Corn Benefits (According to Ayurveda)

How Does This Ayurvedic Food Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Recipes with Corn: Popcorn with Coriander & Cumin

When you think of corn, eating fresh boiled ears slathered in butter may come to mind. Or perhaps you prefer corn cobs browned on a grill at home or on a camping trip.

While corn in its many forms tastes sweet and satisfies the belly, it is warmer and lighter than wheat.

It also has some important health benefits.

Let’s take a look.

Reduced Water Retention & Blood Pressure

If you suffer from water retention or high blood pressure, adding corn to your diet may help.

Corn contains a sizeable amount of potassium. Potassium is, chemically speaking, the opposite of sodium.

As a diuretic, potassium actually reduces water retention counteracting the action of sodium in the body. A high potassium diet just may be the ideal low sodium diet.

And of course, this makes corn a boon for those with high blood pressure, especially in spring when water congestion in the body reaches a peak.

People with Kapha constitutions take note. The best form of corn for you is popcorn because popcorn's dryness absorbs excess Kapha fluids in your stomach.

(Don’t know if you are Kapha? Take our Free Dosha Quiz to find out.)

The Dark Side of Corn

As the poster child for the modern industrial food complex, corn cultivation also has a dark side. Traditionally, native central Americans grew many varieties of corn side by side with vegetables from other plant families.

Today, however, most corn fields are grown as a mono-crop, depleting soils and requiring heavy use of pesticides. The inability of cultivated plants to survive without pesticide and fertilizer use is a testimony to their lack of vitality.

Edible weeds, on the other hand, bring their revitalizing life force to the table.

Corn is also a victim of GMO. Ayurveda recommends you avoid all genetically modified life forms.

Corn Syrup & the Obesity Epidemic

The conversion of corn into corn syrup may be responsible for the obesity epidemic in American.

The FDA, infiltrated by corporations such as Monsanto, gave its rubber stamp approval to genetically modified (GMO) corn. As of 2009 GMO corn comprised up to 85 percent of corn sown in the United States, despite ongoing controversy over potential health and environmental hazards.

Recipes with Corn: Corn on the Cob with Cilantro & Coriander Butter

About Corn

Meso-Americans domesticated corn (also known as maize) in pre-historic times, and it spread through much of the Americas between 1700 and 1250 BCE.

Traditionally corn, beans and squash formed the three sisters, widely cultivated by native American peoples. When planted together, the three sisters help build fertile soil while providing a diverse nutritional profile.

While most corn stands at 8.2 feet, at least one variety grows to 39 feet in length.

Buying & Preparation

Considering the heavy use of pesticides and GMO corn product, Ayurveda recommends you eat organic corn only. Fortunately, frozen organic corn is generally inexpensive.

Cooking Corn

There are many ways to prepare, cook, and enjoy corn including:

Eating it on or off the cob
Cooked into a thick porridge
As grits, polenta or stuffed into tamales
Served dry as in tortillas, chips, and popcorn.
Baked into cornbread
Fermented into alcoholic beverages

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SERVING SIZE: 1/2 c
EAT IN: SPRING

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Metabolic Nature of Corn

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

METABOLIC NATURE

Metabolic Nature

Ayurveda assesses metabolic imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating them weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which biocharacteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct metabolic imbalances before you get sick. Every biocharacteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite biocharacteristic.
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DIFFICULT

ABOUT DIFFICULT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Difficult refers to anything that is difficult to digest, or takes a long time to digest.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DIFFICULT

DRY

ABOUT DRY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Dry is identified by lack of moisture, lack of fat, or anything that causes diuresis.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DRY

HOT

ABOUT HOT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOT

TASTES

The 6 Tastes

Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?
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SWEET

ABOUT SWEET BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Sweet refers to anything builds tissue, including macronutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SWEET

DOSHAS

The Three Doshas / Body Types

Ayurveda is a metabolic theory of medicine that explains individual health, tendencies, and disease patterns through the concept of doshas, which can be understood as your metabolic patterns and tendencies.
Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.
Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.
Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.
The 3 metabolic body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).
Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.
Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.
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PACIFIES

AGGRAVATES

GREEK MEDICINE / TEMPERAMENTS

The Four Temperaments / Humors

Ayurveda & Greek Medicine were the dominant form of medicine along the Silk Road from England to China and South Asia. They work by assessing your metabolic type, patterns, and nature. Greek medicine recognizes 4 metabolic temperaments, Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic.
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PACIFIES

PHLEGMATIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Wet & cold. When out of balance becomes congested, stagnant, and overweight. Loving, trusting, and patient.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PHLEGMATIC

AGGRAVATES

CHOLERIC

ABOUT CHOLERIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Has a hot and dry metabolic nature. Enthusiastic, vibrant and bright. In excess burns up fluids and ojas, irritable. Corresponds to high bilirubin in the blood that irritates and heats up the body and liver.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHOLERIC

MELANCHOLIC

ABOUT MELANCHOLIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Cold and dry with a slow, variable or erratic metabolism. Colicky, tense. Withdrawn, pensive, anxious, and hesitant. Analytical, intelligent, detail oriented and creative. Prone to ojas depletion, dehydration, an overactive nervous system, and depression.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MELANCHOLIC

SANGUINE

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot and oily with a moderate metabolism and a well nourished body. Vigorous, vivacious, outgoing and generous, and prone to impulsivity and self indulgence. Bullish and intense when out of balance.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SANGUINE

Other

Tissue (dhatu):

Blood Plasma Lymph

BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH

Plasma (Rasa Dhatu) includes plasma, white blood cells, and lymph.

SEE ALL 'BLOOD-PLASMA-LYMPH' FOODS / HERBS

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Corn
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

(see all)

Energy Vitality:

Satisfies Stomach

SATISFIES-STOMACH

Provides a sense of gratification and fullness in the stomach.

SEE ALL 'SATISFIES-STOMACH' FOODS / HERBS

Nutritive

NUTRITIVE

An herb that is strengthening and nourishing.

SEE ALL 'NUTRITIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Kidney & Urinary:

Diuretic

DIURETIC

Herbs that promote urine formation, thereby flushing the kidneys and urinary tract while eliminating any excess water retention. As diuretics reduce water retention, they are often used to reduce blood pressure.

SEE ALL 'DIURETIC' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:

Aromatase Inhibitor

AROMATASE-INHIBITOR

Blocks estrogen synthesis by inhibiting conversion of progesterone and testosterone into estrogen.

SEE ALL 'AROMATASE-INHIBITOR' FOODS / HERBS

, Carbohydrate, Melatonin, Phosphorous,

Phytates

PHYTATES

Phytates prevent absorption of nutrients. They are commonly found in all seeds, including nuts, grains, and beans. Sprouting greatly reduces phytate content, as well as long, slow cooking with vinegar.

SEE ALL 'PHYTATES' FOODS / HERBS

Corn Impact Report

The reports shared below are part of an educational assignment completed by students at the Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda. These represent subjective experiences intended to help students explore principles of Ayurveda through personal observation. In each report below, students ate the selected food for 3 days and self-reported these effects. See other food & herb reports at Joyful Belly.