Glycemic index

Glycemic index: http://www.the-gi-diet.org/lowgifoods/

High, Medium and Low GI Foods

One of the Internet’s most comprehensive lists of foods with their glycemic index. If you are following the GI or South Beach diet you should aim to include more foods with a low glycemic index in your diet. Your body will digest these foods slowly leaving you feeling full for longer and allowing you to eat less calories without feeling hungry. Adding a low GI food to a meal will lower the glycemic index of the whole meal. You can find meals that include low GI foods in our recipe section.

If you prefer the traffic light system used in the low G.I. diet book by Rick Gallop you can find the same data below arranged in red, yellow and green zones on our glycemic index chart.

For help choosing what to buy and eat when out and about you can keep details of GI values with you using one of the cheap pocket guides; such as: The Glycemic Load Counter or The New Glucose Revolution Shopper’s Guide to GI Values 2008

Glycemic Index

The number listed next to each food is its glycemic index. This is a value obtained by monitoring a persons blood sugar after eating the food. The value can vary slightly from person to person and from one type or brand of food and another. A noticeable difference is the GI rating of Special-K which produced considerably different results in tests in the US and Australia, most likely resulting from different ingredients in each location. Despite this slight variation the index provide a good guide to which foods you should be eating and which foods to avoid.

The glycemic index range is as follows:

Low GI = 55 or less
Medium GI = 56 – 69
High GI = 70 or more

Breakfast Cereal

Low GI
All-bran (UK/Aus)30
All-bran (US)50
Oat bran50
Rolled Oats51
Special K (UK/Aus)54
Natural Muesli40
Porridge58
Medium GI
Bran Buds58
Mini Wheats58
Nutrigrain66
Shredded Wheat67
Porridge Oats63
Special K (US)69
High GI
Cornflakes80
Sultana Bran73
Branflakes74
Coco Pops77
Puffed Wheat80
Oats in Honey Bake77
Team82
Total76
Cheerios74
Rice Krispies82
Weetabix74

Staples

Low GI
Wheat Pasta Shapes54
New Potatoes54
Meat Ravioli39
Spaghetti32
Tortellini (Cheese)50
Egg Fettuccini32
Brown Rice50
Buckwheat51
White long grain rice50
Pearled Barley22
Yam35
Sweet Potatoes48
Instant Noodles47
Wheat tortilla30
Medium GI
Basmati Rice58
Couscous61
Cornmeal68
Taco Shells68
Gnocchi68
Canned Potatoes61
Chinese (Rice) Vermicelli58
Baked Potatoes60
Wild Rice57
High GI
Instant White Rice87
Glutinous Rice86
Short Grain White Rice83
Tapioca70
Fresh Mashed Potatoes73
French Fries75
Instant Mashed Potatoes80

Bread

Low GI
Soya and Linseed36
Wholegrain Pumpernickel46
Heavy Mixed Grain45
Whole Wheat49
Sourdough Rye48
Sourdough Wheat54
Medium GI
Croissant67
Hamburger bun61
Pita, white57
Wholemeal Rye62
High GI
White71
Bagel72
French Baguette95

Snacks & Sweet Foods

Low GI
Slim-Fast meal replacement27
Snickers Bar (high fat)41
Nut & Seed Muesli Bar49
Sponge Cake46
Nutella33
Milk Chocolate42
Hummus6
Peanuts13
Walnuts15
Cashew Nuts25
Nuts and Raisins21
Jam51
Corn Chips42
Oatmeal Crackers55
Medium GI
Ryvita63
Digestives59
Blueberry muffin59
Honey58
High GI
Pretzels83
Water Crackers78
Rice cakes87
Puffed Crispbread81
Donuts76
Scones92
Maple flavoured syrup68

Legumes (Beans)

Low GI
Kidney Beans (canned)52
Butter Beans36
Chick Peas42
Haricot/Navy Beans31
Lentils, Red21
Lentils, Green30
 Pinto Beans45
Blackeyed Beans50
Yellow Split Peas32
Medium GI
Beans in Tomato Sauce56

Vegetables

Low GI
Frozen Green Peas39
Frozen Sweet Corn47
Raw Carrots16
Boiled Carrots41
Eggplant/Aubergine15
Broccoli10
Cauliflower15
Cabbage10
Mushrooms10
Tomatoes15
Chillies10
Lettuce10
Green Beans15
Red Peppers10
Onions10
Medium GI
Beetroot64
High GI
Pumkin75
Parsnips97

Fruits

Low GI
Cherries22
Plums24
Grapefruit25
Peaches28
Peach, canned in natural juice30
Apples34
Pears41
Dried Apricots32
Grapes43
Coconut45
Coconut Milk41
Kiwi Fruit47
Oranges40
Strawberries40
Prunes29
Medium GI
Mango60
Sultanas56
Bananas58
Raisins64
Papaya60
Figs61
Pineapple66
High GI
Watermelon80
Dates103

Dairy

Low GI
Whole milk31
Skimmed milk32
Chocolate milk42
Sweetened yoghurt33
Artificially Sweetened Yoghurt23
Custard35
Soy Milk44
Medium GI
Icecream62

Information provided by the University of Sydney and used with permission.

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