Glycemic Index
Food List

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale from 0 to 100 that ranks carbohydrate-containing foods by how quickly they raise blood sugar after eating. Pure glucose has a GI of 100. Low GI foods (55 or less) are digested slowly and tend to cause a more gradual rise in blood sugar, while high GI foods (70+) tend to raise blood sugar faster.

Useful lower-GI foods for managing diabetes include non-starchy vegetables (broccoli, spinach, peppers), many fruits (cherries, apples, pears, berries), legumes (lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans), nuts and seeds, and whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, and barley.

Low GI foods have a score of 55 or less and tend to cause a slower rise in blood sugar. Medium GI foods score 56–69 and tend to cause a moderate rise. High GI foods score 70 or above and tend to raise blood sugar faster. For diabetes management, choosing mostly lower-GI carbohydrate foods can support steadier blood glucose as part of an overall eating plan.

Yes, cooking method significantly affects GI. Al dente pasta has a lower GI than overcooked pasta. Cooling cooked starches (like rice or potatoes) creates resistant starch, lowering their GI. Whole or chunky foods generally have a lower GI than pureed or finely ground versions. Ripeness also matters — a green banana (GI 30) has a much lower GI than a ripe banana (GI 62).

No. Glycemic index measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while glycemic load (GL) accounts for both speed and the amount of carbs in a typical serving. GL = (GI × carbs per serving) ÷ 100. A food can have a high GI but low GL if a normal portion contains few carbs — watermelon (GI 72, GL ~4) is a classic example. Both metrics are useful together.

Some foods have a low GI because they are difficult to digest. They contain resistant starch, high insoluble fiber, or complex sugars (oligosaccharides) that move through your gut slowly — great for blood sugar, but potentially rough on your stomach.

Eating large amounts of these foods can overwhelm your digestive system, causing bloating, gas, stomach cramps, or diarrhea. Common examples:

• Green bananas — packed with resistant starch that the small intestine can't break down easily
• Kidney beans & chickpeas — contain oligosaccharides that ferment in the colon, producing gas
• Chia seeds — absorb up to 12× their weight in water, which can cause bloating if you don't drink enough fluid
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, kale) — contain raffinose, a sugar humans can't fully digest

A food that's great for blood sugar control isn't automatically gentle on the stomach. That's why our table includes a gut friendliness column — so you can pick foods that are both low GI and easy to digest. If you see a "Rough" rating, start with small portions and increase gradually to let your gut adapt.

If you look up the GI of the same food on different websites or in different books, you'll often see numbers that don't match. That's expected. GI is a measured average for carbohydrate-containing foods, not a fixed physical constant. Several factors cause the variation:

• Testing methodology. Different labs test with different participants and reference foods. Some use glucose = 100 (most common), while others use white bread = 100, which produces systematically different numbers for the same food.
• Variety, ripeness, and origin. A green banana scores ~30 while a fully ripe one scores ~60. Long-grain basmati and short-grain sushi rice differ by 20+ GI points despite both being "white rice."
• Brand and ingredients. Two whole-grain breads from different brands can land 15 points apart depending on flour fineness, added sugar, sourdough fermentation, and seeds.
• Cooking and preparation. Al dente pasta is lower GI than overcooked pasta. Cooled rice or potatoes form resistant starch and drop in GI compared to freshly cooked.
• Individual response. Your gut microbiome, insulin sensitivity, recent meals, sleep, and even time of day all shift how your blood sugar responds. Two people eating the same food can see noticeably different glucose curves.

That's why every number in our list is approximate (marked with ~) and rounded to a representative value. Treat this page as a reference guide for education — to compare foods, learn patterns, and make better everyday choices — not as exact dietary calculations. For personalized targets, work with a registered dietitian or your healthcare team.