The experts say that eating a healthy diet is easy. Here are some surprising nutritional benefits of corn. Sugary, starchy, and overly processed foods should be avoided. Include a lot of fruits, vegetables, yogurt, high-fiber grains, and nuts in your diet. However, there is one vegetable whose health benefits are still unclear: corn. It is one of the six vegetables that is consumed the most in China and North America, but its nutritional value and health benefits are also some of the most misunderstood.

1. Corn: Corn is both a grain and a vegetable, according to the USDA, if the kernels are soft when harvested. Grain is produced when farmers harvest mature corn. Vegetables include the sweet corn that humans consume, which accounts for only about one percent of all crops. A grain is the corn in grits, polenta, and cornbread. Biofuel and animal feed are two uses for more than 65% of the corn grown in the United States.

2. Corn is an excellent source of protein, which may come as a surprise to you. This essential nutrient can be found in just under five grams in one cup. Broccoli, on the other hand, has 3.8 grams in the same amount. Similar to other plant proteins, the type found in corn lacks some of the essential amino acids that the human body requires but cannot produce. However, consuming other vegetables, whole grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts enables the body to construct a complete protein profile from the various incomplete proteins.