Is Corn somewhat Paleo?

[King Salmon]

I'm just wondering about corn for a minute.I used to eat raw "corn on the cob" a long time ago.It seems it was easy to pick, and you didn't have to pound it/cook it like wheat.Doesn't have gluten.
So what's the history? Was it available back then? How bad/good is it now?

[miles]

No. People get similar problems from sweet corn as from wheat.

[kurite]

Use to have it and had no problem with it. Most of its GMO so I stay away.

[SkinnyDevil]

Corn, generally speaking, can be eaten raw and is thus as paleo as anything else (see caveat below).

Modern corn? Well, it's often GMO, as Kurite pointed out. Go for the organic and the local and you'll be better off.

You need to be certain of the type of corn under discussion, however. The corn of which I speak is "sweet corn", which is harvested in an "un-ripe" stage and can thus be eaten raw (as a vegetable). If left to mature, it turns hard and must be cooked like any other grain...thus rendering it distinctly neolithic.

[TylerDurden]

Corn is not "palaeo". Avoid it.

[SkinnyDevil]

Corn is not "palaeo". Avoid it.

A matter of opinion, I suppose.

If by "paleo" you mean "meat only" or even "mostly meat" (i.e. VLC), then corn is not paleo.

If by "paleo" you mean "pre-cooking, pre-agricultural society where humans were exceptionally opportunistic and existed from hot climes to cold (up until neolithic times - roughly 12,000 years ago)", then corn is most definitely paleo.

[djr_81]

If by "paleo" you mean "pre-cooking, pre-agricultural society where humans were exceptionally opportunistic and existed from hot climes to cold (up until neolithic times - roughly 12,000 years ago)", then corn is most definitely paleo.

Corn's hedged it's bets biologically and changed over time to where it is now to court us to eat it. It can't propogate now unless man harvests the kernels and sows them. To me this sets off alarms about the unnatural thing it's become.
FWIW corn from paleo times was all but inedible. I think I've read the texture likened to the ears of indian corn you see at Thanksgiving.

[SkinnyDevil]

Corn's hedged it's bets biologically and changed over time to where it is now to court us to eat it. It can't propogate now unless man harvests the kernels and sows them. To me this sets off alarms about the unnatural thing it's become.

This is an excellent point, if true.

However, I'm not sure it's true. We grew corn one year, and it sprang up "wild" the next. Could be a fluke, though. Your assertion may well be generally correct.

As an aside, I didn;t eat any - the birds got it all!!!

FWIW corn from paleo times was all but inedible. I think I've read the texture likened to the ears of indian corn you see at Thanksgiving.

Again, this is not entirely the case. It was only inedible in it's mature state (ripe). When picked early (or, as birds do, simply eaten off the stalk), it is quite edible raw.

[djr_81]

This is an excellent point, if true.

However, I'm not sure it's true. We grew corn one year, and it sprang up "wild" the next. Could be a fluke, though. Your assertion may well be generally correct.

As an aside, I didn;t eat any - the birds got it all!!!

I'm not sure about where I read it, maybe in "The Omnivore's Dilemma" or maybe a link on this site, but it's definitely true.
The first couple links Google pulled up:
http://www.campsilos.org/mod3/students/c_history.shtml
http://www.nativetech.org/cornhusk/cornhusk.html
http://www.agron.iastate.edu/courses/agron212/readings/corn_history.htm

Evidence suggests that cultivated corn arose through natural crossings, perhaps first with gamagrass to yield teosinte and then possibly with back­crossing of teosinte to primitive maize to produce modern races. There are numerous theories as to the ancestors of modern corn and many scientific articles and books have been written on the subject. Corn is perhaps the most completely domesticated of all field crops. Its perpetuation for centuries has depended wholly on the care of man. It could not have existed as a wild plant in its present form.

Again, this is not entirely the case. It was only inedible in it's mature state (ripe). When picked early (or, as birds do, simply eaten off the stalk), it is quite edible raw.

I will concede this point. The couple links I pulled up don't mention it being an easy to eat crop but it was obviously fruitful enough to be worth the effort to breed it.

[SkinnyDevil]

Spoken well, Dan.

Perhaps it's best to say that corn is, at best, quasi-paleo and should be eaten only on rare occasion. Very rare.

[raw-al]

I was watching a movie "The Corporation" about the evil demon Monstanto. Around the end of the movie there was a section on the Mexican or Central American aboriginals who were banding together to get rid of the new breeds of corn and save the old breeds. Very moving.

djr,
"Omnivore's Dilemma" is required reading IMO I heard it on audiobook. Amazing writer.

Problem with corn is that there is no way of knowing whether it is real or GMO or loaded with chemicals. So it is best to ditch it IMO.

However having said that I bought 1/2 dozen at the farmers market for my GF and I ate one raw on the way home. Exquisite.

[SkinnyDevil]

Well said.

I'll have to see if I can find the movie. I've heard good things about "Omnivore's Dilemma", but haven't read it yet. Thanx for the tip!

[raw-al]

Well said.

I'll have to see if I can find the movie. I've heard good things about "Omnivore's Dilemma", but haven't read it yet. Thanx for the tip!

SD
Anything by Michael Pollan is excellent. Look up "The Biology of Desire" to find a fascinating history of six of the world's fascinating foods. Tells the story of Johny Appleseed, corn, potatoes etc. Starts off really slow due to his descriptiveness and detail but it builds into an incredible tale that is hard to stop listening to. His story on corn is incredibly detailed.

Lots of Youtubes on him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFpjskn3_Pc

[ochena_bikel]

I don't think, corn is a paleo. So, you better avoid it

[svrn]

i eat raw sweet corn once in a while and have never had any problems with it.

[cherimoya_kid]

i eat raw sweet corn once in a while and have never had any problems with it.

I've had strong allergic reactions to it at some points, and no reaction at all at other times.

[svrn]

there is lots of cross contamination with gm plants. even organic corn can have gm genes in it.

perhaps look for the small corns? all the corn iv had since going raw was always much smaller than the average.

I usually find that that smaller genetics are often better with any plant foods as largeness is a giveaway of human interference.

[cherimoya_kid]

I usually find that that smaller genetics are often better with any plant foods as largeness is a giveaway of human interference.

Well actually, with a smaller fruit/vegetable, you're getting the same amount of nutrition, but packed into a smaller package...so yes, it's nearly always more nutritious, higher-Brix, and better-tasting.

[Iguana]

Generally, smaller ones have also been less subject to artificial selection and are thus more similar to their wild counterpart. But this rule is not always valid.