Diabetic Glycemic Index Food Chart

Comprehensive GI and GL database for diabetes blood sugar management

Understanding GI vs GL for Diabetes Management

Glycemic Index (GI)

Measures how quickly a food raises blood glucose (2-hour postprandial). Pure glucose = 100. Lower GI means slower glucose absorption.

Glycemic Load (GL)

Measures both quality (GI) and quantity of carbs. GL = (GI × carbs) ÷ 100. Accounts for actual carb content in typical servings. More practical for meal planning.

Category

GI Category

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Showing 80 foods

Food Name	Category	Glycemic Index↑	Glycemic Load	Serving Size
Cheese (cheddar)	Dairy	0(Low GI)	0	30g (1 oz)
Almonds	Nuts & Seeds	0(Low GI)	0	30g (1/4 cup)
Walnuts	Nuts & Seeds	0(Low GI)	0	30g (1/4 cup)
Peanuts	Nuts & Seeds	7(Low GI)	0	30g (1/4 cup)
Broccoli, steamed	Vegetables	10(Low GI)	1	150g (1 cup)
Yogurt (plain, Greek)	Dairy	11(Low GI)	1	170g (6 oz)
Peanut butter	Nuts & Seeds	14(Low GI)	0	2 tbsp (32g)
Spinach, raw	Vegetables	15(Low GI)	0	30g (1 cup)
Soybeans, cooked	Legumes & Beans	18(Low GI)	1	150g (1 cup)
Hummus	Legumes & Beans	21(Low GI)	4	60g (1/4 cup)
Cherries	Fruits	22(Low GI)	3	150g (1 cup)
Cashews	Nuts & Seeds	22(Low GI)	2	30g (1/4 cup)
Kidney beans, cooked	Legumes & Beans	24(Low GI)	6	150g (1 cup)
Grapefruit	Fruits	25(Low GI)	3	1/2 medium (120g)
Milk (whole)	Dairy	27(Low GI)	3	250ml (1 cup)
Barley, pearled, cooked	Grains & Cereals	28(Low GI)	10	150g (1 cup)
Chickpeas, cooked	Legumes & Beans	28(Low GI)	7	150g (1 cup)
Black beans, cooked	Legumes & Beans	30(Low GI)	6	150g (1 cup)
Lentils, cooked	Legumes & Beans	32(Low GI)	5	150g (1 cup)
Milk (skim)	Dairy	32(Low GI)	4	250ml (1 cup)
Yogurt (fruit, low-fat)	Dairy	33(Low GI)	8	170g (6 oz)
Pasta (whole wheat, cooked)	Grains & Cereals	37(Low GI)	16	140g (1 cup)
Apple (with skin)	Fruits	38(Low GI)	6	1 medium (180g)
Pear	Fruits	38(Low GI)	5	1 medium (180g)
Carrots, boiled	Vegetables	39(Low GI)	2	150g (1 cup)
Plum	Fruits	39(Low GI)	4	1 medium (150g)
Strawberries	Fruits	40(Low GI)	3	150g (1 cup)
Pumpernickel bread	Grains & Cereals	41(Low GI)	6	1 slice (30g)
Oatmeal (steel-cut)	Grains & Cereals	42(Low GI)	12	250g (1 cup)
Peach	Fruits	42(Low GI)	5	1 medium (150g)
Orange	Fruits	43(Low GI)	5	1 medium (130g)
Sweet potato, boiled	Vegetables	44(Low GI)	11	150g (1 cup)
Pasta (white, cooked al dente)	Grains & Cereals	45(Low GI)	22	140g (1 cup)
Grapes	Fruits	46(Low GI)	8	150g (1 cup)
Bulgur, cooked	Grains & Cereals	48(Low GI)	12	150g (1 cup)
Brown rice, cooked	Grains & Cereals	50(Low GI)	16	150g (1 cup)
Green peas, cooked	Vegetables	51(Low GI)	4	150g (1 cup)
Whole grain bread (100%)	Grains & Cereals	53(Low GI)	8	1 slice (30g)
Quinoa, cooked	Grains & Cereals	53(Low GI)	13	150g (1 cup)
Blueberries	Fruits	53(Low GI)	6	150g (1 cup)
Sourdough bread	Grains & Cereals	54(Low GI)	8	1 slice (30g)
Oatmeal (instant)	Grains & Cereals	55(Medium GI)	16	250g (1 cup)
Mango	Fruits	56(Medium GI)	8	150g (1 cup)
Ice cream (vanilla)	Dairy	57(Medium GI)	9	70g (1/2 cup)
Basmati rice, cooked	Grains & Cereals	58(Medium GI)	22	150g (1 cup)
Banana (ripe)	Fruits	59(Medium GI)	13	1 medium (120g)
Pineapple	Fruits	59(Medium GI)	7	150g (1 cup)
Honey	Sweeteners	61(Medium GI)	12	1 tbsp (21g)
Soda (regular)	Beverages	63(Medium GI)	16	355ml (12 oz)
White rice, cooked	Grains & Cereals	64(Medium GI)	23	150g (1 cup)
Raisins	Fruits	64(Medium GI)	28	60g (1/4 cup)
Beets	Vegetables	64(Medium GI)	5	150g (1 cup)
Couscous	Grains & Cereals	65(Medium GI)	23	150g (1 cup)
Cantaloupe	Fruits	65(Medium GI)	4	150g (1 cup)
Popcorn (air-popped)	Snacks	65(Medium GI)	6	20g (3 cups)
Table sugar (sucrose)	Sweeteners	65(Medium GI)	7	1 tsp (4g)
Whole wheat bread	Grains & Cereals	69(Medium GI)	12	1 slice (30g)
Parsnips, cooked	Vegetables	70(High GI)	11	150g (1 cup)
White bread	Grains & Cereals	71(High GI)	10	1 slice (30g)
Bagel (white)	Grains & Cereals	72(High GI)	25	1 medium (70g)
Potato, mashed	Vegetables	74(High GI)	14	150g (1 cup)
White bread (processed)	Grains & Cereals	75(High GI)	15	1 slice (30g)
French fries	Vegetables	75(High GI)	22	150g (medium)
Pumpkin, cooked	Vegetables	75(High GI)	3	150g (1 cup)
Watermelon	Fruits	76(High GI)	5	150g (1 cup)
White flour tortilla	Grains & Cereals	76(High GI)	14	1 tortilla (40g)
Donut (glazed)	Snacks	76(High GI)	17	50g (1 donut)
Vanilla wafers	Snacks	77(High GI)	16	30g (8 wafers)
Potato, boiled	Vegetables	78(High GI)	18	150g (1 medium)
Rice cakes	Grains & Cereals	78(High GI)	17	10g (2 cakes)
Sports drink	Beverages	78(High GI)	19	355ml (12 oz)
Jelly beans	Snacks	78(High GI)	22	30g (10 beans)
Instant oatmeal	Grains & Cereals	79(High GI)	24	250g (1 cup)
Cornflakes	Grains & Cereals	81(High GI)	21	30g (1 cup)
Rice Krispies	Grains & Cereals	82(High GI)	21	30g (1 cup)
Russet potato, baked	Vegetables	82(High GI)	24	150g (1 medium)
Pretzels	Snacks	83(High GI)	17	30g (1 oz)
Sweet potato, baked	Vegetables	94(High GI)	24	150g (1 cup)
Glucose	Sweeteners	100(High GI)	10	1 tsp (4g)
Dates	Fruits	103(High GI)	42	60g (4 dates)

Glycemic Index Scale Reference

Low GI GI: < 55

Slow, steady blood sugar rise. Best for diabetes management.

GL: ≤ 10 (Low)

Medium GI GI: 55-69

Moderate blood sugar impact. Eat in controlled portions.

GL: 11-19 (Medium)

High GI GI: ≥ 70

Rapid blood sugar spike. Limit consumption or combine with protein/fat.

GL: ≥ 20 (High)

Prioritize Low GI Foods

Choose foods with GI < 55 as your staples. These provide steady energy and prevent glucose spikes. Pair with protein, healthy fats, and fiber for even better blood sugar control.

Smart Food Combinations

Eating high GI foods with protein, fat, or fiber slows digestion and reduces glucose impact. Example: apple (low GI) with peanut butter, or brown rice with chicken and vegetables.

Watch Your Portions

Even low GI foods can raise blood sugar if eaten in large quantities. Use GL as your guide - aim for total meal GL < 20-25. Measure portions and spread carbs throughout the day.

Test Your Response

Individual responses to foods vary. Test blood glucose 2 hours after eating to learn your personal triggers. Keep a food diary to identify which foods work best for your diabetes management.

Medical Disclaimer: This chart provides general nutritional information for educational purposes. GI values can vary based on food preparation, ripeness, and individual metabolism. Consult a registered dietitian or healthcare provider for personalized diabetes meal planning. Never adjust medications without medical supervision.

Glycaemic index ranks carbohydrate foods by how far they raise blood glucose relative to a reference, over two hours, gram for gram of available carbohydrate. That last clause is where most misuse begins: GI describes a fixed 50 gram carbohydrate portion, which for some foods is far more than anyone eats. Glycaemic load corrects for that, and is the more useful number in practice.

The formula

Glycaemic index = (blood glucose area under the curve for the test food / that for the reference food) x 100
Glycaemic load = GI x available carbohydrate per serving (g) / 100

The reference food is glucose (GI 100) or white bread, and which one is used must be stated
Available carbohydrate excludes fibre

Method as used in the international tables of glycaemic index and glycaemic load, maintained by the University of Sydney.

Categories and typical values

GI is conventionally banded as low, medium and high. The values below are typical published figures; individual foods vary considerably by variety, ripeness, processing and cooking, so treat them as approximate.

Glycaemic load bands: 10 or less is low, 11 to 19 medium, 20 or more high per serving.
Watermelon is the standard illustration of why GI alone misleads: high GI, but so little carbohydrate per serving that its glycaemic load is low.

Category	GI range	Examples
Low	55 or less	Most legumes, barley, pasta cooked al dente, most non-starchy vegetables, apples, oranges
Medium	56 to 69	Basmati rice, sweet corn, wholemeal bread, sweet potato, pineapple
High	70 or more	White bread, most breakfast cereals, short-grain white rice, boiled potato, glucose

What changes a food GI

GI is not a fixed property of a food type. Several factors change it substantially, which is why published values carry wide confidence intervals and why the same food can appear with different numbers in different tables.

Ripeness: a green banana has a considerably lower GI than a fully ripe one, as starch converts to sugar.
Cooking time: pasta cooked al dente has a lower GI than pasta cooked soft, because the starch is less gelatinised.
Cooling: cooked and cooled potato, rice and pasta form resistant starch, lowering GI even if reheated.
Processing: finer milling raises GI. Stone-ground and intact-grain products are lower than finely milled flour from the same grain.
Meal composition: fat, protein and acid all slow gastric emptying and lower the glycaemic response of the whole meal.

How much GI matters in diabetes

Low-GI eating patterns produce modest but consistent improvements in glycaemic control in trials, with typical HbA1c reductions of a few tenths of a percentage point. That is real but small compared with total carbohydrate quantity, weight change and medication, which is why guidelines describe GI as a potentially useful refinement rather than a primary strategy.

The more important limitation is individual variability. Studies using continuous glucose monitoring have shown that the post-meal glucose response to the same food differs markedly between people, to the extent that population GI values predict an individual response only loosely. For anyone with a CGM, their own measured response to a specific meal is far more informative than any table.

Total carbohydrate quantity affects blood glucose more than GI does. Carbohydrate counting remains the primary tool in type 1 diabetes.
A low GI does not mean a food is healthy. Some high-fat foods have low GI precisely because fat slows absorption.

Limitations

GI is measured on a 50 gram available carbohydrate portion, which for some foods is much larger than a realistic serving. Glycaemic load is the more meaningful figure.
Published values vary between tables and carry wide confidence intervals, because GI depends on variety, ripeness, processing and cooking.
Individual glucose responses to the same food differ substantially between people, so population values predict any one person response only loosely.
GI is measured on foods eaten alone. A mixed meal containing fat, protein and acid behaves differently from the sum of its parts.
A low GI does not indicate a nutritious food, and some low-GI foods are low precisely because of high fat content.
This is a reference chart. Diabetes management decisions, particularly insulin dosing, should follow the plan agreed with your diabetes team.

Frequently asked questions

What is a low glycaemic index?

55 or less on the glucose reference scale. Medium is 56 to 69 and high is 70 or more. For glycaemic load, which accounts for serving size, low is 10 or less and high is 20 or more.

What is the difference between glycaemic index and glycaemic load?

GI compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate, using a fixed 50 gram portion. Glycaemic load multiplies GI by the carbohydrate actually in a serving. Watermelon has a high GI but a low glycaemic load, because a serving contains little carbohydrate.

Does cooking change the glycaemic index?

Yes, substantially. Pasta cooked al dente has a lower GI than pasta cooked soft, and cooking then cooling potato, rice or pasta forms resistant starch that lowers GI even after reheating.

Does eating low GI improve diabetes control?

Trials show modest, consistent improvements, typically a few tenths of a percentage point of HbA1c. That is real but small next to total carbohydrate intake, weight and medication, so guidelines treat GI as a refinement rather than a primary strategy.

Why does the same food affect me differently than the chart says?

Because individual glucose responses vary widely between people for the same food, as continuous glucose monitoring studies have shown. Population GI values are averages, and your own measured response is far more informative if you have a monitor.