Corn sticks: health benefits and harms

Adults and seniors, young children and adolescents love the airy delicacy. Nowadays, the product is made with various flavors, making sticks of different shapes and colors. Today you can buy corn sticks with the taste of condensed and baked milk, nuts. The older generation will taste the sticks with the taste of bacon or cheese. Today, a popular sweet treat can be found on the shelves of any store.

Many people think that corn sticks are made directly from cereal grains, but this is far from the case. The product is obtained from cornmeal foam. For production, you must have special equipment. You can buy flour in a ready-made form in a store or cook it yourself by grinding cereal grains in a coffee grinder.

How do corn sticks

The product is based on cornmeal. During production, corn sticks undergo additional processing at high temperature conditions, so they lose most of their valuable nutritional properties. In the manufacture on an industrial scale, corn sticks are made with the addition of powdered sugar, various preservatives and food colors. In order to make the product a little more useful, various vitamin complexes are added to it.

Manufacturing technology takes place in several important stages, each of which plays a significant role. The main component of the product is whole corn grains, which are dried and ground into flour during processing. The resulting flour is carefully sieved so that large parts of the raw materials do not get into the finished product. The next step is to mix the cornmeal with sweeteners, flavors and flavors. At this stage of production, excess moisture appears in the flour, which must be removed. After processing on special equipment, not only excess moisture evaporates, but also a plastic mass of mixed components is obtained.

Formed corn sticks are placed in an extruder, where at a certain temperature the mixture passes through the equipment, foams and increases in volume. At the final stage, special knives cut off the finished sticks, giving them the desired shape and size. After the product is ready, it passes the final stage - vegetable oil is added to it, flavoring agents, crumble in powdered sugar.

Composition and calorie content

The treat consists of only four ingredients: cornmeal, powdered sugar, vegetable oil and salt. But still, the product is high in calories. There are 325 kcal per 100 grams. The product contains the following elements:

• Carbohydrates - 75 grams.
• Fats - 1.2 grams.
• Squirrels - 8.3 grams.
• Manganese, magnesium, copper, sodium, vitamin B2.

The vitamin composition is rather scarce and appears in the finished product only as a result of addition during production. Natural components are completely absent here, so the product does not have a special positive effect on the human body.

What are corn sticks good for?

The use of corn sticks is small, but still there. The nutritional value of the product is as follows:

1. 100 grams of corn sticks contains half the daily allowance of vitamin B2, necessary to normalize the functioning of the nervous system, thyroid, vision, good skin condition and hairline.
2. The high calorie content of the product allows you to quickly suppress hunger in an emergency.
3. A large amount of carbohydrates allows not only to give a feeling of fullness, but also to cheer up.If you eat a small number of chopsticks for breakfast, you can charge yourself with energy for the whole day.

There are no recommendations on the daily dosage of the product. The permissible dosage of goodies depends on the state of human health, on the age and individual characteristics of the body.

Is it possible corn sticks ...

Everyone's favorite treat, like all foods, should not be overeating. In some cases, the use of corn sticks should be minimized, and in case of serious illness completely excluded from the diet.

When breastfeeding

While breastfeeding, women have to carefully monitor their diet. Indeed, with milk, the child’s body receives not only useful and nutritious substances, but also harmful ones that can cause harm. Cornmeal may cause an allergic reaction. Even if the woman herself does not suffer from susceptibility to the components of the product, then the baby may have problems. It is best to refuse a sweet treat before breast-feeding.

Pregnant

During pregnancy, you can sometimes indulge yourself with a sweet treat, but you should not forget about the high calorie content of the product and know the measure. If the future mother has problems with the digestive system, that is, corn sticks are not recommended in order to avoid exacerbation of the disease. Also, the sweet product is very high-calorie and contributes to weight gain in women. This can adversely affect fetal development.

For children

Young children are not recommended to give corn sticks. They can contribute to metabolic disorders in a fragile body, which will subsequently lead to problems with weight. Corn sticks are recommended for children from the age of three. Children should not be given more than one pack per day. When you start using the product, you must monitor the condition of the child. If red spots, itching or rashes appear on the skin, then the delicacy from the diet should be excluded.

When losing weight

Those who want to part with excess weight, the use of goodies is not advisable. The product is high-calorie, contributes only to gaining excess weight, and not to decrease. There are very few nutrients in corn sticks, and the composition contains not natural ingredients, but flavorings and flavor enhancers. When ingested, the chopped particles of the sticks stick to the walls of the intestine and stomach, and, in turn, other food sticks to them.

With pancreatitis

People suffering from problems with the pancreas can only use sticks during the period of remission. In no case should they be eaten during an exacerbation of the course of the disease. In addition, during this period, you must follow a strict diet.

With gastritis

Stomach disease involves a certain diet, in which the action of food is aimed at not irritating the weak walls of the mucous membrane. Corn sticks can cause pain, especially in the acute phase. With gastritis, corn sticks can be consumed only during remission and only in small portions.

Harm and contraindications

The negative effects of eating corn sticks have a wide range. A sweet treat can do more harm to the body than good. Due to the presence of powdered sugar, the calorie content of the product is high, but there are very few useful properties in it. In addition, some manufacturers, for reasons of economy, do not use powder, but a cheaper and more harmful sweetener.

Corn sticks can have negative effects in the form of tooth decay. In the process of chewing, the corn mass sticks to the teeth in those places where it is difficult to get rid of it with a toothbrush.This is especially harmful for children, because they are not inclined to carefully monitor the cleanliness of the oral cavity. In addition, the product does not have properties that will help remove toxins from the body, and even slows down the process of their elimination.

Contraindications:

1. It is not recommended to use a treat for people with diabetes. The product contains a large amount of sugar and preservatives. Some supplements can cause allergic reactions.
2. Corn sticks are contraindicated for people suffering from diseases of the digestive system, especially in the phase of acute aggravation of the course of the disease. Patients in this period have a strict diet. Sometimes, during remission, a small number of sticks can be allowed, but only after the approval of the attending physician.
3. You should refrain from such treats to people who suffer from skin diseases. Corn sticks can aggravate the disease and aggravate skin rashes. This is especially true for chronic inflammatory processes.
4. People who are overweight are also not recommended to eat corn sticks. This can further worsen the condition and certainly does not help to reduce the number of kilograms.

It is also not recommended to use the product for children under three years of age, pregnant and lactating women.

What can I cook with corn sticks

A sweet treat is used as an independent product and is used to prepare various desserts: cakes, cookies or pastries. Many culinary masterpieces from corn sticks do not require heat treatment. If your house has a simple set of necessary products, then you can make a cake of corn sticks. To prepare you will need:

• corn sticks - 1-2 packs (depending on what size cake you want to make);
• condensed milk - 1 can (you can take boiled condensed milk);
• butter - 1 pack;
• chocolate - 1 bar;
• bee honey - 1 teaspoon;
• cocoa powder - 2-3 tbsp. spoons;
• fresh or frozen berries (can not be used in cooking).

Two-thirds of a pack of butter, half a can of condensed milk and honey should be mixed and beat well with a mixer. It will be a cream for the cake. Add cocoa to the cooked thick mass and beat well again with a mixer. Pour corn sticks into a deep bowl, you can cut them beforehand. Put cooked cream here and mix, trying to coat each stick with it. Cover the prepared container with cling film and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Put the mixed mass into the mold and tamp. After that, remove the cake for 40-50 minutes in the refrigerator. Before serving, put berries on top for decoration.

How to make corn sticks at home

Many people wonder whether it is possible to make delicious air sticks at home with your own hands, or do you have to do with store goods? The technology for making sticks is quite complex and time-consuming. For their production, you need special equipment, so it’s almost impossible to cook a product at home. If you have an extruder available, which provides softening and shaping of the finished product at the right pressure and temperature, then you can safely proceed to independent production. To prepare the raw materials for further processing, you will need another device - a screw conditioner.

Stages of cooking corn sticks at home:

1. Pour cornmeal into the auger conditioner and add water and a little salt. Within 5 minutes, the components are mixed, then the process of breaking up the mixture begins, which lasts about three hours.
2. The mass obtained after this is placed in the extruder, where it is heated to a temperature of 200 degrees and foams.
3. After that, the product is pushed by the device into the drying compartment and cut into several equal parts. It is necessary to bring the moisture level to 5 percent, so the resulting product will become crispy.
4. At the final stage, the product is glazed with vegetable oil, seasonings and powdered sugar.

There is another recipe in which you get a meal similar to corn sticks. Finished products will be very different from the store ones, but everyone will like their tastes. For cooking you will need:

• Butter - 50 grams.
• Cornmeal - 100 grams.
• Milk - 70 ml.
• Egg - 2 pcs.

Mix milk and butter in a bowl and put on a slow fire. After the mixture boils, slowly mix the flour so that no lumps appear. After thickening, remove the mass from the heat, add the eggs there, and mix well. Fill the pastry bag with the resulting dough and squeeze short sausages onto the prepared pan. After that, put the baking sheet in a preheated oven and bake the products until cooked. Sprinkle baked sticks with powdered sugar.

Is it possible to eat corn sticks in fasting

During Lent, people are forbidden to eat foods containing animal fats. There are no prohibited ingredients in corn stick. Sweet sweets in fasting should be eaten in limited quantities. When buying, you need to pay attention to the composition of the product. Many glazed products may contain milk additives, and milk is not allowed to be consumed during fasting.

The main meaning of the great holiday is the cleansing of the soul from sins, and overeating does not at all contribute to spiritual and bodily cleansing. Therefore, during this period should be preferred lean vegetable foods, vegetables and fruits. This will be not only observance of church fasting, but will also benefit the whole organism.

Is it possible to give animals corn sticks

Sometimes pet owners wonder if it is possible to give corn sticks to their wards? The answer, of course, will be negative. Corn sticks tend to stick to teeth. If a person can independently remove the adhering mass with a toothpick or with a toothbrush, then the cat or dog can not cope with this. Therefore, if your pet constantly consumes a sweet treat, he may have problems with his teeth.

The same goes for the internal organs of animals. Corn sticks will constantly stick to the intestines and stomach, which slows down the digestion process. From this, various diseases can develop.

An interesting fact: a sweet product appeared in the 19th century thanks to an experiment by American brothers-cooks, owners of the sanatorium. They had to briefly leave the sanatorium on important matters, and when they returned, they found that the cornmeal was a little spoiled. In order not to throw out the damp cornmeal, the brothers kneaded a thick dough, rolled it and received cereals, which were fried in oil. The novelty was to the taste of people in the sanatorium. Corn flakes served with milk and marshmallows. Already in the 20th century, when the extrusion method began to be used in production, flakes began to be passed through a mold, and so the beloved corn sticks appeared.

Puffed corn products, in fact, are simply delicious treats, not of great benefit. When choosing a product in the store, it is advisable to pay attention to the composition. It should contain as little dye, preservatives and other food additives as possible. Preference should be given to the type of sticks, sprinkled with powdered sugar and painted in yellow. Try to buy products that bring at least a small, but benefit to the body.

Photo of corn sticks