Mexican Street Corn Soup

Corn has such a long history in Mexican cuisine (and life!) that it’s considered a sacred plant. It’s been an important part of the diet for more than 7,000 years, and the Mayans even discovered how to pop the kernels – what we know today as popcorn – but at that time it was used to make bracelets and necklaces.

Street food in Mexico is called antojitos, which literally means “little cravings,” and is typically not considered a formal meal.

This Mexican Street Corn Soup can be served as a tasty lunch, or even as an appetizer or mid-afternoon snack. The ingredients are inexpensive and easy to find, and the soup itself is easy to make and full of beautiful flavors.

Health Benefits of Corn

Corn offers impressive health benefits.

It’s a rich source of vitamins A, B, E, and minerals. Corn is high in fiber, helping your digestion, and can help fight cancer. Being high in phytonutrients, corn protects your body against a number of chronic diseases (1).

In an eighteen year study, corn (including popcorn) was shown to also be protective against diverticular disease in men (2). Beta-carotene, which converts into vitamin A, is an essential element in maintaining good skin and good vision.

Adding to the stellar health properties, the rest of the ingredients in this Mexican Street Corn Soup deliver their own benefits.

Onion and garlic help your body with detoxification, are powerful antioxidants and reduce inflammation (3). Adding a variety of vegetables and fruit to this soup – like the parsnip, celery, avocado, and lime – boosts the vitamins and mineral content, which is the key to a healthy diet (4).

The coriander and chili add beautiful Mexican flavor and their own pop of health.

Coriander has a number of positive health benefits: it lowers your blood pressure, maintains blood sugar, helps lower cholesterol, and can even help remove heavy metals (5).

Meanwhile, among other things, chili helps regulate blood sugar (6).