Why corn is the best thing to eat during the rains

Everyone usually has a special bhutta memory stashed away... some say it's the first bhutta they had with grandpa, for others it may be the one that they had in Mussoorie, walking down the mall, with clouds for company... And now that it's raining, in fact absolutely pouring (finally), the bhutta season is officially on. No excuses now, to not pick a crisp cob, smear lots of nimbu and masala and bite in. And come to think of it, it is perfect for the season too. It's definitely a far better bet than the fried samosas and bhajias that we tend to veer towards when it rains, plus, you'll be surprised to know just how nutrient-packed it really is.

Agreed it might be slightly steep in calories (250g gives about 215 calories) but one average bhutta should be about half of that. Not a bad deal. And it has a mere two per cent fat content and zero cholesterol.

These little yellow kernels pack a protein punch (eight grams). The protein quality of corn is pretty decent - the only amino acids missing are lysine and isoleucine. So it makes sense to pair it with cheese, tofu, a little poultry or nuts, or cooked lentils during the day.

Corn is loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin - carotenoids that help keep our eyes healthy and functioning their best. Lutein has a role in preventing the build up of fatty deposits in arteries (which often lead to heart attacks) and phenols (phytochemicals) in it make it effective against hypertension too.

Corn is rich in vitamin B, especially thiamin (your brain's health depends on it), niacin (helps to lower bad cholesterol levels), folic acid (an important cog in the production of red blood cells) and pantothenic acid (B5), which is an essential vitamin for carbohydrate, protein, and lipid metabolism in the body. Folic acid also helps to break down homocysteine, an amino acid, in the body, the elevation of which has been linked to higher rates of heart disease. The important thing about vitamin B is that it is water soluble, so not stored in the body. That means we need to get them from the diet regularly. A good case for a bhutta a day!

Besides vitamins, corn is packed with minerals too: phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, zinc, iron and copper, some iron, and the trace mineral selenium (which is difficult to find otherwise).

Worried about it being high in carbohydrates? Don't be, because research has actually shown that corn is associated with better blood sugar control. That's probably because it is packed with both fibre and protein, and both ensure stable passage of food through our digestive tract (which helps to avoid too rapid or too slow digestion of food). This prevents sudden spikes or drops in blood sugar levels. A concomitant effect of which is higher satiety.

Two hundred and fifty grams of corn delivers five grams of fibre, which besides giving us plenty of chewing satisfaction, keeps our digestion humming along nicely and constipation away too. That's great monsoon-time news as our digestion gets a little sluggish during this time. Its high ratio of insoluble-to-soluble fibre is probably why this works. There's more! The soluble fibre corn, on reaching our intestines gets metabolised by intestinal bacteria into short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which boost the health of our gut and help lower the risk of colon cancer too.

Sweet, sweet corn

Besides corn on the cob that can be relished roasted or steamed, try corn bhel, grilled corn sandwiches, corn patties, corn samosas and baked corn too. Feeling adventerous? Whip up corn biryani, corn coleslaw, corn frankies and corn spring roles. Or maybe you can have a homemade pizza today with lots of corn sprinkled on top. Too lazy? Just toss steamed corn kernels in an olive oil-salt-pepper-herbs dressing and bite in as you watch rain go pitter patter on the window shields.