Glycemic index of 100+ foods

 

If you have diabetes, you know all too well that when you eat carbohydrates, your blood sugar goes up!

The total amount of carbs you consume at a meal or in snacks determines what your blood sugar will do! But, the food itself also plays a role.

A serving of white rice has almost the same effect as eating plain table sugar. On the other hand, a serving of lentils has a slower and smaller effect.

Glycemic index or GI

It is a measure of how quickly a food can cause our blood sugar levels to rise.

The GI value of a food is determined by giving people a serving of the food that contains 50gms of carbohydrate minus the fibre, then measuring the effect on their blood glucose levels over the next 2 hours.  

The measure ranks food on a scale of 0 to 100. Foods are classified as low, medium, or high glycemic foods according to this scale.

The 3 GI ratings are-

• LOW- 55 or less
• MEDIUM- 56 to 69
• HIGH- 70 or above

Foods with high glycemic index are quickly digested and absorbed causing a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.

On the other hand, foods with a low GI are digested and absorbed at a slower rate, and subsequently, cause a slower rise in blood sugar levels. Low GI foods are typically rich in fibre, protein and/or fat.

Several factors influence the glycemic index of a food, including its nutrient composition, cooking method, ripeness and also the amount of processing.

Knowing about Glycemic index is very important to understand what you are putting on your plate and also helps in weight loss, helps decrease your blood sugar and cholesterol levels too!

Glycemic Load or GL

Glycemic Load describes the quality and quantity of carbohydrates in a food, serving, meal or a diet! 

Glycemic load can be useful for people with diabetes to assess which quantities of what kind of foods are likely to be suitable for maintaining blood glucose levels.

Glycemic Load in action

The Glycemic load of a single food is calculated by multiplying the Glycemic Index by the amount of carbohydrate in grams provided by a food serving and then divide the total by 100

GL (Food) = (GI Food * amount (gms) of carbohydrate in food per serving) / 100

For instance- Mr A Has enough white rice to make a 130gm (cooked) portion of rice which provides 40gms of carbohydrates. GI of white rice is 85.

GL OF WHITE RICE PORTION = 85*40/100

GL     = 34

What counts as a high and low Glycemic load?

• Low Glycemic load (Low GL) = 0 TO 10
• Medium Glycemic Load (Medium GL) = 11 TO 19
• High Glycemic Load (High GL)- 20 AND ABOVE

Below mentioned is a list of most common foods along with their glycemic index and Glycemic Load-

FOOD	SERVING SIZE (Gms)	GLYCEMIC LOAD PER SERVING			GLYCEMIC INDEX
CEREALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
Brown rice	150	16			50
White rice	150	43			89
Gluten free Multigrain bread	30	10			85
Oats Bread	30	12			65
Brown bread	35	1			71
White bread	35	1.1			72
Rolled oats	55	-			58
Pasta	100	15.4			50
Soya bean	150	1			17
Cornflakes (Average)	30	23			93
Puffed wheat	50	17			80
Pearl barley	150	12			28
Maize	-	-			59
Bajra	75	29			52-62
Wheat (dry)	50	34			90
Semolina / Rawa	-	-			62
Couscous	150	9			65
Quinoa	150	13			53
All bran	30	12			55
Special K (Kellogg’s)	30	14			69
Muesli	30	17			75
Raisin Bran (Kellogg’s)	30	12			66
Rice Krispies (Kellogg’s)	30	22			82
Taco shells	20	8			68
DAIRY PRODUCTS AND ALTERNATIVES
Full fat milk	250ml	5			41
Skim milk	250ml	4			32
Fruit yogurt	200	11			33
Ice-cream (regular)	50	6			57
Plain Custard	100	7			52
Soy milk	250ml	8			48
Vanilla ice-cream	250ml	1			27-37
Cheese					0-10
FRUITS
Apple	120	6			40
Banana	120	16			62
Grapefruit	120	3			25
Grapes	120	11			59
Orange	120	4			40
Peach	120	5			42
Pear	120	4			38
Prunes	60	10			29
Raisins	60	28			64
Watermelon	120	4			72
Cherries	120	3			22
Custard apple (Flesh only)	120	10			55
Dried Dates	60	42			115
Kiwi	120	5			50
Mango (India)	120	9			72
Papaya	120	17			70
Pineapple	120	6			661
Cantaloupe	120	4			67
VEGETABLES
White potato	150	21			82
Sweet potato	150	22			70
Carrots	80	2			35
Green peas	80	4			51
Yam/ Suran	150	20			54
Pumpkin	80	3			65-80
Sweet corn	80	8			48
Asparagus					0
Green beans, cauliflower, cucumbers					0
Spinach, Okra (Ladies finger)					0
Broccoli, Lettuce					0
NON-VEGETARIAN
Frozen Chicken nuggets, Reheated in a microwave	100		7	42-50
Fish fingers	100		7	32-42
Sausages	100		1	22-32
Sushi- Salmon	100		17	40-56
Eggs, Pork, Steak				0
INDIAN DISHES
Idlis	250		40	75-79
Pongal	-		-	87-93
Pooris	-		-	80-84
NUTS AND BEANS
Baked beans	150		6	40
Black eyed beans	150		10	33
Black beans	150		7	30
Chickpeas/ Chole/ Kabuli Chana	150		3	10
Kidney beans/ Rajma	150		7	29
Cashewnuts (salted)	50		3	27
Peanuts/ Groundnuts	50		0	7
Tur dal (Red gram dal) (boiled)	150		3	18
Black gram dal (Udad dal) (Soaked)	150		8	33-50
Coconut, Almonds, Walnuts, Sesame seeds				0
COOKIES AND CRACKERS
Vanilla wafers	25		14	77
Shortbread	25		10	64
Rice cakes	25		17	82
Soda Crackers	25		12	74
Chocolate chip cookies	55		3	25
Coconut cookies	55		4	42-47
Peanut butter cookies	55		3	37-44
SPREADS AND OILS
Butter				0
Nutella				33
White sugar	15			68
Brown sugar	15			61
Strawberry jam	20			51

 

SNACK FOODS/ READY TO EAT FOODS
Corn chips	50	11	42
Microwave Popcorn	20	6	55
Potato chips	50	12	51
Snickers bar	60	18	51
Fruit Roll ups	30	24	99
White bread with butter	48	29	59
White bread with Peanut butter	100	30	67
White chocolate (Milky bar, Nestle)	50	13	38-50
Corn chips, plain Doritos	50	11	38-46
Jelly beans Nestle			72-88
Skittles (Mars Confectionary)	50	32	65-75
BAKERY PRODUCTS AND BREAD
Sponge cake	63	17	46
Ready batter cake (From Packet mix)	111	24	42
Burger bun	30	9	62
White bread (Maida bread)	30	10	71
Brown bread (Whole wheat flour bread)	30	9	71
White Pita Bread	30	10	68
Corn Tortilla	50	12	52
Croissant	57	17	67
Doughnut	47	17	76
Pastry	57	15	53-65
BEVERAGES
Coca Cola	250ml	16	63
Fanta, Orange soft drink	250ml	23	68
Unsweetened Apple juice	250ml	30	44
Cranberry juice (Cocktail)	250ml	24	68
Gatorade	250ml	12	78
Orange juice (Unsweetened)	250ml	12	50
Canned Tomato juice	250ml	4	38
Yakult (Fermented Milk drink with Lactobacillus casein)	65ml	6	40-50
Hot Chocolate (Nestle)	250ml	11	53
Cappuccino	250ml	1	40-54
Beer	2 cans		66
Lemonade	4 ounces		54
Black coffee	8 ounces		0
MISCELLANEOUS
Hummus (Chick peas/ Chole)	30	0	6
Chicken Nuggets, Frozen and reheated in microwave for 5 minutes1	100	7	46
Margaretta Pizza (Plain Pizza dough with sauce and parmesan cheese)	100	22	80
Supreme pizza (Pizza hut)	100	9	36
Honey	25	12	61
French fries	150	22	75
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENTS
Ensure (Abbott) Vanilla flavour	237ml	19	42-58
Resource diabetic (Vanilla flavour)	237ml	8	31-37
PASTA AND NOODLES
Macaroni	180	23	47
White boiled Spaghetti (Maida)	180	22	46
Whole wheat spaghetti (boiled)	180	17	42
Fettuccini	180	15	32
Gluten free Pasta	180	22	54
Instant Noodles (Maggi) Nestle	-		40-50
Rice Noodles (dried and boiled)1	180	23	55-67
Vermicelli white Boiled	180	16	30-42
Lasagne			47
Taco shells	30		68

 

Your takeaways

You don’t have to wreck your health because there is no direct GI score written on your food label, knowing the right things to check on the label is enough for you to determine that without any hassle, even for your meals!!

The GI will help you avoid processed foods, encourage you to eat more whole foods and also help you develop a balanced eating pattern. 

Not to forget, food isn’t the only factor in your healthy lifestyle- Exercise, sleep and reducing your stress are also very essential.

Be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about incorporating the glycemic index into your lifestyle, especially if you have pre- existing condition like Diabetes.

Reference-

1. International tables of Glycemic index and Glycemic load values: 2008 by Fiona S. Atkinson, Kaye Foster- Powell and Jennie C. Brand- Miller December 2008 issue of Diabetic care, Volume.31, Number 12, Pages 2281-2283
2. Noriega E, Rivera L, Peralta E. Glycaemic and insulinaemic indices of Mexican foods high in complex carbohydrates. Diabetes Nutr Metab2000; 13:13–9
3. Chan HMS, Brand-Miller JC, Holt SHA, Wilson D, Rozman M, Petocz P. The glycaemic index values of Vietnamese foods. Eur J Clin Nutr 2001; 55:1076–83.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

Sneha Jain, Dietician

Sneha is a Post graduate with specialization in Nutrition and Dietetics. She is a university topper and holds 5+ years of experience in Apollo hospitals, VLCC, slimsutra and first cry fit-kids .

She has successfully counselled clients all over India for weight loss, weight gain, diabetes, hypertension, PCOD, hypothyroid, Pregnancy and lactation and growth charts for children. She has her own diet consultation e-clinic (diet_diariez)

She believes in  customized diets and eating local and seasonal foods. Her counselling not only involves diet planning, but also lifestyle modification and stress relief strategies.