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So, each year I plant a garden and now everything is starting to ripen...including my Golden Bantam corn. I know corn is not really considered paleo but why? Should I peddle my corn to the neighbors or can I enjoy it myself?

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eat it as a vegetable (fresh and in season) rather than a grain (as a ground processed staple like grits/flour/starch/oil) – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Aug 17 2011 at 5:09
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mmm I want some! – Danielle Aug 17 2011 at 5:26
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with some grass-fed butter – Danielle Aug 17 2011 at 5:26
Corn with butter...very yum! – Ali Aug 17 2011 at 14:42

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I see the corn that you grow yourself as a veg definitely paleo. The corn that we normally think of around here (HFCS, corn meal, corn oil, Fritos TM) is SO different from a nice ear of sweet corn.

A good ear of sweet corn might be nicer with a little heat, some butter and salt, but you can still pull it right out of the ground, shuck it and bite right in. I am reminded of the scene in King Corn when the guy does that with his industrialized crop corn, and then immediately spits it out and talks about how dry and bland and overall gross it is.

Treat them as two different plants, cause they kinda are.

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Corn may be a grain, but as for me, I eat seasonally, so corn is definitely something I'll eat in the summer. And I'll enjoy the heck out of it while I'm eating it. but it isn't a staple in my diet, by any means. So enjoy it!!

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Thanks- I like the idea of eating seasonally as well. – Eazine Aug 18 2011 at 3:22
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Corn is ultimately a grain, and store bought corn you can count on being grown from GMO seeds, but the real issue with corn is it's indigestibility. It lacks nutrients and basically only puts stress on your GI tract while trying to digest it, think about the last time you ate corn and (pardon the yuck) used the bathroom....right? Your body doesn't break it down whatsoever. So the Paleo problem with corn is that it does nothing for your system/body/health and also is higher on the Glycemic Index, therefor causing unwanted insulin spikes....

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I get the same "after effects" with almonds. I swear they appear for their 'encore performance' looked like I chewed them and it ended there. I notice vegetable matter in my 'deposit' frequently, but they are still paleo... – NewEra Aug 17 2011 at 13:58
I, too, see "vegetable matter in my deposit" frequently... carrots, greens, peppers, etc... – courtart Feb 26 at 20:33
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I don't know if it aligns with the hardcore paleo orthodoxy but you could also make it Mexican-street style by spreading a homemade mayonnaise on it and some freshly grated Parmesean cheese or Cotija cheese, lime juice and butter.

Something akin to this: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mexican-Street-Corn-235768

Not sure of the nutrient profile for that serving but it could be a good platform for ingesting fats.

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A cart down the street sells corn like this- it's so good! – Eazine Aug 18 2011 at 3:19
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Corn is certainly not paleo as in paleolithic, but I think that in general it's most likely safe to eat in moderation. See Dr. Harris on reenactment vs. metabolism.

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By definition, corn is actually a seed bearing fruit. But people call it a grain, and generally speaking, it's treated as a vegetable.

The biggest problem with corn, in my opinion, is that the vast majority of it in 2011 is genetically modified (GMO). You planted this in your garden, which immediately means it's going to be better because you control the process and it's maximum fresh. But something you may want to look into >> Is the corn you are planting in yoru garden GMO?

You are really probably not going to drop dead from eating GMO corn. You may not even get sick or anything. But I am just not a proponent of eating things that have been genetically modified by stupid people.

The other issue you could take with corn is the O6 content, but in fresh corn cobs, you probably have nothing to worry with that.

Smash some pasture butter on there, sprinkle a little sea salt and crack some peppercorns on that action, and then I say do both! Eat it yourself, and allow your neighbors to delight in it as well.

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All grains are fruits. Grains are grasses, which are monocots, which are angiosperms, which are fruit-bearing plants. – ra25093 Aug 17 2011 at 17:19
Corn on the Cob has always been a delicious butter/salt/pepper delivery system as far as I was concerned. I grew up eating raw milk and butter made from the cream, so it was the good stuff. I fed the cow 'treats' of a raw ear of corn now and then during the summer, too. She was grass fed, otherwise. – Tikivana Aug 18 2011 at 6:58
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Enjoy your corn! It's "neolithic", but...

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I would treat it the same as a potato

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A potato is a starchy vegetable. Corn is a sugary grain. Why would they be treated the same? – CD Feb 26 at 20:41
From a purely paleo perspective it might be because they were both domesticated at about the same time, around 1,000 years ago or so. Which makes both very non paleo. – Brenjin Feb 26 at 20:49
From that perspective nothing alive today Is paleo. – CD Feb 26 at 23:09

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