Polenta has 366 kcal per 100 g dry. Cooking absorbs 3–4× the weight in water, dropping calorie density to about 70–85 kcal per 100 g. In Bulgaria, polenta is served as kachamak – a rustic cornmeal porridge topped with butter and sirene cheese. Track the toppings; the base is moderate but butter doubles the calories.
How should I track Polenta, dry?
Polenta, dry is high in magnesium. The key to tracking Polenta, dry is knowing whether you are logging dry or cooked weight. Grains absorb 2–3 times their weight in water during cooking, so 80 g of dry rice becomes about 200 g cooked. Mixing up dry and cooked values can throw your calorie count off by 200–300%. A meta-analysis (Reynolds et al., Lancet 2019) linked higher whole grain intake to reduced mortality — but only accurate tracking captures the real intake. Weigh on a kitchen scale before cooking and use the matching nutrition values.