Asparagus vs Sweetcorn – Which is Healthier?

Our Verdict

When comparing asparagus to sweetcorn, we picked the asparagus.

Why?

In terms of macros, sweetcorn starts off strong with slightly more protein and notably more carbs for the same fiber, while still keeping glycemic index low, so we say this first round is a marginal win for corn.

In the category of vitamins, asparagus has a lot more of vitamins A (yes, really, 4x more!), B2, B7, B9, E, and K (138x the amount for this one), while sweetcorn has more of vitamins B2, B5, and C, giving asparagus an overwhelming win here.

For anyone wondering “why are we so surprised about the vitamin A?”, it’s because vitamin A makes things yellow, and corn is yellow while asparagus is green. But, there are more factors that affect the color of each plant, that’s all.

Looking at minerals, asparagus has more calcium, copper, iron, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while corn has more magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium, yielding a compelling 5:3 win to asparagus (especially with asparagus having 12x the calcium; do not underestimate green things as a source of calcium; where do you think cows get theirs from?).

In other considerations, asparagus has a higher polyphenol content (with quercetin scoring notably), while sweetcorn is high in carotenoids such as lutein (whence the yellow color, by the way). So, we’ll call it a tie in this round.

Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for asparagus on tie-breaks (both plants won two sections each, but asparagus had the greater margins of difference by far), but by all means enjoy either or both, as diversity is best!

Want to learn more?

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Enjoy!