Polenta is a starchy staple and a NOVA group 1 food. The headline figures on this page are for cooked Polenta. This matters because pack portions are weighed dry, and pasta and rice roughly triple in weight as they absorb water, so a 75g dry portion becomes about 220g cooked on the plate. The panel below shows both. It adds vitamins, minerals and fibre to your day. Work out the numbers for any cooked portion and age, then see the full breakdown.
Cooked cornmeal.
Packs weigh polenta dry, but you eat it cooked, and it soaks up water to roughly three times its weight. So the same food looks very different on the two labels. A typical 75g dry pack portion becomes about 220g cooked. The figures elsewhere on this page are for cooked polenta.
The tables below put each macronutrient against age-appropriate guidance, because what matters for a 4 year old is very different from an adult.
A cooked serving (about 150g) contains about 0.4g of sugar, and it is all natural (intrinsic) sugar that comes packaged with fibre and water. It has 0g of added or free sugar, so it does not count toward the daily free sugar limit the NHS sets. The table shows those limits by age; Polenta contributes nothing to them.
Polenta is naturally very low in fat, with about 0.6g per portion and 0g of added fat. Only around 0.09g is saturated, well within the daily maximum for every age group.
Fibre supports healthy digestion, and most people in the UK do not get enough. A portion provides about 2.25g. Because children need less fibre than adults, that same portion covers a bigger share of a younger child's target.
There is about 27.0g of carbohydrate per portion. There is no single daily target, but roughly half of daily energy should come from carbohydrate; the reference values below are based on that.
Starchy foods also add protein to the day, about 3.0g per portion. Wholegrain versions and wheat pasta give a little more than white rice. The table shows how that compares with the daily amount by age.
Percentages are share of the daily Nutrient Reference Value (NRV). Under UK and EU rules a food is a source of a nutrient at 15% NRV per 100g and high in it at 30%.
These tables show how the nutrients compare to daily needs across different ages, using UK Reference Nutrient Intakes (RNIs). This differs from the source of and high in labels above, which use the single adult figure (NRV) set for food packaging. Children's needs are lower, so a portion goes further.
Selenium helps protect cells from damage and supports the immune system. A cooked serving (about 150g) contains 12ug. Because children need less than adults, that same portion covers a bigger share of a younger child's daily target.
Magnesium supports muscle and nerve function and helps release energy from food. A cooked serving (about 150g) contains 30mg. Because children need less than adults, that same portion covers a bigger share of a younger child's daily target.
No. Plain polenta is a NOVA group 1 staple, just the dried grain or wheat with nothing added. What you cook and serve it with makes the bigger difference, and wholegrain versions add more fibre.
Nutrition data from McCance and Widdowson and UK FoodData Central, per 100g raw edible portion; values are reference figures and can vary by variety and ripeness. Reference intakes: EU NRVs for labelling and UK RNIs (SACN) for age-based needs. For guidance only.