What Are Grits, and Are They Healthy?

www.healthline.com ^ | on April 5, 2019 | Ryan Raman, MS, RD

[Red Badger]

Grits are a popular dish widely consumed across the Southern United States.

They’re made from dried, ground corn (Maize) cooked in various liquids — including water, milk, or broth — until the mix reaches a thick, creamy, porridge-like consistency.

While grits are incredibly popular, many people wonder whether they’re good for you.

This article reviews grits, including their nutrition, benefits, and whether they’re healthy.

What are grits?

Grits are a popular Southern American dish made from crushed or ground corn.

They’re most commonly served as a breakfast or side dish and usually made from a variety of corn called dent corn, which has a softer, starchy kernel (1).

The crushed corn granules are typically cooked in either hot water, milk, or broth until they reach a thick yet creamy consistency that is similar to porridge.

Grits are often paired with flavorful ingredients, such as butter, sugar, syrups, cheeses, and meats like bacon, shrimp, and catfish.

You can purchase several varieties of grits, including:

Stone-ground. These are made from whole, dried corn kernels that are coarsely ground in a mill. This type is harder to find in grocery stores because it has a short shelf life and takes 30–60 minutes to cook on the stove (2). Hominy. These are made from corn kernels soaked in an alkali solution to soften the tough pericarp (outer shell or hull). The pericarp is rinsed, then removed, and the corn kernels undergo further processing to make hominy (3Trusted Source). Quick and regular. These types undergo processing, which involves removing the pericarp and germ (nutrient-rich embryo), so they have a longer shelf life. Regular versions are medium ground while quick are finely ground (2). Instant. This precooked, dehydrated version has had both the pericarp and germ removed. They’re widely available in grocery stores.

Summary:

Grits are a popular Southern American dish made from ground, dried corn. They are typically cooked in milk, water, or broth until they reach a thick, creamy consistency.

Grits nutrition facts

Grits contain a variety of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

One cup (257 grams) of cooked, regular grits provides the following nutrients (4):

Calories: 182

Protein: 4 grams

Fat: 1 gram

Carbs: 38 grams

Fiber: 2 grams

Folate: 25% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI)

Thiamine: 18% of the RDI

Niacin: 13% of the RDI

Riboflavin: 12% of the RDI

Iron: 8% of the RDI

Vitamin B6: 7% of the RDI

Magnesium: 5% of the RDI

Zinc: 4% of the RDI

Phosphorus: 4% of the RDI

What’s most impressive about grits is that they’re high in iron, which is essential for red blood cell production. They also include many B vitamins, such as folate and thiamine, as well as trace amounts of potassium, pantothenic acid, calcium, and vitamin E (5Trusted Source).

However, regular versions contain fewer vitamins and minerals — like calcium and vitamins A and C — than the stone-ground varieties made from whole corn kernels (4).

That’s because they undergo several stages of processing, which removes nutritious parts of the corn like the pericarp and germ (2).

Summary:

Grits provide a variety of nutrients and are especially high in iron and B vitamins. Stone-ground varieties are more nutritious, as they don’t have the pericarp and germ removed.

[GreyFriar]

When we have our monthly “Elder’s meeting” at church it includes a pair of the elders making breakfast for all of us. Whenever Commer volunteers he makes a big pot of his grits, which everyone loves. His “secret” is adding Cream of Wheat(CoW) to the grits. I don’t know the percentage of CoW to grits, but it does makes it good. And he always puts in butter while cooking it.

[M Kehoe]

Hi lovely lady.

I hope you and king Arthur are doing well.

“sugar......my husband smushes his eggs over easy into his grits and adds pepper”

Eggs over easy. I do that too.

5.56mm

[sarge83]

My grandpa and Mom would always add some sugar, butter and touch of salt to them and they turned out to be very tasty!

[Red Badger]

The ‘butter’ is the ‘secret ingredient’. the Cream of Wheat is a head-fake!................

[Red Badger]

Not all grits is ‘hominy’ grits. That is just one type..............

[Texas resident]

You can make yellow grits from yellow Hominy.

Grits to me are nasty. I used to cook up some bacon, then cook the yellow hominy (corn) in the bacon grease, then add back in the crumbled bacon. Great for breakfast.

[GreyFriar]

Thanks to you both for the suggestions of adding honey or brown sugar. I had never thought about them, I just usually add butter, but have expanded it since I found blended “Butter with Olive Oil, Garlic, & Herbs” and occasionally use it in my grits. I’d first bought it for baked potatoes.

I do occasionally use shredded cheese, if we have any in the frig.

Cheers,
G-F

[Red Badger]

Oh, I have tried grits with OLIVE OIL instead of Butter or margarine.

Try it, you will like it!.................

[Red Badger]

The only hominy around here comes in a can..................

[Red Badger]

[Red Badger]

That was a ‘thing’ when I was a kid..................

[billorites]

My mother used to make “scrapple” with the leftovers from a roast chicken. Plus a little salt, pepper and Bell’s poultry seasoning.

[Carriage Hill]

I like poached or soft-boiled eggs w/ grits, which I eat at least once a week.

[Stosh]

“Any particular choice of meat that you’d recommend?”

I’m of the opinion that one can never go wrong with bacon; with sautéed onion and green pepper I might be tempted to toss in bits of country ham. Bon appetit!

[oldvirginian]

“In 1969 I,a boy from the suburbs of Boston,found himself at Fort Knox,KY wearing US Army fatigues.One morning at chow...”

Ah kin see der fawlt frum here!
Them warnt grits, em wuz ARMY grits wut us slung in a pot en lef ta berl whilst tha feller gone do sumfin else.

Now you want real grits you get some fixed by a fine southern belle. Then you have a breakfast fit for a king!

[hoagy62]

You’re most welcome!

[GreyFriar]

Before I made the move back here to Indiana from the DC area, I’d leave the house near Andrews AFB very early and stop at the Waffle House there for breakfast. It was sufficient enough that I’d make it to Indianapolis at suppertime before I was hungry. Well, I would stop at a Steak and Shake in Columbus, OH, for a chocolate milk shake as my ‘lunch’.

[StAntKnee]

Born in Philly. Lovin scrapple. But. It is grits with attitude. Here’s a recipe:

1 pig’s head, with or without the jowls
3 carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 to 6 bay leaves
1 tablespoon juniper berries, crushed (optional)
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, cracked
SPICE MIX
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon savory
2 teaspoons Bell’s poultry seasoning (optional)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
TO FINISH
2 heaping cups cornmeal
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

Note the second to last ingredient. (Honest-Food net)

Love me some pig head. It’s where the attitude originates.

[DoodleBob]

That sounds tasty.

This however is awful...."without the snouts, it's not authentic!"

PASS!

[HP8753]

a tortilla slurry??