats require a specific vegetable. I cannot serve him corn with pork. Pork is a pea entrée. So, yeah. Sick to death of corn and I’ll bet it’s been over a year since I ate a pea.
However, corn on the cob is an entirely different story. Oh, how I love corn on the cob. Boiled, steamed, roasted, or grilled…doesn’t matter. I’ll eat it however it’s prepared. Just pass the butter, salt and dental floss and leave me be. Well, okay, swap out that butter for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray. That works, too.
But I always feel guilty when I eat corn on the cob because of that whole high starch thing. Then I started to think about it and wondered why the heck it’s considered to be such a bad thing to eat. It’s a natural food, right? It’s a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and vitamins B1 and B5. It’s also got about 177 calories, 5 grams of protein and about 32 net grams of carbs. (Those figures are for one cup of corn; I don’t think a standard ear has much more than that.)
It’s those 32 grams of carbs that scare everyone, I think. Yet whole grains, like brown rice, or whole wheat pasta, are always on the approved list (in moderation, of course) but are almost identical in carb content. And corn meal, or polenta, is considered a whole grain. As is popcorn. So why do we still consider corn itself a vegetable?
I have just moved corn over to the grains category on my eating list. If I’m going to eat corn on the cob, I just won’t have another grain with it. Or potatoes. Although I love a baked potato with corn on the cob. Or fried potatoes, even. Or scalloped. Oh, crap…I’d better get off this potato subject.
So just in time for corn on the cob season, I am tossing the guilt and planning to enjoy eating lots of corn this summer. In place of my brown rice. And I really don’t see a problem with that.
You may recall corn is one of the two vegetables Mr. Jelly Belly will eat – and only from a can. Every week I have to buy 3 cans of corn and 3 cans of peas (no vegetables on pizza night) and hope that I bought the right configuration to go with whatever meat he is eating. Because specific meats require a specific vegetable. I cannot serve him corn with pork. Pork is a pea entrée. So, yeah. Sick to death of corn and I’ll bet it’s been over a year since I ate a pea.
However, corn on the cob is an entirely different story. Oh, how I love corn on the cob. Boiled, steamed, roasted, or grilled…doesn’t matter. I’ll eat it however it’s prepared. Just pass the butter, salt and dental floss and leave me be. Well, okay, swap out that butter for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray. That works, too.
But I always feel guilty when I eat corn on the cob because of that whole high starch thing. Then I started to think about it and wondered why the heck it’s considered to be such a bad thing to eat. It’s a natural food, right? It’s a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and vitamins B1 and B5. It’s also got about 177 calories, 5 grams of protein and about 32 net grams of carbs. (Those figures are for one cup of corn; I don’t think a standard ear has much more than that.)
It’s those 32 grams of carbs that scare everyone, I think. Yet whole grains, like brown rice, or whole wheat pasta, are always on the approved list (in moderation, of course) but are almost identical in carb content. And corn meal, or polenta, is considered a whole grain. As is popcorn. So why do we still consider corn itself a vegetable?
I have just moved corn over to the grains category on my eating list. If I’m going to eat corn on the cob, I just won’t have another grain with it. Or potatoes. Although I love a baked potato with corn on the cob. Or fried potatoes, even. Or scalloped. Oh, crap…I’d better get off this potato subject.
So just in time for corn on the cob season, I am tossing the guilt and planning to enjoy eating lots of corn this summer. In place of my brown rice. And I really don’t see a problem with that.