6 Reasons Why You Should Include Hominy In Your Diet
Are you looking to replace your current diet with healthy food options? Is taste something that you don’t want to compromise on? Then Hominy is something you would want to try out! Well, this post can sure help you get more details about this staple food of Mexico. Read on to find out more.
What Is Hominy?
A very special ingredient in many traditional Mexican dishes, hominy is nothing but dried corn kernels. It has gained its popularity owing to the corn’s ability to grow widely in many climates.
Hominy corn is prepared from processing the large yellow or white maize kernels. The corns are first dried, had their outer shell removed. They are then soaked in an alkaline solution causing them to puff up. The process, called nixtamalization, makes the corn softer and more digestible. The dried field kernels are highly nutritious in nature. They have been endorsed by the Native American ancestors since the early 1600s and are still a vital part of their culture (1).
Some of the common dishes of this ‘processed food’ include grits, pearl hominy, posole, menudo and samp.
[ Read: Benefits Of Sweet Corn ]
Health And Hominy
Processed food and health can never go hand in hand, this is what most of us believe. Hominy is an exception to this fact. It is most likely one of those items which will stump you with its taste and health benefits too.
Here are six reasons why you should include hominy in your diet.
1. Increased Vitamin B Availability
Treating hominy to an alkaline solution boosts bioavailability of vitamin B from the corn kernel. Untreated corn has a bound form of the vitamin, which is more readily available to the body after nixtamalization. This prevents diseases caused by the deficiency of the nutrients. As Vitamin B aids energy production and red blood cell formation in the body, eating hominy can get you your dose of this nutrient (2).
2. More Fiber
Hominy has high fiber content, enabling you to meet your daily fiber requirements with ease. A single cup of hominy offers 4gm of fiber, which when added to the additional fiber of dishes like the Mexican posole, becomes a superfood. Fiber creates a feeling of satiety and keeps the digestive system in good working order. This further helps regulate blood sugar levels, control diabetes, reduce cholesterol and most importantly manage weight (3).
3.Less Calories
This processed item provides you sufficient nutrition without adding too many calories to your body. A cup of hominy is equal to 120 calories. On the other hand, a cup of white rice contains about 250 calories. The presence of fibre keeps you full at the same time. Imagine how a replacement with hominy would help you in your weight loss regimen, because you can lose weight without going hungry.
4. Gluten-Free
Hominy is a good option for those looking for gluten-free food stuffs. Many starchy items in the supermarket come with their share of additives. However, canned hominy is naturally gluten-free. The high carbohydrates content (20gm per cup) makes it a good source of energy.
Many people have lately begun picking foods free from gluten citing health and medical concerns. But, celiac disease is treated with a gluten-free diet (4). Hominy is the perfect choice for this group.
5. Low Sugar
Hominy contains minimal percentage of sugar content – just 3 grams in one cup. High sugar intake can have bad effect on the health. Since our diets inevitable contain sugary foods and beverages, including hominy is a great idea to lower the sugar intake. It has very little sugar in contrast to other foods. This can reduce the risk of diabetes and obesity.
6. Almost Zero Fat
If weight loss is your goal, hominy is your best friend. With high carbohydrate content and virtually no fats (1 gram fat in a cup), it is a great addition to the diet plan for weight loss. Hominy is best suited for anyone on a low-fat diet. Including this in diet was found to be effective in healthy weight loss in adults (5).
Without doubt, hominy can be counted for a delicious and healthy food product. So you shouldn’t mind experimenting it as a key ingredient in your dish.
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