Love Corn and Corn Nuts are two of the most popular corn-based crunchy snacks among people.
Love Corn is the newcomer with its delightful corn kernels that seem to tempt you with intriguing flavors.
On the other hand, Corn Nuts are classic with their robust, roasted crunch that’s been satisfying cravings for decades.
There’s no doubt that both taste really amazing and come in multiple flavors.
However, when it comes to choosing one, which is a healthier option?
Love Corn or Corn Nuts?
Short answer: Love Corn is healthier than Corn Nuts as it is made with natural ingredients and contains less calories, fat, carbs, and sodium.
Read on for a detailed comparison of Love Corn and Corn Nuts in terms of ingredients and nutritional value.
Read also: Boom Chicka Pop Vs Skinny Pop: Which One Is Healthier?
Love Corn vs Corn Nuts: Ingredients
Ingredients in Love Corn
Love Corn is marketed as made with simple ingredients.
And when you look at the label, it does contain simple ingredients.
Love Corn comes in multiple flavors, such as:
- Salt & vinegar
- BBQ
- Sea salt
- Habanero
- Cheezy
Therefore, the exact ingredients can vary depending on the flavor.
In general, Love Corn is made up of non-GMO corn, sunflower oil, and sea salt as the main ingredients.
Other ingredients you would find based on flavors include vinegar, citric acid, malic acid, yeast extract, paprika, onion, etc.
The ingredients list of Love Corn is small.
Plus, there’s no use of any chemicals or additives.
Ingredients in Corn Nuts
Corn Nuts come in multiple flavors, such as:
- Original
- Mexican street corn
- Ranch
- Chile picante
- BBQ
Therefore, the exact ingredients can vary depending on the flavor.
In general, Corn Nuts are made up of corn, corn oil, and salt as the main ingredients.
Other ingredients that you would find based on flavors include monosodium glutamate, maltodextrin, tomato powder, onion powder, garlic powder, spices, citric acid, paprika extract, natural flavors, etc.
The ingredients list of Corn Nuts is big (except the original flavor).
Also, it contains highly processed ingredients such as monosodium glutamate, maltodextrin, sucralose, and red 40.
The verdict: Which is better?
Love Corn clearly wins when it comes to ingredients.
There are many reasons for this, such as:
- Love Corn has fewer and more natural ingredients.
- Love Corn uses sunflower oil (90% good fat), which is slightly better than Corn oil (85% good fat).
- Love Corn contains sea salt, which is less processed and considered better than regular salt found in Corn Nuts.
- Love Corn is made from non-GMO corn, but it is unclear whether Corn Nuts are made from non-GMO corn.
- The ranch flavor of Corn Nuts contains artificial colors red 40.
Let’s hop over to the nutrition part.
Love Corn vs Corn Nuts: Nutritional value
Calories
Love Corn: 90 calories per serving (20g)
Corn Nuts: 130 calories per serving (28g)
If you look at gram by gram, there isn’t a big difference between calories.
Love Corn has 90 calories per 20g, while Corn Nuts have 92 calories per 20g.
However, when it comes to the recommended serving size, Love Corn wins as a low-calorie option by 40 fewer calories than Corn Nuts.
If you are looking to lose weight, both are good options to go with.
Fat
Love Corn: 2.5g per serving (20g)
Corn Nuts: 4.5g per serving (28g)
Corn Nuts pack nearly twice as much fat per serving than Love Corn.
Love Corn gets its 2.5g of fat solely from heart-healthy sunflower oil. Meanwhile, Corn Nuts get 4.5g of fat from corn oil, which is slightly higher in less-healthy saturated fat.
In fact, Corn Nuts contain 0.5g of saturated fat, while Love Corn has zero.
So, with less fat content from a better source, Love Corn edges out Corn Nuts.
Carbohydrates
Love Corn: 13-14g per serving (20g)
Corn Nuts: 20g per serving (28g)
Corn Nuts provide more carbs than Love Corn by both serving and weight.
The majority of carbs in both come from the corn itself, providing a dose of energizing complex carbs.
Can you include them in the Keto diet?
No, neither of the snacks is suitable for a keto diet.
Protein
Love Corn: 1g per serving (20g)
Corn Nuts: 2g per serving (28g)
Both Love Corn and Corn Nuts are not a good source of protein.
However, with 2g of protein per serving, Corn Nuts edges out Love Corn with 1g per serving.
The protein in both snacks comes from the corn itself.
Fiber
Love Corn: 1g per serving (20g)
Corn Nuts: 1g per serving (28g)
Though their serving sizes differ, Corn Nuts and Love Corn contain the same 1g of fiber per serving.
That’s just 4% of the daily recommended fiber.
Fiber is an essential part of the diet as it keeps you fuller longer while promoting digestive and heart health.
Unfortunately, both are not a good source of fiber.
Sodium
Love Corn: 120-200mg per serving (20g)
Corn Nuts: 160-250mg per serving (28g)
Sodium is an important factor to consider when choosing a salty roasted snack.
If you stick to the serving size, Love Corn edges out the Corn Nuts as a better low-sodium snack.
But, when compared gram for gram, Corn Nuts actually contain a bit less sodium than Love Corn.
If you are salt-sensitive, moderation and flavor choice are key.
Go for lightly salted flavors for both brands, or stick to smaller portions of saltier varieties.
Final words: Which one is healthier?
After a thorough face-off comparing ingredients and nutritional value, Love Corn emerges as a healthier snack option than Corn Nuts.
Why Love Corn?
Love Corn has natural ingredients, and avoid processed ingredients like MSG, maltodextrin, and artificial flavors and colors like in Corn Nuts.
Moreover, if you look serving-wise, Love Corn has less calories, fat, carbs, and sodium.
However, neither snack is a true nutritional powerhouse.
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