The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale often used to classify and rank carbohydrate-rich foods based on how fast they affect blood sugar levels in a window of 2-3 hours after a meal.
While the foods high in glycemic index break down quickly to raise your blood sugar rapidly, foods with low GI take a longer time to be digested and absorbed.
This results in a gradual and slower change in blood sugar levels. When it comes to managing diabetes, it’s a great benefit to building your diet around the glycemic index of such foods involved in the diet.
Carbohydrates having a high GI will cause a rapid increase in blood sugar, whereas diet based and built around low GI are low in sugar but considerably high in fiber. Because the low GI foods cause a slow rise in blood sugar they are, therefore, considered to be more ideally suited for people living with diabetes.
Effects of eating low GI foods
- It enhances natural weight loss
- It increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin
- Help keep cholesterol level under check
- Reduces the risk of heart diseases
- Help refuel carbs stores after intense exercise
Effect of eating high GI foods
- It could cause cell dysfunction
- Increase the production of insulin
- Encourages the accumulation of free fatty acid in the body
- Raises the risk for type 2 diabetes and obesity
Glycemic Index Chart
As already explained, foods with low GI tends to be less stressful on the body compared to high GI foods, especially for people with diabetes. Below is a glycemic index chart to help you tell the GI number of that your favorite food. The chart is courtesy of Healthiack.
Grains
| Foods | Glycemic index
(glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| Quinoa | 53 | 150 | 13 |
| Brown rice, average | 50 | 150 | 16 |
| Whole wheat kernels, average | 30 | 50 | 11 |
| Sweet corn on the cob, average | 60 | 150 | 20 |
| White rice, average | 89 | 150 | 43 |
| Pearled barley, average | 28 | 150 | 12 |
| Bulgur, average | 48 | 150 | 12 |
Dairy Products
| Foods | Glycemic index
(glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| Milk, full fat | 41 | 250 ml | 5 |
| Ice cream, regular | 57 | 50 | 6 |
| Milk, skim | 32 | 250 ml | 4 |
| Ice cream, premium | 38 | 50 | 3 |
| Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit, average | 33 | 200 | 11 |
Bakery Products & Breads
| Foods | Glycemic index
(glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| Banana cake, made without sugar | 55 | 60 | 12 |
| Banana cake, made with sugar | 47 | 60 | 14 |
| Apple, made without sugar | 48 | 60 | 9 |
| Apple, made with sugar | 44 | 60 | 13 |
| Hamburger bun | 61 | 30 | 9 |
| Pumpernickel bread | 56 | 30 | 7 |
| Whole wheat bread, average | 71 | 30 | 9 |
| White wheat flour bread | 71 | 30 | 10 |
| Pita bread, white | 68 | 30 | 10 |
| Coarse barley bread, 75-80% kernels, average | 34 | 30 | 7 |
| Kaiser roll | 73 | 30 | 12 |
Cookies & Crackers
| Foods | Glycemic index
(glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| Vanilla wafers | 77 | 25 | 14 |
| Shortbread | 64 | 25 | 10 |
| Graham crackers | 74 | 25 | 14 |
| Soda crackers | 74 | 25 | 12 |
| Rye crisps, average | 64 | 25 | 11 |
| Rice cakes, average | 82 | 25 | 17 |
Fruits
| Foods | Glycemic index
(glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| Apple, average | 39 | 129 | 6 |
| Banana, ripe | 62 | 120 | 16 |
| Dates, dried | 42 | 60 | 18 |
| Grapefruit | 25 | 120 | 3 |
| Grapes, average | 59 | 120 | 11 |
| Orange, average | 40 | 120 | 4 |
| Peach, average | 42 | 120 | 5 |
| Peach, canned in light syrup | 40 | 120 | 5 |
| Pear, average | 38 | 120 | 4 |
| Pear, canned in pear juice | 43 | 120 | 5 |
| Prunes, pitted | 29 | 60 | 10 |
| Raisins | 64 | 60 | 28 |
| Watermelon | 72 | 120 | 4 |
Pasta & Noodles
| Foods | Glycemic index
(glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| Fettucini, average | 32 | 180 | 15 |
| Macaroni, average | 47 | 180 | 23 |
| Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft) | 64 | 180 | 32 |
| Spaghetti, white, boiled, average | 46 | 180 | 22 |
| Spaghetti, white, boiled 20 min, average | 58 | 180 | 26 |
| Spaghetti, whole meal, boiled, average | 42 | 180 | 17 |
Vegetables
| Foods | Glycemic index
(glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| Green peas, average | 51 | 80 | 4 |
| Carrots, average | 35 | 80 | 2 |
| Parsnips | 97 | 80 | 4 |
| Baked russet potato, average | 111 | 150 | 33 |
| Boiled white potato, average | 82 | 150 | 21 |
| Instant mashed potato, average | 87 | 150 | 17 |
| Sweet potato, average | 70 | 150 | 22 |
| Yam, average | 54 | 150 | 20 |
Knowing the Glycemic Index of your foods is a great way to manage diabetes. You need to know that low GI foods are foods with 55 or less glycemic index, 56 to 69 signifies the food is a medium GI food, and foods with 70 and above glycemic index are high GI foods and should be avoided with all consciousness.
Read more about whether you should follow a low glycemic index diet. You can also take our quiz to measure your knowledge about the Glycemic Index.
Sources:
1. Frank, M., Sacks, Vincent, J., Carey, Cheryl, A. M. Anderson, Edgar, R., Miller, Trisha, C. Jeanne, C. Benjamin, J., Harshfield, Nancy, L. (2014, Dec 17). Effects of High vs Low Glycemic Index of Dietary Carbohydrate on Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors and Insulin Sensitivity; The OmniCarb Randomized Clinical Trial. Health and Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4370345/
2. Glycemic Index Chart. Retrieved from https://healthiack.com/health/glycemic-index-chart