Corn starch is a white powder made from the finely ground endosperm of corn. It is a popular ingredient used to thicken soups, stews, sauces, marinades, desserts, and a variety of other recipes. It is also used for non-culinary reasons, such as in adhesives and textiles, as an anti-caking and sticking treatment, and in the treatment of glycogen storage disease.
This article explores whether cornstarch is good for you along with its nutrition facts, health effects, and who should consider avoiding cornstarch in their diet.
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Corn Starch Nutrition
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the nutritional values of 100 grams (g) of cornstarch are:
- Energy: 375 calories (kcal)
- Protein: 0 grams (g)
- Total lipid (fat): 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 87.5 g
- Sodium: 0 milligrams (mg)
- Fiber: 0.9g
- Calcium: 2 mg
- Zinc: 0.06 mg
- Vitamin C: 0 mg
- Vitamin A: 0 mg
- Vitamin B12: 0 mg
- Vitamin D: 0 mg
Remember that 100 grams is much more cornstarch than most people can eat in a single serving. Typically recipes call for a few tablespoons of cornstarch at most. One tablespoon contains 8 grams of cornstarch.
As you can see, cornstarch is not a nutrient-dense food. It consists mainly of carbohydrates derived from starch. This doesn’t necessarily make cornstarch “unhealthy,” but it doesn’t qualify it as a “healthy” food.
Effects of Corn Starch
Below are some of the neutral and potentially negative effects of cornstarch on the body.
May Increase Blood Sugar Levels
Like many foods, cornstarch affects blood sugar. Blood sugar refers to the amount of glucose (simple sugar) circulating in the body at a given time.
To understand the effect of corn starch on blood sugar, let’s look at its glycemic index. The glycemic index measures how quickly certain foods can cause a person’s blood sugar to rise when eaten.
Uncooked cornstarch is a low-glycemic index food that is broken down and absorbed slowly in the intestines. This means that cornstarch can steadily raise and balance blood sugar. Therefore, it is used to treat hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in people with type 1 diabetes, glycogen storage disease, insulin autoimmune syndrome and other conditions.
On the contrary, cooked corn starch has a high glycemic index. Older studies estimated the glycemic index of cooked cornstarch to be between 77 and 97.
Combined with its low fiber content, high amounts of cornstarch can rapidly raise blood sugar, which may not be desirable. However, most people consume cornstarch in small amounts, such as a tablespoon, to thicken a soup served to more than one person.
Highly Processed
Corn starch is a highly processed food. It is created by wet grinding corn grains and separating the starchy interior from fiber, protein and fat. In other words, what’s left is essentially pure starch (a complex carbohydrate).
Scientists generally agree that a diet consisting of overly processed foods is harmful to health. But most people who eat cornstarch don’t do so in large amounts, and it can be an important part of their diet.
Lacking Essential Nutrients
Corn starch is high in calories and carbohydrates but has little to offer in terms of vitamins and nutrients.
It does not contain Vitamin C, D, A, B12, B6, Vitamin A or any other vitamins we need to consume daily for optimal health. They also have little or no minerals.
Because it is refined, cornstarch also contains negligible levels of dietary fiber; 100 grams of corn starch contains only 0.9 grams of fiber. Considering that the recommended daily fiber intake for adults is 25-30 grams and most people do not consume cornstarch in amounts close to 100 grams, cornstarch is essentially devoid of fiber.
Who Should Limit or Avoid Corn Starch?
Corn starch contains high amounts of carbohydrates and calories, is highly processed, has no nutritional value, and can raise blood sugar.
Most people don’t need to worry about limiting or avoiding cornstarch.
Cornstarch is mostly consumed in minimal amounts (think: one or two tablespoons in a recipe that serves six or more people). It’s an ingredient that helps change the texture of food, whether it’s thickening soup or making chicken pieces crispier.
In fact, corn starch is not a healthy food. But that doesn’t mean you should avoid cornstarch, an ingredient that can make the dish more enjoyable.
If you have a corn allergy, diabetes, glycogen storage disease, or another condition that affects your blood sugar, consider talking with a dietitian or other healthcare professional about when and how much cornstarch you eat.
Corn Starch Substitutes
If you don’t have cornstarch in your pantry or want to use less cornstarch, you’ll need another product.
Some cornstarch substitutes include:
- tapioca starch
- Rice flour
- Casava flour
- potato flour
- arrowroot flour
- Wheat flour
Summary
Cornstarch is a white powder made from the starchy interior of corn kernels that is used in recipes to add thickness or texture to foods such as soups, casseroles, puddings, and more. Cornstarch has little nutritional benefit and may potentially increase blood sugar. It’s okay to eat cornstarch in small amounts, but large amounts should be avoided due to its highly processed nature and lack of essential vitamins or nutrients.
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