Ok, so weirdly enough, corn has been the hardest food to let go for me since starting this lifestyle change. I thought bread would be the hardest when I began, but I have long since been able to substitute for this with Paleo and Wheat Belly breads. Corn a totally different story, and the hardest by far to replace, the crunchy corn chips with salsa and guacamole and the enjoyment of another Mexican favorite, tacos. However, after recent trials in the kitchen I have substituted this even, with my fabulous plantains chips, taco shells and mini bowls, just in time for Cinco De Mayo this year. I even brought plantain chips to my favorite Mexican restaurant the other day and enjoyed the salsa with friends and family, some grabbed up some of my chips and said, “These are amazing!” and mentioned that there was really no texture or huge flavor difference, all without the guilt or health issues. Victory is mine!
Why is Corn So Hard to Kick?
But I was curious now why was it was the hardest thing for me to let go of in my diet? After some research it began to make sense. Much like wheat and other seeds of grass corn has many indigestible proteins, but one that digests all too well is Amylopectin A, but this is not a good thing. It is the ingredient that causes huge blood sugar spikes in the body when ingested because it digests so fast. As soon as amylase in the mouth touches this protein it starts to digest. With corn because we often digest it in ground down flour or meals, this reduces the size of the granules thus increasing the size of easily digestible surface and spiking sugar higher and faster then even wheat. So now I knew from taking wheat out of my diet how addicting it was and here was proof corn was giving me even more stimulation to my senses, causing me to crave and eat more, a very addicting food drug indeed. In fact my research found corn raises blood sugars higher then any food! Also, resent modern corn is often chosen for its higher amylopectin content, sweet corn, raising sugars to even higher levels.
The 4 D’s
In countries that rely on higher levels of corn products as a main source of dietary needs you get something called pellagra which is the name for the “4 D’s,” dementia, diarrhea, dermatitis and death. This is caused by a lack of niacin and the amino acid tryptophan in corn and can make people very ill if eating mainly a corn-based diet. Diets like these are found in many South American countries as well as the southern U.S. and Europe.
Is Corn a Gluten Problem?
My research also found something that struck me as odd at first. Why would corn need to be restricted on a Gluten Free diet? It does not have the ingredients gliadin that is found in wheat, rye and barely that cause gluten’s inflammatory reactions. But what it does have is called zein protein, which has had research proving that just like gliadin it can cause pancreatic beta cell autoimmunity (example: type one diabetes in children). It also causes reactions in people with Celiac disease, though it is often included in Gluten-Free products, food for thought.
Genetically Modified Horror
And if all of this is not enough to make you hesitate to munch on that next corn chip, corn is a crop much like wheat in that it has been GM (genetically –modified) in fact 90% of what we eat here in the U.S. has been GMed, some effects researched include, endocrine disruption and cancer. Did you lose your corn appetite yet? I know it has put a whole new scary twist to the movie thriller “Children of the Corn” for me.
Will you get rid of corn in your diet? What made you decide this? Share below.
Until next time, enjoy the good life,
Woman on the Journey
References:
http://www.wheatbellyblog.com/2014/03/grain-bashing-its-easy/