If your interested in achieving good health, losing weight, or beating diabetes, you may want to know the glycemic index (GI) of foods so you can make smart choices when you eat. Low gylcemic foods convert more slowly to glucose and therefore have less of an impact on insulin secretion, which means you have a lower diabetes risk. Low glycemic foods also reduce the risk of heart disease and blood cholesterol levels and can help with weight loss because they fill you up and make you feel full longer.
The GI ranks foods from 1 to 100 and measures how fast a food raises your glucose or blood sugar level. The lower the number, the slower the food raises your blood sugar, and, the higher the number, the quicker it raises your blood sugar level. Foods that are less than 55 are considered to be more desirable than those above 55. Here’s a list of some foods and their glycemic index.
GI Rating for Foods
| Low Glycemic Foods | Glycemic Index |
| Chana Dal | 8 |
| Broccoli | 10 |
| Cabbage | 10 |
| Lettuce | 10 |
| Red Peppers | 10 |
| Peanuts | 15 |
| Walnuts | 15 |
| Cashews | 22 |
| Pearled Barley | 25 |
| Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans) Dried | 28 |
| Kidney Beans | 28 |
| Lentils | 29 |
| Prunes | 29 |
| Fettuccini (Egg) | 32 |
| Lima Beans | 32 |
| Spaghetti, whole wheat | 37 |
| Yam | 37 |
| Apple | 38 |
| All-Bran with Fiber | 38 |
| Ice Cream, Full Fat | 38 |
| Pear | 38 |
| Tomato Juice | 38 |
| Plum | 39 |
| Moderately Low Glycemic Foods | Glycemic Index |
| Apple Juice | 40 |
| Strawberries | 40 |
| Pumpernickel | 41 |
| Blackeyed Peas, Canned | 42 |
| Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans) Canned | 42 |
| Orange | 42 |
| Peach | 42 |
| Ice Cream, Low Fat | 43 |
| Milk Chocolate | 43 |
| Muesli | 43 |
| Lentils | 44 |
| Sweet Potato | 44 |
| White Rice | 44 |
| Capellini | 45 |
| Grapes | 46 |
| Linguini | 46 |
| Pineapple Juice | 46 |
| Butter Cookies | 47 |
| Macaroni | 47 |
| Green Peas | 48 |
| Carrots | 49 |
| Oatmeal | 49 |
| Moderately High Glycemic Foods | Glycemic Index |
| Mango | 51 |
| Banana | 52 |
| Kidney Benas, Canned | 52 |
| Orange Juice | 53 |
| Sourdough | 53 |
| Stone Ground Whole Wheat | 53 |
| Buckwheat | 54 |
| Oatmeal Cookies | 55 |
| Papaya | 56 |
| Raisins | 56 |
| Apricots | 57 |
| New Potatoes | 57 |
| Potato Chips | 57 |
| Whole Wheat Pita | 57 |
| Basmati Rice | 58 |
| Bran Chex | 58 |
| Kiwi | 58 |
| High Glycemic Foods | Glycemic Index |
| Bran Muffin | 60 |
| Corn | 60 |
| Figs | 61 |
| Corn Chips | 63 |
| Shortbread Cookies | 64 |
| Cantaloupe | 65 |
| Couscous | 65 |
| Cream of Wheat | 66 |
| Pineapple | 66 |
| Pancakes | 67 |
| Cranberry Juice Cocktail | 68 |
| Aborio Rice | 69 |
| Melba Toast | 70 |
| Grapenuts | 71 |
| Bagel | 72 |
| Popcorn | 72 |
| Short Grain White Rice | 72 |
| Watermelon | 72 |
| Cheerios | 74 |
| Graham Crackers | 74 |
| French Fires | 75 |
| Shredded Wheat | 75 |
| Doughnut | 76 |
| Waffles | 76 |
| Whole Wheat 100% | 77 |
| Rice Cakes | 82 |
| Pretzels | 83 |
| Baked Potato | 85 |
| Red Skinned Potatoes, Boiled | 88 |
| Corn Flakes | 92 |
| Scones | 92 |
| French Baguette | 95 |
| Parsnips | 97 |
If you’re interested in learning more about glucose or the GI, here’s some great books to check out:
- The New Glucose Revolution Shopper’s Guide to GI Values 2008: The Authoritative Source of Glycemic Index Values for More Than 1000 Foods. This book was written by Jennie Brand-Miller, PhD, one of the world’s leading authorities on carbohydrates and the glycemic index, and Kaye Foster-Powell, RD, an accredited practicing dietitian with extensive experience in diabetes management. They make it easy for readers to lose weight, manage conditions like diabetes or hypertension, and eat to achieve lifelong good health.
- The G.I. Handbook: How the Glycemic Index Works. To help maintain an optimal weight this no nonsense book focuses on the varying effects of different carbohydrates on blood-sugar levels and offers advice on cooking and processing foods for optimal GI ratings.
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss. If your looking for a solid foundation to understand how and why a GI diet works, this book is for you. It’s also the perfect solution for anyone at risk for type 2 diabetes or anyone ready to change their eating habits. This book also offers information on supplements, basic recipes, food lists, and sample meal plans.