| − | '''Corn''' (''Zea mays''), also called ''maize,'' was first grown by Native Americans. It is used as a food, and for many other uses. | + | '''Corn''' (''Zea mays'') is a broad term that includes multiple types of grain. The everyday term of "corn" in the [[United States]] commonly refers to the subset that is more precisely (but archaically) referenced as "maize". "On average in the US, about 45 percent of corn [i.e., maize] is used for animal feed, 44 percent is turned into [[ethanol]], and only 10 percent is eaten. In fact, over one half of all the calories that we eat in the US come from corn ...."<ref>https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/11/the-mysterious-origin-of-corn.html</ref> |
| − | Because of its tightly-packed kernels, corn is incapable of reproducing without human aid. | + | Because of its tightly-packed kernels, corn [i.e., maize] is incapable of reproducing without human aid. |
| | It can be grown for both a cash crop and nourishment for people and livestock. It is relatively high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat, in part because corn is actually a grain rather than a vegetable.<ref name="H">https://theindianmed.com/10-health-benefits-of-corn-maize-nutrition-facts/</ref> Corn is also high in fiber, and rich "in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium";<ref name="H"/> corn further provides some vitamins A (in the form of beta carotene), C, and E, and folate.<ref name="H"/> | | It can be grown for both a cash crop and nourishment for people and livestock. It is relatively high in protein and low in carbohydrates and fat, in part because corn is actually a grain rather than a vegetable.<ref name="H">https://theindianmed.com/10-health-benefits-of-corn-maize-nutrition-facts/</ref> Corn is also high in fiber, and rich "in potassium, iron, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium";<ref name="H"/> corn further provides some vitamins A (in the form of beta carotene), C, and E, and folate.<ref name="H"/> |