myFM: The Dark Side of Corn Season

Seeing corn at the market means it’s getting later in the season of local produce, and while you might go nuts on it while you can, corn slips into much of what we consume every day. 

There are corn chips, cereals including Cheerios, and the popped stuff in your lap at a movie, polenta, and tortillas. The more concerning forms are corn oil, also labeled as vegetable oil, which is a highly processed pro-inflammatory oil that I talked about in episode 57 of EAT THIS with Lianne. Scary stuff. Then there’s corn syrup as a sweetener and high fructose corn syrup which is linked with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD or now called metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD).

Many people that are sensitive to gluten-containing grains – wheat, rye, and barley, also have issues with corn.While corn doesn't contain any gluten, what it does contain is a type of protein calledzein that triggers an abnormal immune response similar to gluten that can cause digestive issues, headaches, trouble sleeping at night, joint and muscle pain, and even shifts in your mood and mental health.

And the last dark side to corn is that over 90% of crops are genetically modified, meaning that the seed itself has been adulterated to be able to withstand the toxic glyphosate pesticide, which, sadly, then you’re consuming. And that corn that you might pass up because of what I’ve said don’t forget that it gets into the feed what the animals who are fed grain. In the case of cows, we consume a lot of that animal, so it gets into the milk and all dairy products and the steak or burger on your plate. That is where grass-fed and finished beef becomes your best choice. 

Knowing the farmer, buying organic, and moderation are the ways that I navigate corn season to keep the dark side on the lighter side of grey. 

Listen to segment below!