Glycemic Index Chart: GI Ratings for Hundreds of Foods
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a rating system that measures how much a carbohydrate-containing food raises your blood-sugar levels. The lower a food is on the GI, the lower the effect on your blood sugar. Low-glycemic foods also can reduce your risk for depression.
The standardized Glycemic Index ranges from 0 to 100. Zero-glycemic foods—those without carbohydrates—include items like cheese, eggs, meats, fish, oils, and nuts. Low-glycemic foods have a glycemic load of 55 or lower and include most fruits and vegetables, beans, dairy, and some grains. Foods such as bananas, raisins, and sweet potatoes are considered to be medium-glycemic foods and are ranked between 56 and 69. High-glycemic foods are ranked at 70 and above and include table sugar, ice cream, and other heavily processed foods that are high in calories and fat.
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Glycemic Index Charts: Low, Medium, and High
The chart below lists common foods followed by their Glycemic Index number. They are grouped according to range and food type. (See also our companion post by clicking here.)
LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX (Less Than 55) |
|
Fruits | |
Apples | 38 |
Apple juice | 40 |
Apricots, dried | 31 |
Bananas | 54 |
Blueberries | 25 |
Cherries | 22 |
Coconut | 45 |
Cranberries | 45 |
Cranberry juice | 50 |
Figs, dried | 40 |
Grapefruit | 25 |
Grapes | 53 |
Orange juice | 51 |
Oranges | 46 |
Peaches | 42 |
Pears, fresh | 53 |
Plantains, raw | 45 |
Plums | 55 |
Strawberries | 41 |
Vegetables | |
Artichokes | 20 |
Asparagus | 15 |
Bamboo shoots, raw | 20 |
Beet greens | 20 |
Broccoli | 15 |
Broccoli rabe | 10 |
Brussel sprouts | 15 |
Butternut squash, baked | 50 |
Cabbage, Chinese | 10 |
Cabbage, savoy, boiled | 15 |
Carrot juice | 45 |
Carrots, raw | 47 |
Cauliflower | 15 |
Celery | 15 |
Collard greens | 20 |
Corn, sweet | 54 |
Cucumber | 15 |
Eggplant | 15 |
Garlic | 30 |
Green beans | 15 |
Hubbard squash, baked | 50 |
Kale | 15 |
Leeks | 15 |
Lettuce | 15 |
Lima beans, baby, frozen | 46 |
Okra, raw | 15 |
Olives | 15 |
Onions | 15 |
Peppers | 15 |
Pickles, dill | 15 |
Turnip greens, boiled | 10 |
Turnips, boiled | 30 |
Snow peas | 15 |
Summer squash | 15 |
Tomato soup | 54 |
Tomatoes | 15 |
Spinach | 15 |
Summer squash | 15 |
Watercress | 10 |
Zucchini | 15 |
Grains, Breads & Cereals | |
Banana bread | 47 |
Barley | 25 |
Basmati rice | 50 |
Bran cereal | 42 |
Chickpeas | 33 |
Fettuccine | 32 |
Matzo bread | 40 |
Quinoa | 53 |
Ravioli, meat | 39 |
Rice bran | 27 |
Rice, parboiled | 47 |
Spaghetti, protein enriched | 38 |
Spaghetti, whole meal | 53 |
Spaghetti, whole wheat | 37 |
Tortellini, cheese | 50 |
Vermicelli | 35 |
Dairy and Dairy Alternatives | |
Chocolate milk | 32 |
Skim milk | 32 |
Soy milk | 43 |
Yogurt, low fat, artificially sweetened | 15 |
Yogurt, low fat, fruit, sugar sweetened | 46 |
Yogurt, plain | 14 |
Nuts and Legumes | |
Almonds | 15 |
Black Beans | 30 |
Broad beans | 40 |
Butter beans | 43 |
Cashews | 23 |
Chickpeas | 33 |
Fava beans | 40 |
Horse beans | 40 |
Navy beans | 54 |
Peanuts | 14 |
Pinto bean | 39 |
Soybeans, boiled | 16 |
Split peas, yellow, boiled | 45 |
Snacks & Sweets | |
Honey | 55 |
Hummus | 6 |
Link sausage | 28 |
Potato chips | 54 |
Power Bar | 53 |
Snickers | 41 |
Strawberry jam | 51 |
MEDIUM GLYCEMIC INDEX (between 56 and 69) |
|
Fruits | |
Apricots, canned with light syrup | 64 |
Apricots, fresh | 57 |
Cantaloupe | 65 |
Fruit cocktail | 55 |
Mango juice, unsweetened | 55 |
Mangoes | 56 |
Papaya, fresh | 55 |
Peaches, fresh | 60 |
Peaches, canned | 67 |
Pineapple | 59 |
Raisins | 64 |
Vegetables | |
Marrowfat peas, dried | 56 |
Peas, green | 68 |
Sweet potato | 61 |
Grains, Breads & Cereals | |
All-Bran | 60 |
Bulgur | 68 |
Brown rice | 66 |
Couscous | 65 |
Hamburger bun | 61 |
Instant noodles | 67 |
Instant porridge | 66 |
Lasagna | 60 |
Linguine | 65 |
Macaroni and cheese | 64 |
Mixed grain bread | 69 |
Oat bran bread | 68 |
Oatmeal, rolled | 58 |
Pancakes | 60 |
Pita bread | 57 |
Quick-cooking porridge | 65 |
Rye crisp-bread | 65 |
Rye kernel bread | 66 |
Spaghetti, white | 59 |
Taco shells | 68 |
Wheat kernels | 59 |
Whole-white bread | 67 |
Wild rice | 57 |
Dairy and Dairy Alternatives | |
Mayonnaise | 60 |
Nuts and Legumes | |
Black-eyed peas | 59 |
Chestnuts | 60 |
Lentil soup, canned | 63 |
Pinto beans, canned | 64 |
Snacks & Sweets | |
Blueberry muffin | 59 |
Bran muffin | 60 |
Coca-Cola | 63 |
Ketchup | 55 |
Mustard | 55 |
Nutella | 55 |
Pizza, cheese | 63 |
Sponge cake | 66 |
Sushi | 55 |
It’s basic but proven advice: To be your healthiest self as you age, make sure your diet is rich in fruits and vegetables—and avoid high-sugar foods, high-salt foods, high-fat foods, and processed foods in general.
HIGH GLYCEMIC INDEX (70 and higher) |
|
Fruits | |
Dates | 103 |
Kiwifruit | 75 |
Watermelon | 72 |
Vegetables | |
Parsnips | 139 |
Pumpkin | 107 |
Rutabaga | 103 |
Potato, instant | 121 |
Potato, mashed | 100 |
Potato, microwaved | 117 |
Potato, white, baked | 85 |
Grains, Breads & Cereals | |
Bagel | 72 |
Bagel, white | 103 |
Barley flour bread | 95 |
Bran buds | 77 |
Bran Chex | 83 |
Bread stuffing | 106 |
Cheerios | 106 |
Cocoa Pops | 79 |
Corn Flakes | 81 |
French baguette | 136 |
French bread | 95 |
Gluten-free bread | 90 |
Gnocchi | 95 |
Golden Grahams | 102 |
Grape Nuts | 75 |
Kaiser roll | 104 |
Life cereal | 94 |
Muesli | 80 |
Muesli bars | 87 |
Oat kernel bread | 93 |
Oatmeal, instant | 79 |
Pita bread, white | 82 |
Pumpernickel bread | 71 |
Rice cakes | 82 |
Rice Chex | 127 |
Rice Krispies | 117 |
Rice, instant | 128 |
Rice, white | 83 |
Rye flour bread | 92 |
Shredded Wheat | 75 |
Special K | 77 |
Tapioca, boiled with milk | 115 |
Total | 109 |
Water crackers | 102 |
Waffles | 109 |
Wheat bread | 97 |
White bread | 70 |
Dairy and Dairy Alternatives | |
Ice cream, full-fat | 87 |
Ice cream, low-fat | 71 |
Tofu, frozen dessert, non-dairy | 164 |
Nuts and Legumes | |
Black bean soup | 92 |
Green pea soup, canned | 94 |
Kidney beans, canned | 74 |
Lentils, canned | 74 |
Split pea soup | 86 |
Snacks & Sweets | |
Cake, angel food | 95 |
Cake, pound | 77 |
Corn chips | 105 |
Corn syrup | 90 |
Croissant | 96 |
Doughnuts | 108 |
French fries | 75 |
Gatorade | 78 |
Glucose | 138 |
Graham crackers | 74 |
Jelly beans | 80 |
Life Savers | 70 |
Maltodextrin | 95 |
Maltose | 152 |
Nutri-Grain bar | 94 |
Oatmeal cookies | 79 |
Pastry | 84 |
Popcorn | 72 |
Pretzels | 83 |
Shortbread | 91 |
Stoned Wheat Thins | 96 |
Sugar, table | 89 |
Vanilla wafers | 110 |
GLYCEMIC LOAD: A BETTER WAY TO TO MEASURE CARB CONSUMPTION
As we’ve already discussed, the glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system that measures how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers—the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response.
The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively newer and better way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption on your blood sugar. The glycemic load gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone; it takes into account how much carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both GI and GL to understand a food’s effect on blood sugar.
Take watermelon as an example. If you use the glycemic index to try and decide what’s best to eat, you might avoid watermelon because it has a high glycemic index of 80. (A glycemic index of 70 or more is high, 55 or less is low.) But there aren’t a lot of carbohydrates in a serving of watermelon (it’s mostly water), so the glycemic load is relatively low, at 5. (A glycemic load of 20 or more is high, 10 or less is low.)
Another example is beans. Lentils or pinto beans have a glycemic load that is approximately three times lower than instant mashed potatoes, for example, and therefore will not cause large spikes in blood-sugar levels.
Stabilizing your blood sugar is accomplished by lowering the overall glycemic load of your diet. Actually studying the glycemic loads of various foods is an interesting exercise, but it isn’t necessary as long as you eat regularly, choose the right carbs, and avoid white flour and sugars.
FYI
Fran C. Grossman, RD, MS, CDE, CDN, Nutrition at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, answers a common question about low glycemic index foods.
Q : A friend has managed to control her diabetes by following a “GI diet.” Can you shed light on what she means, since I don’t think she is referring to the “Meals Ready to Eat” used by the military!
A: Your friend is definitely not referring to MREs! It sounds as if the diet she’s following is based on what’s called the “Glycemic Index,” or GI, which is a measure of a food’s ability to raise blood sugar levels compared with a reference food (either glucose or white bread). High GI foods—which are assigned a value of 70 and above—cause blood sugar to spike, which may contribute to poor eating behaviors. Low GI foods (with a value below 55) cause blood sugar to rise more slowly, which helps regulate the appetite.
Studies suggest that following the GI diet may help diabetics better manage their blood sugar, and there also is evidence the diet may help people maintain a healthy weight. This is likely because the diet prioritizes unrefined grains, which are low in calories, and fiber-rich—because fiber takes longer to digest, the GI diet may help you feel fuller for longer, meaning you’ll be less likely to snack between meals. However, the diet can be tricky to manage, since a food’s GI can change depending on how it is cooked or processed, and if it is eaten with other foods.
Ed. note: You can find out more about the GI at this National Institutes of Health page and at this Science Daily page.
Originally published in 2016, this post is regularly updated.
The post Glycemic Index Chart: GI Ratings for Hundreds of Foods appeared first on University Health News.
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