Corn has a way to stay intact from plate to pop. The bright yellow kernels found in our favorite summer recipes can show up in the bathroom hours later – mostly in the emergency. How can corn survive? And perhaps more importantly, should you also eat foods that are difficult to digest?
It turns out that your digestive system is working more than you thought, so don’t skip the corn yet. According to Rendria Watson, a Ruminant nutritionist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the yellow kernels in your poo are really just an outer coating of corn kernels.
Corn kernels are seeds with valuable genetic material. The key to seed survival is a waxy, yellow outer coating that protects the genetic material from weather, pests and transport. The fact that it is difficult to break is really ideal for plants. The outer coating is hardened to its elasticity Fiber Called cellulose, which in humans do not have digestible enzymes or intestinal bacteria.
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“Hard animals like animals, which are better equipped to digest cellulose, do not always digest corn completely,” Vumin told living science. While cattle don’t eat the same sweet and soft corn (which they eat harder, more mature corn that can be stored longer), they, too, show whole kernels in their dung. Researchers have worked tirelessly to get the colonel out and analyze his nutrients. “It simply came to our notice then [the kernels] “Very little has been digested,” Watson said.
The good news is that cellulose makes up only 10% of corn, Watson said. Therefore, the other 90% is useful nutrition. Corn is also a good source of dietary fiber, starch and antioxidants. CarotenoidsIs, which gives vegetables like corn and carrots their wonderful color. However, corn has fewer carotenoids than a typical serving of leafy greens, according to 2019 Tufts University Report.
There is a way to make corn more digestible and completely disappear from your pup: process. “The more you process it, the easier it is to digest,” Watson said. It is the same for humans and animals. Grinding, wet milling, cooking – each processing step breaks down the fiber molecules harder to move a little further, he said.
In fact, most of the corn you eat is processed. The Tufts University report estimates that every American consumes 160 pounds. (70 kg) corn per year. Most of that corn isn’t hard for the kernel to digest, but it’s corn that’s soft tortillas, chips, popcorn and – a big one. High fructose corn syrup.
Easy to digest, however, not to be confused with healthy. A look at the nutrition facts shows common processed corn products, e.g. Corn oil And High fructose corn syrup, Lose most of the beneficial fiber and nutrients during the process. Corn kernels in your poo may be weird, but it’s not bad for your health. In fact, it is a sign that you are eating corn in its healthiest forms. Watson’s best advice to avoid seeing whole kernels in the bathroom: chew carefully.
Published on Original Living Science.