Are Grits good for you? Grits are good for you if they’re not made with lots of butter, heavy cream, cheese or sugar. Without all of that it is naturally low in fat and cholesterol. You can even make them healthier by cooking with water and adding lean protein like eggs. How you prep and cook it will determine how healthy or unhealthy it will be.

Are grits good for you? iStock-photo credit:  Liudmila Chernetska

The Nutrient Health Benefit facts of one quarter cup of grits are the following:

Calories- 182

Protein- 4 grams

Fat- 1 gram.

Carbs- 38 grams

Fiber- 2 grams

Folate- 18% of the Daily Value

Thiamine- 18% of the DV

Niacin- 13% of the DV

Riboflavin- 11% of the DV

Iron- 8% of the DV

Magnesium- 4% of the DV

Zinc- 4% of the DV

Phosphorus- 4% of the DV

Antioxidants

Grits contain a high number of antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, caffeic acid, 4-OH benzoic acid and syringic acid which is linked to providing strong health benefits. The more antioxidants you have in the body the more you can fight off free radicals and reduce chronic health diseases. These antioxidants will improve eye health and help protect against eye disorders such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

Iron

There is a good plant-based source of iron in grits. In fact, one cup of grits provides 8% of the daily value. The nutrients in it can help protect against iron deficiency anemia.

What is anemia? It is condition in when your muscles and tissues don’t receive enough oxygen to work properly. And the visible symptoms of this are shortness of breath, pale skin and fatigue.

One of the common causes of anemia is iron deficiency. And without iron your body cannot make enough hemoglobin, which is a substance that helps red blood cells carry oxygen. Grits is also high in folate as one cup offers 18% of the daily value.

Grits are naturally gluten free which is a good thing especially for people that have celiac disease. If you have celiac disease then eating any type of gluten food is not suitable as that could cause bloating, diarrhea, constipation, etc.

The Bottom Line is grits are good for you if you don’t prep them in an unhealthy way. It is naturally low in fat and cholesterol, but it becomes unhealthy when you load and prep it with extra butter, heavy cream, cheese, sugar, etc.

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References

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  • Ma L, Dou HL, Wu YQ, Huang YM, Huang YB, Xu XR, Zou ZY, Lin XM. Lutein and zeaxanthin intake and the risk of age-related macular degeneration: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Nutr. 2012 Feb;107(3):350-9. doi: 10.1017/S0007114511004260. Epub 2011 Sep 8. PMID: 21899805.
  • Liu XH, Yu RB, Liu R, Hao ZX, Han CC, Zhu ZH, Ma L. Association between lutein and zeaxanthin status and the risk of cataract: a meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2014 Jan 22;6(1):452-65. doi: 10.3390/nu6010452. PMID: 24451312; PMCID: PMC3916871.
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  • USDA- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/174630/nutrients
  • FDA- https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels?utm_source=chatgpt.com
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  • USDA- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/171655/nutrients