Maize

Food · Grain · Food, Typed Supps

Coarsely ground maize with the oily part taken out, so it stores well but has lost some of its nutrition.

Stage by stage

Intake (Cooking required): Starch granules must gelatinise in hot water before any enzyme can reach them.
Digestion (Amylase and particle size): Coarse grits digest more slowly than fine cornmeal or cornflour, despite similar composition.
Absorption (Glucose enters the blood): Glucose is absorbed in the small intestine; cooled and reheated grits release less of it.
Niacin (Bioavailability): Maize niacin is bound and poorly available unless the grain was nixtamalised or the product fortified.

Time to effect

About an hour: Blood glucose from a serving peaks within roughly an hour, later with coarser grinds.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Low-FODMAP, Gluten-free.

Satiety

113 on the satiety index, where white bread is 100 — moderate. Modelled from the Holt et al. (1995) measurements.

Environmental footprint

1.7 kg CO2e and 216 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Maize" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Cheap — roughly £2.5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Starch
Fibre
Potassium
Magnesium

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 349
Protein: 8.1g
Carbohydrate: 73.3g
of which sugars: 0g
Fat: 1.3g
of which saturated: 0.2g
Fibre: 2.7g
Sodium: 0mg

Food vs. supplement

There is no supplement equivalent, and none needed. The only nutrient worth thinking about here is niacin, and in a mixed diet that is comfortably covered by other foods.

Kitchen tip

Cook grits in roughly four times their volume of liquid, slowly and with stirring, so the starch gelatinises evenly instead of forming lumps with dry centres. Leftovers set firm, and reheating them keeps some resistant starch.

Common myth

"Grits are a wholegrain because they look coarse and unprocessed." In reality: Grits are degermed — the germ is milled out so the product keeps without going rancid. That removes most of the fat, vitamin E and a good share of the minerals, making them a refined grain despite the rustic texture.