It’s great to buy fruit and vegetables in season. Right now we’re eating heaps of sweet corn. It’s so easy to cook: three minutes per cob (husk on) in the microwave. My son and I munch ours straight off the cob but my husband loves his smeared with butter and salt. He’s succumbed to skinny milk, cup-cake sized steak, couscous and lentils so I figure he’s allowed the odd indulgence!

Corn gets its rich yellow colour from the family of phytochemicals (natural plant chemicals) called carotenoids. Yellow, orange, red and dark green vegetables such as spinach, carrots, tomatoes and pumpkin get their colour from carotenoids. Corn is especially high in two carotenoids – lutein and zeazanthin. The macular region of the eye has a high concentration of these substances which implies that they play an important role in keeping our eyes healthy. It’s thought that they protect against light-induced damage to the eye and help prevent macular degeneration, cataracts and other eye problems.

Kids usually love corn because it is sweet. Cut the cob into small rounds to make it easier for little fingers to hold and to make them look fun – like car wheels or whatever your imagination comes up with. At 3-4 grams of fibre per cob, perhaps more if they are big, corn is quite filling and sustaining.

With these long, hot summer days and after-school activities we often get home late. No problem. I just pop a few corn cobs in the microwave, toss some salad leaves, tomato, cucumber and avocado with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, open a can of tuna or quickly barbecue some fillet steak (yes – the cup-cakes) – and dinner is ready in less than ten minutes. Yum!