Cornflakes have emerged as one of the most popular Western alternatives to regular Indian breakfast options. The origin of cornflakes is rather interesting. They were first created in the year 1894 by the American nutritionist John Harvey Kellogg for patients at the Kellogg Sanitarium in the US state of Michigan. Originally discovered as a ready-to-eat, easy-to-digest and healthy breakfast food, breakfast cornflakes soon became a rage across the world.
Students and office-going individuals prefer to have cornflakes as it is quick and convenient to make during early mornings when they are in a rush. Mothers also do not mind serving it to their families because of its health benefits. Cornflakes' benefits are, undoubtedly, immense. In this article, we shall delve into some of the most well-known benefits of including cornflakes in your diet.
Benefits of Corn Flakes for Heart
Heart diseases are quite common these days, and people with high cholesterol levels are recommended to eat low-fat foods. With cornflakes, heart patients or those keeping a check on their heart health can ensure they consume filling and nutrient-rich food without having to worry much.
Cornflakes are rich in niacin. Niacin is a member of the B-vitamin group, also called vitamin B3. While it helps in the overall functioning of every organ in the human body, including cornflakes in your breakfast menu increases your HDL (good) cholesterol and reduces your LDL (bad) cholesterol. It is a cereal that contains psyllium, which has been found to significantly reduce the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream.
Thus, low-fat foods like cornflakes are healthy enough to keep your stomach full and therefore reduce the urge to consume unhealthy food unnecessarily. Further, the lack of cholesterol in cornflakes ensures that you start your day on a healthy note.
Benefits of Cornflakes in Fighting Anaemia
Corn flake use also includes maintaining iron levels in the body. A bowl of cornflakes, flavoured or unflavoured, is known to be rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C and carotene (which is also found in carrots). They are also packed with vitamins A and B, iron and protein, which helps prevent anaemia.
Certain studies have proven that one cup (28 grams) of cornflakes a day provides an adult male with 66% of the daily recommended intake of iron. It is additionally beneficial for women since they are more prone to suffering from anaemia. A healthy diet comprising cornflakes will keep issues arising out of iron deficiency like fatigue, headaches, weakness and chest pain, at bay.
Benefits of Cornflakes in Keeping the Brain Sharper
While we have heard of almonds and walnuts in improving memory, cornflakes’ nutrients are going to be a new addition to this list. Pair your cornflakes with fruits, and it will provide you with the much-needed fibre content in your diet. The iron content in cornflakes helps you maintain good brain health by ensuring healthy blood levels in the body.
Another reason why cornflakes keep your brain sharp is the presence of homocysteine in the blood which increases the risk of degenerative brain diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's, and cognitive decline. If you include fortified cornflakes in your everyday diet, you will help reduce the buildup of homocysteine in the blood and thereby boost your nervous health and brain health in the process. Besides this, corn also contains quercetin, a nutrient that protects the brain against degeneration.
Benefits of Cornflakes in Developing Blood Cells
Are cornflakes good for health? By now you would have got your answer. But that is not it. Cornflakes also help in the development of blood cells. Since blood formation in the human body primarily occurs in the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, enzymes and nutrients present in cornflakes positively impact these organs and improve their capability to generate new blood cells.
A deficiency of red blood cells in the body leads to fatigue, internal or external bleeding, rapid heartbeat, and even some forms of cancer if it gets worse. A bowl of cornflakes can help you avoid all these issues in the long term. Expectant mothers can also have cornflakes for breakfast to prevent any possible birth defects in their newborns.
Benefits of Cornflakes in Boosting Immunity
Nothing is better than a protein-rich diet to keep your immune system healthy. Since corn flakes benefit the body by the generation of white blood cells, it helps in boosting body immunity to ward off infections. This is especially useful for kids who play outdoors and might contract infections that make them sick and reduce their productivity. While serving cornflakes to kids who are prone to get sick more often, add milk generously. Further, you can also add chopped almonds to increase the health benefits of cornflakes. After all, cornflakes are packed with nutrients and once it enters your body, they will make up for all the possible deficiencies in the body and lead you to a healthier living.
Benefits of Cornflakes in the Formation of DNA
Other Health Benefits of Cornflakes
If you are wondering if we are done enumerating the numerous benefits of eating cornflakes, brace yourself. This power-packed cereal does much more! As mentioned earlier, cornflakes have a great amount of fibre, which means consuming it will keep your digestive system active and help avoid constipation or other common digestive issues like indigestion.
Over the years, how to eat cornflakes for weight loss has also become a hot debate. Well, cornflakes could be the perfect and loyal partner in your weight-loss journey. You can avoid sugar and replace full-fat milk with toned milk if you are having cornflakes for breakfast. You can safely add vanilla essence and fruits or nuts for added flavor.
Another benefit of breakfast cornflakes is promoting good lung health. Cornflakes contain a carotenoid known as beta-cryptoxanthin that helps in sound lung health and also prevents lung cancer.
Conclusion
A unique cereal that is compatible with any other food item you want to pair it with, cornflakes have many health benefits associated with them. The contemporary use of cornflakes has also been an alternative for breadcrumbs for fried items like nuggets or cutlets. You name it and you can have it with cornflakes. In the southern hemisphere, cornflakes cookies are also really popular. So, if you are looking for a healthy replacement to your breakfast options that can also satiate your taste buds, the benefits of eating cornflakes will not disappoint you.
FAQs
Are cornflakes good for weight loss?
Provided that it is consumed in regulated amounts and not more than 100 gm per day, cornflakes can help you avoid binge eating in between meals, keep you full and thereby help in weight loss.
How to eat cornflakes the right way?
Cornflakes can be had in many forms. It can be had with sugar and milk. You can also crush the cornflakes and have them like oatmeal. If you are too health conscious and would not like sugar or milk alone, cornflakes can also be had with fruits and nuts.
Should any precautions be kept in mind while having breakfast cornflakes?
Doctors recommend that heart patients or those suffering from hypertension should not eat cornflakes more than once a week because cornflakes have a high sodium content.
How to store cornflakes?
If you are getting packaged cereal, it must be consumed in a few days from the carton itself. However, to avoid it from getting soggy, you must store it in an airtight container.