corn on the cob - real calorie count

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joannathechef
joannathechef Posts: 484 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This is a little silly but have you guys every noticed that corn comes out very much like it went in so why do we count them as totaly digested when we add them to our food.

If I recall school, Calories are measured in a calorieometer (spelling?) they dry weigh the food then they burn it totally up and weight it again. The difference is the energy in the food - the calorie value.

So if we only actually digest 40% of teh corn shouldn't we only count 40% of the calories LOL :bigsmile:

Replies

  • cpegasus01
    cpegasus01 Posts: 400 Member
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    Interesting. I would like to know the answer to that too. lol
  • reneeeeeh
    reneeeeeh Posts: 54
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    I like the way you think! Interested in hearing answers..
  • p0pr0cksnc0ke
    p0pr0cksnc0ke Posts: 1,283 Member
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    There's hardly enough calories in corn for this to be a concern.

    Now, if we are talking cheesecake.. THAT would be worth it.
  • XtyAnn17
    XtyAnn17 Posts: 632 Member
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    Ya hmmm!
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    You're only seeing the shell coming out, the yummy insides were digested

    Sorry but you don't get to subtract any calories for the thin shell
  • dunlunicor
    dunlunicor Posts: 189 Member
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    I believe the part that we do digest is the starchier part. The actual outside bit (I don't know what it's really called) is mostly indigestible and non-caloric. So it's probably pretty close.
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
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    if you don't chew very well, nuts are particularly low calorie as well...
  • dunlunicor
    dunlunicor Posts: 189 Member
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    You're only seeing the shell coming out, the yummy insides were digested

    Sorry but you don't get to subtract any calories for the thin shell

    ^ Beat me to it. lol.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    You're only seeing the shell coming out, the yummy insides were digested

    Sorry but you don't get to subtract any calories for the thin shell

    ^^^^ This

    If you're seeing lots of whole kernels come out, start chewing your food better. :happy:

    Even so, your body will dissolve and absorb a lot of the starches, and the husk is simply nondigestible fiber.
  • megleo818
    megleo818 Posts: 595 Member
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    Well, that's an interesting question all right.

    I'm not a nutritionist (nor do I play one on TV), but if you're chewing your food properly, I think that what comes out should really only be the undigestible parts. Where corn's concerned, that's just the outer skin of the kernels (corn bran), not the sugar-laden yumminess inside that holds pretty much all of the calories.

    Again, I'm no expert, but that makes sense to me. Try eating it without the butter and be happy that you're giving your digestive tract a nice scrubbing! :smile:
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
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    You're close, OP. However, they also measure the temperature difference in the water in the calorimeter, as it takes a certain amount of energy (measured in calories) to raise the temperature of the water. Sorry, but that energy difference is pretty close to what your body can use, too.
  • Francesca3162
    Francesca3162 Posts: 520 Member
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    Parts of corn that you see in your stool are made up of a lot of cellulose (a specific type of sugar molecule). AS humans we lack the enzyme (helper) necessary to digest it. After eating raw corn or corn-on-the-cob, there may be chunks of corn that are not digested. However, creamed corn and corn that's cooked longer is easier for humans to digest more fully.
  • EllieLou357
    EllieLou357 Posts: 34 Member
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    I have always wondered that too, but corn is high is sugars. So be careful when you eat it. That is what farmers feed cows to fatten them up!!!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    My son lives in South Africa and they live on corn and kale there (he's in the Peace Corps).

    I know you're joking, but the sweet part inside the kernel is what we digest. And it, unfortunately, dissolves in water - and in our guts.

    On a more serious note, that difference between what calories are in the food and we digest can be substantial and is also very variable depending on many factors. It's one of the reasons that calories are an imperfect measure of how fat-productive foods are. But it ain't bad on average.
  • jaygreen55
    jaygreen55 Posts: 315 Member
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    I have always wondered that too, but corn is high is sugars. So be careful when you eat it. That is what farmers feed cows to fatten them up!!!

    Feed corn for animals and sweet corn that we eat are very different. At 80-120 calories and 3-6 grams of fiber per ear corn on the cob is a very healthy whole grain. Even diabetics like myself can safely consume sugars but not to excess

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