Glycemic value is a measure of how fast the carbohydrates of a particular food enter the bloodstream. The value assigned to a particular food is an average blood sugar response of various subjects tested. Foods with a higher Glycemic Index rating enter the bloodstream more quickly. As a general rule for fat control, avoid eating too many high-glycemic carbs. Extra insulin triggers body fat storage and leads to diabetes.
ATTENTION DIABETICS: Glucose response to a particular food is highly individual. Combinations of different foods can produce unexpected results. Also, the way food is prepared can have an effect on the GI. Therefore, you should always monitor your own blood glucose levels after eating particular foods to determine if they have a high or low GI for you. This index is reprinted from the Diabetes Knowledge Base:
152 maltose
138 glucose
134 cooked parsnips
132 puffed rice
131 lucozade
128 potato, Russet, baked
126 honey
121 rice, instant
118 potato, instant
117 carrots, cooked
115 cornflakes
109 fava beans
103 millet
100 tortilla, corn
100 potato, mashed
100 bread, white
100 bread, wheat, whole meal
99 corn chips
97 shredded wheat
96 muesli
94 Mars bar
91 cookies, plain crackers
91 apricots, canned
89 sucrose
89 bread, rye, whole meal
88 raisins
87 porridge oats
84 banana
81 rice, brown
81 pastry
80 corn, sweet
80 potato, new, boiled
79 fruit cocktail
78 cookies, oatmeal
77 potato chips
74 yam
74 peaches, canned
74 buckwheat
74 Allbran
70 potato, sweet
69 grapefruit juice
68 bread, rye, pumpernickel
67 orange juice
66 pineapple juice
65 peas, green, frozen
64 macaroni, white, boiled
63 wheat kernels
63 sponge cake
63 pears, canned
62 grapes
61 spaghetti, white or brown, boiled 15 min
60 baked beans, canned
59 orange
59 apple juice
58 pears
57 beans, white
54 pasta, star white, boiled 5 min
54 beans, brown
53 apple
52 yogurt
52 tomato soup
52 ice cream
52 fish fingers
50 lima beans
50 peas, green, dried
49 milk, whole
49 peas, chick (Garbanzo)
48 milk, 2%
47 rye kernels
46 milk, skim
46 beans, butter
46 peas, blackeye
46 apricots, dried
45 beans, kidney
43 beans, black
40 peaches
39 sausage
38 pasta, protein enriched
37 red lentils
34 plum
31 fructose
31 barley
22 soy beans
15 peanuts
12 Bengal gram dal
10 prickly pear (Nopal)
Here’s another glycemic index reprinted from Ironman Magazine:
Cereals:
Cornflakes 80
Shredded wheat 67
Oatmeal 54
All Bran 51
Legumes:
Green peas 51
Baked beans 40
Chick peas 36
Kidney beans, butter beans, lentils 29
Soybeans 15
Fruit:
Apple 39
Banana 62
Orange 40
Orange juice 46
Raisins 64
Grains:
White bread 72
Wheat bread 69
Brown rice 66
White rice 72
Wheat spaghetti 42
Vegetables:
Beets 64
Carrots 92
Corn 59
Potato 70
Yam 51
Sugars:
Fructose 20
Glucose 100
Maltose 105
Sucrose 59
Misc:
Honey 87
Mars bar 68
Peanuts 13
Potato chips 51
Dairy:
Ice cream (full fat) 36
Yogurt (full fat) 36
Whole milk 34
Skim milk 32
Here is a glycemic index reprinted from The Zone by Dr. Barry Sears:
Glycemic value greater than 100:
Puffed rice cakes
Corn flakes
Puffed wheat
Millet
Instant rice
Instant potatoes
French bread
White bread
Glycemic value between 80 and 100:
Grapenuts
Whole wheat bread
Rolled oats
Oat bran
White rice
Brown rice
Muesli
Shredded wheat
Carrots
Corn
Parsnips
Bananas
Raisins
Apricots
Papaya
Mango
Ice cream (low fat)
Corn chips
Glycemic value between 50 and 80:
Spaghetti (white)
Spaghetti (whole wheat)
Pumpernickel bread
All-bran cereal
Oranges
Peas
Pinto beans
Garbanzo beans
Kidney beans
Baked beans
Potato chips (with fat)
Candy bar
Glycemic value between 30 and 50:
Barley
Oatmeal (slow cooking)
Whole grain rye bread
Apple
Pear
Grapes
Peaches
Lentils
Black-eyed peas
Chick peas
Lima beans
Kidney beans (dried)
Tomato soup
Ice cream (high fat)
Milk (whole or skim)
Yogurt
Glycemic value of 30 or less:
Cherries
Plums
Grapefruit
Soybeans
Peanuts
-
Return to the Nutrition Articles menu.