Is sweetcorn good for you?

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What is sweetcorn?

Sweetcorn is both a vegetable and a cereal and known as sweetcorn, corn and maize.

Unlike some varieties which are harvested when the kernels are dry to be used as cereal, the sweetcorn we are most familiar with is picked when immature and eaten as a vegetable. As sweetcorn matures, the sugars it contains are converted to starch and for this reason it must be eaten fresh, or canned or frozen.

In its dried form, corn is one of the most widely consumed grains, and its different varieties are used to make tortillas, popcorn, polenta, cornmeal, chips, oil or corn syrup and may also be used as a fuel and animal feed.

Health benefits of sweetcorn may include:

A source of fibre
Contains protective plant compounds
May support gut health
May support eye health, as we age
Useful source of folate

Discover our full range of health benefit guides and check out some of our favourite 20 ways with sweetcorn including our chicken & sweetcorn tacos and our sweetcorn fritters.

Nutritional profile of sweetcorn (boiled)

Figures per 80g serving:

54 kcals/227KJ
2.9g protein
1.5g fat
7.6g carbohydrates
2.0g sugar
4.1g fibre
266mg potassium
19mcg folate

One 80g serving of fresh, frozen or canned sweetcorn kernels counts as one of your five-a-day. Often described as a ‘high sugar’ vegetable, sweetcorn is pleasantly sweet to the taste but contains only 2.5g sugar per 100g, which is relatively low when compared with sweet potato (boiled), which has 11.6g of sugar per 100g.

Health benefits of sweetcorn

1. A source of dietary fibre

Sweetcorn is especially high in fibre, both the soluble and insoluble varieties. Dietary fibre is important for digestion but also to help balance cholesterol levels and decrease the risk of heart disease and stroke as well as diabetes and obesity.

2. Contains protective plant compounds

Cooking sweetcorn increases levels of beneficial plant compounds including some protective, antioxidant effects such as ferulic acid which has anti-cancer properties. When you cook sweetcorn, you release some of these compounds which would otherwise be bound inside the sweetcorn’s cell walls.

3. May support gut health

Eating sweetcorn may help support the health and diversity of the microbes living in your gut. as it's rich in prebiotics, including fibre and plant compounds called polyphenols. This is because prebiotics act as a food source for gut bacteria, so although we can’t digest these prebiotic fibres ourselves, the bacteria that reside in our gut can.

4. May support eye health and vision as we age

Sweetcorn is a source of carotenoids which are responsible for the yellow colour, specifically lutein and zeaxanthin. These play an important part in protecting our vision as we age – protecting from the development of cataracts as well as age-related macular degeneration.

5. Useful source of folate

Sweetcorn is a useful source of the B group of vitamins, including folate. This is important for red blood cell formation and for healthy cell growth. During pregnancy, especially early pregnancy, it becomes even more important because it contributes to the baby’s development.

Is sweetcorn safe for everyone?

Although it is not one of the most common food allergens, some people may have an allergic reaction to corn. This may occur when contact is made with corn or corn-derived products such as corn oil, cornstarch or high-fructose corn syrup. The condition is relatively rare, but the reaction will be immediate and possibly severe.

Overall, is sweetcorn good for you?

When eaten whole, sweetcorn is rich in fibre and protective plant compounds that may support digestive health as well as protect certain functions as we age. Being naturally gluten free, corn makes a valuable cereal option for those with coeliac disease. That said, processed corn products are unlikely to be as nutritious and as well as containing less fibre, may be high in added salt, sugar and fat.

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