Wednesday, November 29, 2006 DA promotes corn as a healthy food By Joy Romares-Sevilla
THE regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA) has encouraged consumption of corn grits and other corn products, a campaign which is part of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) Corn Program of the agency and by the Bureau of Agriculture and Fisheries Product Standards (BAFPS).
Henna Palma, regional GMA Corn Coordinator of the DA, said a memorandum issued by the national office of the DA was relayed to the regional office early this month directing all bureaus, attached agencies and corporations and all units of the DA with food service facilities to promote and serve boiled corn grits or boiled mixed rice and corn grits, other health food preparations from corn at least once a week and make the occasion known as Corn for Healthy Day.
Secretary Arthur Yap further said that the battle cry of the project is "Eat Corn for a Healthy Lifestyle."
The project aims to generate awareness for the health benefits of corn as a source of energy, nutrients and fiber. Ultimately, the project aims to help increase demand for the commodity as food.
Palma said about 20 percent Filipinos particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao consume white corn as staple food. Normal white corn lacks essential amino acids, lysine, and tryptophan.
Available now, however, is quality protein maize (QPM), which has high level of the two amino acids.
White corn has higher amylose than rice. This makes corn harder to gelatinize and digest. It is considered as low glycemic index (GI) food.
Several varieties of rice have low amylose and high amylopectin. These kinds of rice belong to high GI food.
QPM white corn has higher dietary fiber, lysine and protein than rice.
