Corn

Food · Vegetable · Food, Typed Supps

Part vegetable, part grain — and one of the best food sources of the eye pigments.

Stage by stage

Intake (Kernels chewed): Kernels need chewing to break open the outer hull.
Stomach (Starch & fibre digestion): Starch and fibre digestion begins.
Small intestine (Carotenoids absorbed): Lutein and zeaxanthin are absorbed alongside dietary fat.
Eye tissue (Carotenoids concentrate in the retina): Absorbed lutein and zeaxanthin concentrate specifically in the retina over time.

Timing

Pairing with a little fat (like butter or olive oil) helps absorb its fat-soluble carotenoids.

Time to effect

Weeks: Regular intake gradually contributes to macular carotenoid levels.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Low-FODMAP.

In season

July to September in the northern hemisphere, January to March in the southern.

Satiety

162 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — high. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

1.7 kg CO2e and 216 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Maize" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Lutein & zeaxanthin
Fiber
Vitamin C
B vitamins

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 93.5
Protein: 2.9g
Carbohydrate: 16.8g
of which sugars: 3.5g
Fat: 1g
of which saturated: 0.3g
Fibre: 2.7g
Sodium: 170mg

Food vs. supplement

Corn is one of the more concentrated whole-food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin, the two carotenoids most studied for eye health, delivered with fibre that isolated eye-health supplements do not include.

Kitchen tip

Grilling or roasting in the husk traps steam and keeps kernels juicier than boiling loose kernels in water.

Common myth

Corn is just a starchy filler with no real nutrients. In reality: Beyond its starch content, it is a genuinely strong source of lutein and zeaxanthin, compounds tied to eye health that many other starchy vegetables do not provide.