Tooth problems are a rather common issue among humans, both kids and adults. For kids, most believe that the most predominant cause of tooth problems is the consumption of sugar or candy, which, to an extent, they may be right. When someone discovers they have a tooth defect, the first thought that comes to mind is how much sugar have they been consuming?
Candy might be the cause of your tooth problem, and this is because certain bacteria within our dental cavity tend to live on sugar, not just in candy but in all foods. In fact, there are some foods that are even more dangerous for the teeth than candy itself.
Some people will think that now that candy is out of the way, why not settle for other foods? Well, let’s look at some of those foods, taking starch as a case study. It will interest you to know that starch has a way of affecting our teeth, especially when stuck between the teeth cavities over a period of time.
The fact that it gets stuck paves the way for sugar into the tooth cavity, exposing the teeth to sugar for a long time, allowing bacteria to feed on it. It will be of much benefit for you to know that starch is more harmful to children’s dental health than sugar, as discovered by the AAPD, and this conclusion was drawn based on the length of time starch is stuck between the teeth.
So you should reduce your starch and sugar intake and replace them with other healthier options such as apples, carrots and even celery if you want a crunchy feel. However, if you need something extra sweet, you are open to options like blueberry, strawberry, and others.
Is consuming cornstarch bad for my dental health?
As we already know, cornstarch is what we’ll classify as a processed food extracted from the endosperm of corn, and it is very high in starch content with little or no nutritional value.
The teeth are a very crucial machine, especially when things are coming into the body. You would agree with me that without our teeth, we would not have been able to consume a whole lot of the meals we eat now. Yet some people do not take the required care of their teeth.
Different foods we eat have their own effectiveness on the teeth, be it positively or negatively, and cornstarch, no doubt, does have a negative effect on the teeth. Generally, starch, be it crunchy or chewy, is harmful to our dental health as it gets stuck between the teeth, where crunchy starch has the tendency to break the teeth.
How does cornstarch affect your body?
Basically, we use cornstarch in every meal or it’s included one way or the other in our daily lives. It is a rather common ingredient, often used to thicken soups, stews, desserts, sauces, etc. It may also be used for other purposes like additives to baked goods, such as holding fruit-based pie filling in place, reducing hardness in some baked goods, and also making vegetables, meat, and crust have a crisp coating .
However, irrespective of the various uses of cornstarch, a lot of people want to know if it has any effect on the general body system, and that’s what we will be looking at in this article.
Looking at the nutritional value of cornstarch, it has a rather high carbon and calorie content, but is deficient in the basic nutrient requirements of the body, such as protein, vitamins, minerals, and even fiber. A cup of cornstarch, which equals about 120 grams, is known to contain.
- 488 calories
- 1 gram of fiber
- 7 percent Daily value of selenium
- 117 grams of carbs
- I gram fiber etc.
According to nutritionists, cornstarch has some downsides for the body. It may be harmful to the heart and may tend to increase blood sugar levels due to its high glycemic index and carbohydrate content. Also, know that cornstarch lacks the vital nutrients needed for body process hence should be taken alongside other nutrients rich foods so as to meet your daily body nutrients requirements.
For instance, if you are diabetic or you are relatively low on carbohydrates, you might want to consider a moderate quantity of cornstarch.
Why do people eat a spoonful of cornstarch?
You have probably seen people take a spoonful of cornstarch in its raw state, and you begin to wonder why they are eating it despite how unhealthy it is.
Well, one reason why people, especially expectant mothers and partners, tend to consume this food is to satisfy their cravings. This is often described by the term “PICA”
Also, people who are diabetic or have low carb may be advised to stick to about one to two spoonfuls of cornstarch and should endeavor to introduce other alternatives such as wheat flour, potato starch, arrow etc.
Health-wise, you should never consume raw cornstarch in a relatively meaningful quantity as it has little or no nutritional value except as a flavoring for foods .
Is it safe to eat raw corn starch?
Cornstarch, maize starch, whatever you know it as, is totally flavorless and is mostly used to thicken food and for baby powder and cosmetics on a larger scale. Corn starch is more or less healthy, depending on how it is made. This is because it goes through several extraction processes, which tend to lower or get rid of its nutritional value.
Well, concerning the intake of cornstarch in its raw state, you’ve probably heard of or seen someone eating raw corn starch. Over the years, it’s been believed that this starch helps with certain conditions like diabetes and blood sugar management. I can’t say much as it has proven somewhat effective for some of these conditions.
But you should know that eating raw cornstarch can make you sick, like with digestive problems, because it doesn’t have any basic nutrients. Also, because it has not been cooked under heat, there is every possibility that raw cornstarch may have some bacteria in it that can be harmful both to human and animal health, so it is advisable to always cook cornstarch under heat before you eat it.
What happens if you eat cornstarch every day?
You should know that cornstarch is purely starch and has lost almost all other nutrients during the extraction process. This is done by removing all the outer bran and germs, leaving only the pure starch in the endosperm.
Consuming a significant amount of cornstarch, be it daily, weekly, or whenever, may raise your blood sugar level, making it really bad for your heart health. They are high in carbs and calories, so regular consumption is not advisable.
If you wish to use cornstarch for your meals or baked goods, there are other replaceable options such as wheat flour, arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca, rice flour, ground flaxseed, glucomannan, guar gum, etc., which are much healthier and have potential nutrient value than cornstarch.
Is corn starch gluten free?
People often ask if cornstarch is gluten free. To answer that, let’s take a look at what gluten is. Gluten is a particular protein that is most common in wheat plants. The function of gluten is that it helps to hold the wheat, barley, rye, semolina, etc. together to keep their shape.
From the above definition, we can see that cornstarch is not a gluten-containing plant. Hence, in its original state, it is often described as gluten free.
The reason why the statement above says “in its original state” is because during processing, the equipment used might be that which was used in the processing of a gluten-containing grain, and this often leads to cross contamination, hence you are bound to unknowingly be consuming gluten.
If you are in need of a gluten free cornstarch that is guaranteed, next time you visit the mall, you should consider options like hodgeson Mill, argos, Bob’s red Mill, rumford, thrive market, clabber girl etc.
What other options are usable in place of cornstarch?
Maybe you know the health risk involved in the use of cornstarch and you want to totally avoid cornstarch from your diet. There are several options available on the market.
Before we look at those ingredients we can use in place of cornstarch, let’s take a look at what cornstarch is used for.
- One of the major uses of cornstarch is to thicken our food, such as soups, sauces, and stews.
- They may be introduced as a recipe to make pudding and gravy.
- for baked goods, they may be used as a thickness for pie filling as they are also used to hold certain ingredients together firmly.
Some ingredients we can use as a substitute for cornstarch are arrowroot starch, tapioca, potato starch, and any all-purpose flour blend, but ensure it is gluten free. All these ingredients will serve the same purpose as your corn starch without altering the desired results.