Group · Starchy foods
Polenta (cornmeal)
Polenta is a porridge made from cornmeal, a popular dish in northern Italy and Savoie. Cooked in water and served soft, or cooled, cut and grilled: two preparations, two different dishes, one raw ingredient.
On the nutrition side, polenta cooked in unsalted water provides only 76.1 kcal per 100 g, with 16.9 g of carbohydrate, 1.6 g of fibre, 1.38 g of protein and 0.4 g of fat. It is the starchy food with the lowest energy density in this selection, because it absorbs an enormous amount of water: 79.9 g per 100 g.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 76 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 323 kJ |
| Protein | 1,4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 16,9 g |
| Fat | 0,4 g |
| Fibre | 1,6 g |
Micronutrients per 100 g
All measured nutrients, ranked by share of the daily reference intake.
- Copper0,07 mg7 %
- Phosphorus15 mg2 %
- Vitamin B60,02 mg2 %
- Iron0,21 mg2 %
- Manganese0,03 mg2 %
- Potassium24 mg1 %
- Vitamin B120,03 µg1 %
- Zinc0,11 mg1 %
See the other 4 nutrients
- Magnesium4 mg1 %
- Vitamin B50,05 mg1 %
- Calcium4,7 mg1 %
- Vitamin A0,44 µg0 %
Anses Ciqual 2025. Source: Anses, 2025, Ciqual food composition table
Tips
76 kcal, yes, as long as you cook it in water. The traditional northern Italian recipe finishes with butter and Parmesan, which easily doubles the figure. Polenta is not a light food in itself: it becomes one or not depending on what you add.
It is gluten-free. Made purely from maize, it replaces wheat-based starches in a coeliac diet. Just check the label on the packet, as mills often process several cereals.
Grilled, it replaces bread or chips. Spread to 2 cm thick, cooled for an hour, cut into sticks and baked with a drizzle of olive oil, the result is crisp for a fraction of the calories of a chip.
Low in protein, so you need to complement it. 1.38 g per 100 g is very little, and maize is short on lysine. A pulse stew, eggs or a cheese go with it naturally, which is how it is eaten wherever it is traditional.
Instant or traditional. Pre-cooked polenta that is ready in three minutes has the same composition, but a higher glycaemic index, because the pre-cooking has already broken down the starch. If you have time, the long-cook version is preferable.
Sources
Average nutrition values per 100 g, given as a guide only (they may vary by brand and preparation).