Diabetes Diet
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of the potency of a certain food's carbohydrates -- how quickly and how forcefully they impact blood sugar levels. It compares carbohydrate foods, gram for gram, against glucose, which is given a GI of 100. A GI value of 55 or less is considered low; a GI of 70 or more is considered high. Glycemic load (GL) measures both the quality and the quantity of carbohydrate in a serving of a food. Think of the GL as the amount of carbohydrate in a food adjusted for its glycemic potency. GL is calculated by multiplying the GI value of a food by the number of grams of carbohydrate per serving, and dividing that by 100.
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Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values for Selected Foods
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Food
|
Glycemic
Index |
Serving
size |
Carb
grams |
Glycemic
Load |
| Dates, dried |
103
|
2 oz
|
40
|
42
|
| Cornflakes |
81
|
1 cup
|
26
|
21
|
| Jelly beans |
78
|
1 oz
|
28
|
22
|
| Puffed rice cakes |
78
|
3 cakes
|
21
|
17
|
| Russet potato (baked) |
76
|
1 med
|
30
|
23
|
| Doughnut |
76
|
1 med
|
23
|
17
|
| Soda crackers |
74
|
4 crackers
|
17
|
12
|
| White bread |
73
|
1 lrg slice
|
14
|
10
|
| Table sugar (sucrose) |
68
|
2 tsp
|
10
|
7
|
| Pancake |
67
|
6" dia.
|
58
|
39
|
| White rice (boiled) |
64
|
1 cup
|
36
|
23
|
| Brown rice (boiled) |
55
|
1 cup
|
33
|
18
|
| Spaghetti, white; boiled 10-15 min |
44
|
1 cup
|
40
|
18
|
| Spaghetti, white; boiled 5 min |
38
|
1 cup
|
40
|
15
|
| Spaghetti, whole wheat; boiled |
37
|
1 cup
|
37
|
14
|
| Rye, pumpernickel bread |
41
|
1 lrg slice
|
12
|
5
|
| Oranges, raw |
42
|
1 med
|
11
|
5
|
| Pears, raw |
38
|
1 med
|
11
|
4
|
| Apples, raw |
38
|
1 med
|
15
|
6
|
| All-Bran™ cereal |
38
|
1 cup
|
23
|
9
|
| Skim milk |
32
|
8 fl oz
|
13
|
4
|
| Lentils, dried; boiled |
29
|
1 cup
|
18
|
5
|
| Kidney beans, dried; boiled |
28
|
1 cup
|
25
|
7
|
| Pearled barley; boiled |
25
|
1 cup
|
42
|
11
|
| Cashew nuts |
22
|
1 oz
|
9
|
2
|
| Peanuts |
14
|
1 oz
|
6
|
1
|
SOURCE: The Official Site of the Glycemic Index, www.glycemicindex.com.
Reviewed by Susan Weiner, R.D., M.S., C.D.E., C.D.N. 3/08
