A Few Corn-y Thoughts

After the Corn Harvest

I am committed to eating whole foods and eliminating processed foods from my diet as part of my fibromyalgia recovery plan. Doing this plus getting chemicals out of my environment has sent my symptoms into remission.  Yay!  Finding out which whole foods are healthy and which may be problematic can be frustrating and confusing. Boo!

Let's take a brief look at corn.  A field of corn ready for harvest is a beautiful sight with ripe ears bending tall green stalks swaying in the summer breeze.  Even after the ears are harvested, the stripped fields look like a Norman Rockwell painting of a wholesome and healthy food source.  But when you discover a few facts, it suddenly feels more like that old horror movie, "Children of the Corn."  

1. Modern varieties of corn contain up to 40% sugar.  While the sugar content has increased over the years, the nutrients have decreased.  Corn that has been planted by American Indians in the southwest the same way for thousands of years has a lot more nutritional value than modern sweet corn.  For instance, "blue corn...has thirty times more antioxidant value than modern white corn." (Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson)

2. The Monsanto corporation, the largest holder of seed patents in the country, produces a majority of the corn found on supermarket shelves.  This corn has been genetically modified (GM) to withstand drought, resist pests,and be impervious to pesticides. Our bodies are not designed to digest genetically modified corn. Several studies show that GM seeds produce tumors and other health problems in lab animals. Monsanto is a chemical company whose history includes producing agent orange and DDT.  I don't think the corporation is inherently evil.  It is just that their primary motivation is profit not health.  And that is scary.

3. Part of the corn harvest is used to produce high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) found in processed food.  Many medical studies show how bad HFCS is for our health. Dr.
Mark Hyman has written an interesting article entitled, "5 Reasons High Fructose Corn Syrup Will Kill You". He says, "We are consuming HFCS and sugar in pharmacologic quantities never before experienced in human history–140 pounds a year versus 20 teaspoons a year 10,000 years ago. High fructose corn syrup is always found in very poor-quality foods that are nutritionally vacuous and filled with all sorts of other disease promoting compounds, fats, salt, chemicals, and even mercury."

Now that all that bad news is out of the way, let's look at a few positive corn facts.  Corn, especially heirloom varieties, that you either grow yourself or purchase from your local farmer's market is quite nutritious.  HFCS won't be a problem if you avoid eating processed foods because whole food does not contain HFCS.  There are varieties of corn and corn seed available that have not been genetically modified by Monsanto or any other corporation. Because consumers are becoming more food savvy, many markets now sell blue corn and other varieties of nutritious corn.

Eliminating processed food from your diet is a healthy step toward recovery from fibromyalgia and many other diseases.  It is helpful to recognize that all whole food is not created equally. It is encouraging that in our country we have choices and access to many options.  I am learning more about choosing wisely every day.