November 23

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Why the Glycemic Load and Glycemic Index Matter – GI Chart for 100+ Foods

By Gabriela

November 23, 2020


For those who have yet to get acquainted with the term ‘glycemic index, it is a value that is assigned to all sorts of foods based on how quickly or how slowly they cause an increase in one’s blood glucose levels. Overly high blood glucose levels (also called blood sugar levels) can be very dangerous to one’s health. They can cause kidney failure, blindness, and increase one’s risk of cardiovascular disease. In other words, they are toxic and one should avoid high blood sugar levels at all costs. Foods that rate low on the GI (glycemic index) scale have a tendency to release glucose steadily and slowly. On the other hand, foods that rank high on the GI scale tend to release glucose at a much faster pace. And a rapid release of glucose into one’s system is no good for anyone. So it’s no wonder that the foods low on the GI scale support lower size and number on the scale. But those high on the GI scale are also useful for something. Namely, they can help with the recovery of energy after a workout. That is why long-distance runners, for example, would favor high glycemic foods, while those with prediabetes or diabetes would opt for the ones lower on the scale. This is because the steady release of glucose the low glycemic foods offer helps keep blood glucose under control. Something every person with the condition could benefit from, and even those who do not have it.

But There’s More to It

The food’s glycemic index is not the entire story. It fails to inform one how high their blood sugar spikes when they are ingesting the food. This partly depends on the number of carbohydrates in the serving. In order to understand the full effect each food has on us, we would not only need to know how quickly the glucose enters our bloodstream but also how much glucose is delivered in the first place. This is where a different value called ‘glycemic load’ comes into the picture. We can determine it by first multiplying the grams of the carbs in a serving by the GI, then divide it by 100. A glycemic load above 20 is considered high, and one below 10 is considered low. In order to help us fully understand how our blood glucose levels are impacted by what we eat, here is an abbreviated chart of 100 foods with their glycemic index and their glycemic load per serving.
FOOD Glycemic index (glucose = 100) Serving size (grams) Glycemic load per serving
BAKERY PRODUCTS AND BREAD
Banana cake, made with sugar 47 60 14
Banana cake, made without sugar 55 60 12
Sponge cake, plain 46 63 17
Vanilla cake made from packet mix with vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker) 42 111 24
Apple muffin, made with rolled oats and sugar 44 60 13
Apple muffin, made with rolled oats and without sugar 48 60 9
Waffles, Aunt Jemima® 76 35 10
Bagel, white, frozen 72 70 25
Baguette, white, plain 95 30 14
Coarse barley bread, 80% kernels 34 30 7
Hamburger bun 61 30 9
Kaiser roll 73 30 12
Pumpernickel bread 56 30 7
50% cracked wheat kernel bread 58 30 12
White wheat flour bread, average 75 30 11
Wonder® bread, average 73 30 10
Whole wheat bread, average 69 30 9
100% Whole Grain® bread (Natural Ovens) 51 30 7
Pita bread, white 68 30 10
Corn tortilla 52 50 12
Wheat tortilla 30 50 8
BEVERAGES
Coca Cola® (US formula) 63 250 mL 16
Fanta®, orange soft drink 68 250 mL 23
Lucozade®, original (sparkling glucose drink) 95 250 mL 40
Apple juice, unsweetened 41 250 mL 12
Cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray®) 68 250 mL 24
Gatorade, orange flavor (US formula) 89 250 mL 13
Orange juice, unsweetened, average 50 250 mL 12
Tomato juice, canned, no sugar added 38 250 mL 4
BREAKFAST CEREALS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
All-Bran®, average 44 30 9
Coco Pops®, average 77 30 20
Cornflakes®, average 81 30 20
Cream of Wheat® 66 250 17
Cream of Wheat®, Instant 74 250 22
Grape-Nuts® 75 30 16
Muesli, average 56 30 10
Oatmeal, average 55 250 13
Instant oatmeal, average 79 250 21
Puffed wheat cereal 80 30 17
Raisin Bran® 61 30 12
Special K® (US formula) 69 30 14
GRAINS
Pearled barley, average 25 150 11
Sweet corn on the cob 48 60 14
Couscous 65 150 9
Quinoa 53 150 13
White rice, boiled, type non-specified 72 150 29
Quick-cooking white basmati 63 150 26
Brown rice, steamed 50 150 16
Parboiled Converted white rice (Uncle Ben's®) 38 150 14
Whole wheat kernels, average 45 50 15
Bulgur, average 47 150 12
COOKIES AND CRACKERS
Graham crackers 74 25 13
Vanilla wafers 77 25 14
Shortbread 64 25 10
Rice cakes, average 82 25 17
Rye crisps, average 64 25 11
Soda crackers 74 25 12
DAIRY PRODUCTS AND ALTERNATIVES
Ice cream, regular, average 62 50 8
Ice cream, premium (Sara Lee®) 38 50 3
Milk, full-fat, average 31 250 mL 4
Milk, skim, average 31 250 mL 4
Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit, average 33 200 11
FRUITS
Apple, average 36 120 5
Banana, raw, average 48 120 11
Dates, dried, average 42 60 18
Grapefruit 25 120 3
Grapes, black 59 120 11
Oranges, raw, average 45 120 5
Peach, average 42 120 5
Peach, canned in light syrup 52 120 9
Pear, raw, average 38 120 4
Pear, canned in pear juice 44 120 5
Prunes pitted 29 60 10
Raisins 64 60 28
Watermelon 72 120 4
BEANS AND NUTS
Baked beans 40 150 6
Black-eyed peas 50 150 15
Black beans 30 150 7
Chickpeas 10 150 3
Chickpeas, canned in brine 42 150 9
Navy beans, average 39 150 12
Kidney beans, average 34 150 9
Lentils 28 150 5
Soybeans, average 15 150 1
Cashews, salted 22 50 3
Peanuts 13 50 1
PASTA and NOODLES
Fettucini 32 180 15
Macaroni, average 50 180 24
Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft®) 64 180 33
Spaghetti, white, boiled, average 46 180 22
Spaghetti, white, boiled 20 min 58 180 26
Spaghetti, whole-grain, boiled 42 180 17
SNACK FOODS
Corn chips, plain, salted 42 50 11
Fruit Roll-Ups® 99 30 24
M & M's®, peanut 33 30 6
Microwave popcorn, plain, average 65 20 7
Potato chips, average 56 50 12
Pretzels, oven-baked 83 30 16
Snickers Bar®, average 51 60 18
VEGETABLES
Green peas 54 80 4
Carrots, average 39 80 2
Parsnips 52 80 4
Baked russet potato 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
MISCELLANEOUS
Hummus (chickpea salad dip) 6 30 0
Chicken nuggets, frozen, reheated in microwave oven 5 min 46 100 7
Pizza, plain baked dough, served with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce 80 100 22
Pizza, Super Supreme (Pizza Hut®) 36 100 9
Honey, average 61 25 12
  Source: HarvardHuffington Post