Is Hominy Healthy?
While greens and vegetables are excellent, you really do not have to force yourself to eat them all the time if you do not feel like it. There are other healthy and delicious foods that can help you meet your health and fitness goals without stress. One of them is hominy. This is a great meal as you will learn in the course of this post. We will also be answering the question, “Is hominy healthy?”
What Is Hominy and How to Use It?
Simply put, hominy is nothing but corn that has gone through the nixtamalization process. This procedure is an age-old food preparation method of processing maize (or other grains) with the intention of softening them for easier consumption. It involves soaking the grains in limestone and lye, and the result is softer and bigger corn kernels separated from the hull.
Some of the dishes made with this processed corn include pearl hominy, samp, posole, grits, and menudo. It can also be made into cornmeal known as masa harina, which is used as a thickening agent in foods like stews, soups, and casseroles. It is an ingredient in atole—a traditional Mexican drink made with ground masa that is sweetened with piloncillo.
Reasons Why Hominy Is Healthy
Typically speaking, hominy is a processed food, which is enough reason for people to believe that it is not as healthy, but this is not the case. Food processing has been a part of the earliest culinary methods you can think of. If done properly, like in this case, you really have nothing to worry about, and you will enjoy a host of hominy health benefits.
- Vitamin B
The nixtamalization process boosts the availability of vitamin B in the corn, which is ideal for energy production, development of red blood cells, and a host of other health benefits.
- Less fat
Hominy is a great addition to your weight loss diet plan because it does not have a lot of fat in it. Nutritional facts reveal that 1 cup of hominy has about 1 g of fat in it, a negligible quantity.
- Low calories
For every cup of hominy, you get 120 calories, which is low enough and healthy. This is quite low compared to the average 2300 calories humans are expected to consume daily to stay healthy.
- Gluten-free
If you are looking for a way to stay full for longer, then it is an excellent food for you because of its gluten-free benefits. This eliminates bloating, improves digestion, and increases energy levels. Hominy also contains iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and phosphorus. It can be white in color or yellow depending on the color of the corn used to prepare it.
Conclusion
If you have the information and time, you can make hominy for yourself at home. If not, you can buy it already processed and canned or boxed from your local food store. It is sold either in whole or ground form. It makes a perfect breakfast meal when butter and salt are added.