Bulking up on cornmeal porridge
DEAR DONOVAN,
A good day to you my brother. I’m a Jamaican Reggae entertainer who was browsing the Internet and saw testimonials for what cornmeal can do for the body. I myself was raised on cornmeal porridge and turn cornmeal, and I read stories from people about what cornmeal does for them, in terms of adding bulk. Up to this day I still drink my cornmeal porridge and eat my turn cornmeal, but the weight still won’t come on. Is it because I don’t use it as consistently as I should? What can you tell me to add to my intake of the famous cornmeal to add the 10 pounds in weight that I seek?
Cornmeal is a staple food used in many parts of the world. It is ground from dried corn usually into medium and coarse meals. However, a finely ground cornmeal known as corn flour is also produced.
Cornmeal is produced from a complex carbohydrate grain and it contains good carbohydrates and fibre. Unlike flour made from wheat grain, cornmeal does not contain gluten and would be better for people suffering from gluten intolerance. In addition, 100 grams of cornmeal will provide seven grams of fibre and less than one gram of sugar, about 10 grams of protein, as well as 18 essential amino acids. Cornmeal also contains magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B6, vitamin K, folate and niacin. Cornmeal products have been touted for heart health, hypertension, improved digestion, better vision and weight management.
Like you, I also grew up drinking cornmeal porridge and I still drink it at least once per week these days. It is a fact that cornmeal is calorie dense. In fact, one cup(122 grams) of corneal (yellow whole grain) contains about 442 calories. So when used properly, cornmeal products such as porridges and turn cornmeal can be used to bulk up. However, I see where you are not putting on any weight.
In general, in order to put on weight you will have to look at both your calorie intake as well as the calories you are burning. What is probably happening why you are not gaining weight is that the amount of calories/foods that you are consuming is roughly equal to the calories you are using for your normal life processes, as well as the possibly high energy performances and rehearsals. At this stage you are likely to be at a weight loss plateau. This means that you are roughly not gaining or losing weight. However, I would have gotten a better picture of your situation if I knew specifically what your eating habits were, as well as your general activity levels.
That said, the general idea is that you will need to increase your calorie intake so that some of the extra calories can be stored as fat. It may not be a bad idea to get a professional to supervise your weight gain programme. Let’s say that you want to use cornmeal porridge and turn cornmeal to help increase your weight .There are a number of things that you could do. First off, you could increase the frequency of which you have corneal porridge or turn cornmeal. In addition, a thicker porridge will pack in more calories than a thin porridge. Also, you could make your cornmeal porridge more calorie dense by adding flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, coconut milk, etc. Even a slice of brown bread could be broken up into your porridge. The overall aim is to increase your calorie intake.
If possible, you could also increase your calorie intake from other meals as well by eating a little more. However, again it might be important to work with a professional so that when you put on weight it is not lodging in the stomach region or you are not making yourself sick. It is very important that you do it in a healthy way.
Good luck.
We will answer your weight-related questions
Are you struggling to lose weight or just need some advice on living a healthier life? Tell us about your health issues and we’ll have nutritionist and wellness coach Donovan Grant answer them for you. Grant has over 12 years’ experience in the fitness industry and is the owner of DG’s Nutrition and Wellness Centre, 39 Lady Musgrave Road. Call him at 876-286-1363. E-mail questions to clarkep@jamaicaobserver.com.
