Corn just may be one of the most important grain vegetables that has ever been produced. It is quite delicious to eat, but it is also used in many of our everyday products that help us get through life. You will be surprised to know that even if you don’t eat the actual corn kernels, you are still surrounded by corn in your home, your car, and outside of the home. There is no way of getting away from corn unless you move to a deserted island with no contact with the outside world. Even then you may still encounter it if objects wash ashore from a nearby ship or the mainland. Corn and its many uses are vast and industrious involving quite a bit of mystery and magic. Corn has brought us all so far and it is just a little kernel. Here’s why you need to grow corn.
Corn in the land of food
Corn as we all know is edible in so many ways, but did you know that corn is consumed in other forms as well? Corn is transformed into starch, flour, sugar and oil that are then used to make the foods and other things we eat. The list includes: Chewing gum, frosting, icing, peanut butter, alcoholic beverages, cooking oil, salad dressing, baked goods, candy, powdered sugar, baking mixes, ice cream, jams, sodas, and livestock feed. We enjoy popcorn at the movies and corn on the cob in the summer. Corn chips hit the spot from time to time. If you check the ingredient labels on the things you buy at the grocery store, you will discover that corn is in almost everything in one form or another.
Corn all around
Corn is used to make many of our useful products that help make our lives much easier. Pharmaceutical companies are one major industry that puts corn to good use. It is miraculous what corn is used for and the list includes: soap, insecticides, plastics, tires, abrasive paper, antibiotics, aspirin, disinfectant, ceramics, adhesives, ethanol, industrial alcohol, paper products, explosives, and textile. Glucose and fructose is also found in our things as well as our food.
Other benefits of corn
Corn has health benefits for our body that we all need. The fiber and protein that it offers assist our body to digest our food efficiently. It is a source of folic acid, manganese and vitamins B1 and B5. It can be a great benefit to diabetics because of its efforts to help with the blood sugar.
Corn is one fascinating product and I find it to be quite versatile and interesting. It may seem like a boring subject to talk about corn, but you will soon discover that corn makes the world go round. Where would we be without it?
Photo Credit: istockphoto.com
