Children of the Corn

Children of the Corn

I was making a pronouncement. (I am prone to these and my children and husband know to turn tail and run when they feel one coming.) “I refuse to be made of corn!” This particular pronouncement came out of my reading of Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Mr. Pollan, in his investigation of food sources in America, lists a huge number of corn-based products. Everything from toothpaste to explosives uses components of corn. Corn is a multibillion-dollar industry. 

Now, this won’t come as a revelation to those who grew up in rural America. Corn is everywhere — especially from June to October. Garrison Keillor, on his radio show “A Prairie Home Companion,” lists sweet corn as one of the four great joys of life. The first, he says, is “The joy of walking with God.” The second is the joy of learning. The third is “whatever you thought of first,” and the fourth is sweet corn. Who hasn’t relished the taste of fresh sweet corn straight from the field on a summer’s evening? 

Sweet corn aside, most of the corn grown on the mega-farms of today is used for other purposes. Much of it feeds cattle. A pound of beef is created from a trough of corn. Much processed food is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Read almost any label and “HFCS” will be there. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg (or should I say corn-berg?)

Diapers, glue, insecticides, latex paint, instant coffee, shoe polish, soap, paper plates, gasoline, crayons and dry cell batteries are produced using corn products. Even the antibiotics given to humans (and farm animals) include corn. Corn is quietly pervasive in our lives.

Corn is a water-heavy crop. 350,000 gallons of water is needed to produce an acre of corn. Each plant yields one to two ears which equates to two to four gallons a week per ear. A lot of the water taken from rivers and reservoirs is used to irrigate corn. This is especially distressing in corn-growing/drought-suffering areas of the country. 

Now I am not on a rampage against corn or corn farmers. My rant relates to the way corn products are hidden in processed foods. Whole corn kernels are nutritious, but the components of corn that are pulled out to put into processed food may not maintain their nutrients. Good old HFCS is a sugar that goes straight to your liver and from there straight to fat. Your poor liver has enough to do cleansing your system without clogging it up with HFCS. 

So I read every label. If the ingredients include HFCS, I put the product down. I like sweet corn, but I don’t like hidden products which may adversely affect my health or add pounds to my frame. Corn isn’t the only culprit. Processed sugars of any kind and white flours can also overwork your liver. Read labels and make your own choices about your diet.

Staying healthy requires constant vigilance. Decide on your own diet parameters. Make your own pronouncements and stick with them. Your liver and your health will thank you.