At first, I thought to myself, I can't think of a vegetable that I won't insist my girls eat until I thought about dinner just the other night. Although my oldest two NOW like to eat it, Rabbit doesn't like and I won't force her to eat corn.
I know it's good for you and provides potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, folate and niacin but I just don't like that it doesn't completely digest in the system.
Here a few facts I found about corn and the digestive process.
Although it appears that corn passes through your gastrointestinal system undigested, most of the internal nutrients are broken down and absorbed into your bloodstream. The fibrous outer shells of corn kernels, however, do not break down due to lack of the necessary digestive enzymes. The plant fiber cellulose is the primary constituent of the bran coat of corn kernels. Like starch, cellulose consists of individual sugar molecules chemically linked together. However, the way in which sugar molecules in starch and cellulose bind together differs. Your digestive system produces enzymes that quickly and easily break down the chemical bonds in starch, releasing sugar molecules that pass into your bloodstream. These digestive enzymes, however, cannot break the chemical bonds between the sugar molecules in cellulose. Therefore, the bran coat of corn kernels passes through your intestines intact.
Indigestible But Beneficial
Although corn's bran coat passes through your gastrointestinal tract without breaking down, this dietary fiber provides health-related benefits. The cellulose in corn bran absorbs water, which keeps your stool soft and promotes regular bowel movements. Additionally, the bulkiness of water-soaked cellulose causes you to feel full, which may help with weight control.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/477602-why-does-the-human-body-not-digest-corn/#ixzz1p69KurAu
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