Are Grits Good for Bulking?

Consuming the right diet with balanced nutrition is important whether you want to gain muscles for competitive reasons or recreational purposes. If you’re working hard but still fail to see the desired results, the problem might be related to how you’re fueling your body rather than how hard you’re working.

You must not leave carbohydrates on the sideline because they’re the key player in your nutrition to gain muscle. Let’s discuss whether you should incorporate grits in your diet for bulking or not.

Nutritional Profile of Grits

We recommend you choose old-fashioned stone-ground grits, which are made from whole ground kernels, if you want to enjoy all the benefits that grits can provide.

It’s important to note that the processing methods that different manufacturers use can also affect the nutritional value of these whole grains.

Additionally, you should also avoid the traditional methods of eating grits that are usually made using high-sugar and high-fat preparation methods. Make sure you keep your grit meals healthy and balanced if you want to incorporate them into your diet for bulking.

A single serving (257 grams) of cooked grits comes with 8 percent amount of the daily recommended value of iron. They also offer several B-complex vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.

The nutritional profile of one serving of grits:

• Calories: 182
• Carbs: 38 grams
• Protein: 4 grams
• Fiber: 2 grams
• Total Fat: 1 gram
• Riboflavin: 12 percent of the DRV (Daily Reference Value)
• Niacin: 13 percent of the DRV
• Thiamine: 18 percent of the DRV
• Folate: 15 percent of the DRV
• Vitamin B6: 7 percent of the DRV
• Iron: 8 percent of the DRV
• Phosphorus: 4 percent of the daily recommended value
• Zinc: 4 percent of the daily recommended value
• Magnesium: 5 percent of the daily recommended value

Grits also offers selenium in a handsome amount, 6 to 8 micrograms. This substance supports the production of glutathione peroxidase. It’s an antioxidant that protects the cells from free radicals. Lastly, this food also offers some amounts of vitamin E, calcium, pantothenic acid, and potassium.

Grits and Bulking

As you can see, the nutritional profile of grits is pretty impressive, and they’re incredibly high in carbohydrates as well. They also offer a decent number of calories, and both of these nutrients are essential for gaining muscle. You can easily cook some grits and eat them to support bulking without taking up too much space in your stomach.

Calories and Carbs: The high number of calories that grits offer provides your body with the energy that you need to perform a heavy-duty workout. The carbs also help your body to sustain that energy effectively, not only to perform better during your workout but also to function better throughout the day. Bagels are another great source of carbs.

Essential Nutrients: Other nutrients that grits offer, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron, improve your metabolism. It’s essential for any person who performs a lot of high-intensity and heavy-duty exercises. These nutrients also promote the immune system of your body to improve your overall health.

Low in Unwanted Substances: Another great feature of grits is that they’re extremely low in fat to help you gain lean muscles. This food also doesn’t contain harmful substances such as cholesterol and caffeine.

Calcium: You’d already know that calcium is the main element that ensures the health of your bones and teeth. Strong bones are essential for your body if you’re involved in heavy exercise.

Grits also don’t lead to sudden increases in sugar levels in your blood, unlike many other types of grains. They are also suitable for people suffering from diabetes or celiac disease as they’re gluten-free.

Benefits of Grits in Bodybuilding

As mentioned, a single serving of grits comes with 182 calories and 38 grams of carbohydrates. They’re also rich in minerals, vitamins, and healthy fiber that keep your body strong while working out. The following are some of the major advantages of eating grits for bulking.

Easy Absorbed and Digested

Carbs are the main fuel source of your body, according to scientific studies. They must be readily available as about half of your carbohydrate intake goes to your muscles and brain. You need to eat food that gives your body quick fuel for bulking.

Grits are low in fat and protein, so it’s easy for your body to digest them. They contain the required nutrients and calories to support and promote muscle growth. Carbs are the quickest nutrients that your body absorbs and digests. In fact, the digestion process starts in your mouth, thanks to saliva.

On the other hand, your body takes a longer time to digest protein, and fats take the longest to be digested. It means having your belly full of fats isn’t ideal for workouts. That’s because more blood in your body will be flowing to your stomach to digest fat instead of helping you to lift heavy weight. Resultantly, you can suffer from cramps or an upset stomach.

Your body can also convert carbs into glucose, called glycogen, to support muscle growth. So, you’ll be able to perform some additional reps, and your body will also recover faster after a workout.

Grits are Healthy

Grits are starchy, and eating such food in excess can lead to some health problems, such as cravings and weight gain. However, it depends upon the metabolism and overall health of your body and the type of carbs you’re consuming.

There is a big difference between the nature of carbs that you get from grits and the ones that you consume by eating a candy bar. Grits are considered to be whole grains, and they also offer fiber in a handsome amount.

Not only does it sustain energy and stabilize your blood sugar levels, it also improves your metabolism and allows you to digest carbs quickly.

Grits Suit Many Types of Diet Plans

One of the best things about grits is that they suit several diet restrictions. It’s a great option for those bodybuilders who follow a vegan-friendly diet. You can also eat grits if you suffer from celiac disease and can’t digest gluten.

It’s important to note that grits are made from corn that doesn’t offer lysine and tryptophan amino acids. So, it’s important to mix grits with foods like peas, lentils, beans, wheat, and rice to get the essential amino acids.

Grits are Great On-the-Go

Grits are an inexpensive and versatile food, making them a perfect choice for a bodybuilder who is bulking. Eating a specialized bodybuilding diet can be expensive, but grits make their way onto cheap and budget-friendly eating lists.

You can find multiple types of grits available in the market that you can use to make delicious recipes at home.

How to Add Grits to Your Diet Plan?

The time of preparing grits can vary depending upon the recipe and the type of grits you use. Generally, grits are boiled with stock, milk, or water until they become creamy. You can use any of the following tricks to keep your grits healthy.

• Use fruits to sweeten your grits instead of sugar.
• Use roasted vegetables or legumes instead of adding unhealthy ingredients to your grits.
• Use nutritional yeast or skip it altogether instead of loading your grits with cheese or butter.
• Use water or low-fat milk.

FAQs

Do Grits Have a Lot of Protein?

No, grits don’t have a lot of protein. A single serving or 257 grams of grits offers about 4 grams protein. So, you’ll need to eat other food such as eggs to ensure you’re consuming the right amount of protein according to your bodybuilding needs. You can add legumes and other grains to your grit recipes to increase protein content.

Is It Ok to Eat Grits After a Workout?

Grits are loaded with healthy carbohydrates that are easy to absorb and digest for your body. You can eat grits as a post-workout snack because these carbs are digested and become glycogen. It’s glucose that helps your muscles to recover quickly by replenishing energy. You can also eat grits before your workout to fuel your body with the required energy to perform a heavy-duty exercise.

Are Grits Good for Athletes?

Yes, grits are great for all types of athletes because of their impressive nutritional profile. Not only do they support muscle building, but they also support your overall health. They offer minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants that prevent several diseases, and they’re also suitable for different diet restrictions.

Final Words

Grits can be an excellent addition to your balanced muscle-gaining nutrition plan. They come with easy-to-digest carbs and offer a lot of calories that you need for both pre and post-workouts.

This affordable food offers a good amount of fiber to improve your metabolism and prevent blood sugar spikes. We recommend you opt for unprocessed and whole versions of grits to enjoy the best results and achieve your muscle-gaining goals faster.