Written by Dr. Albana Greca, MD, MMedSc, Family Physician
Medically reviewed by Dr. Ruden Cakoni, MD, Endocrinologist
Last medically reviewed: July 2026
A glycemic index food chart compares carbohydrate-containing foods according to how quickly they raise blood glucose under standardized testing conditions. It can help you identify useful food swaps, but it does not tell you the ideal portion, the complete nutritional quality of a food, or exactly how your glucose will respond.
I recommend using glycemic index together with total carbohydrate, portion size, fiber, food quality, and your own glucose patterns. A low-GI label does not automatically make a food healthy, and a high-GI food does not always need to be completely avoided.
Quick Answer
Foods with a GI of 55 or less are classified as low GI, 56–69 as medium GI, and 70 or higher as high GI. Choosing lower-GI carbohydrates more often may support steadier after-meal glucose. However, the amount you eat remains essential. Use GI to compare similar carbohydrate foods—not as a stand-alone score of whether a food is healthy.
On this page:
The glycemic index, or GI, ranks foods containing digestible carbohydrate on a scale from 0 to 100. The ranking describes the blood glucose response to a food containing a standardized amount of available carbohydrate compared with the response to pure glucose.
Pure glucose is assigned a GI of 100. Foods that produce a slower glucose response receive a lower GI value.
The glycemic index measures the relative glucose response under controlled testing conditions. It does not directly measure:
Meat, fish, eggs, oils, and most cheeses contain little or no carbohydrate, so they usually do not have a meaningful GI classification. This does not mean you can judge their overall health effects by assigning them a GI of zero.
| Category | GI range | Typical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Low GI | 55 or less | Generally produces a slower glucose rise |
| Medium GI | 56–69 | Produces an intermediate glucose response |
| High GI | 70 or higher | Generally produces a faster glucose rise |
These categories apply to the tested food, recipe, and preparation method. A food such as rice, bread, oats, bananas, or potatoes cannot always be assigned one universal GI value.
The chart below provides practical examples rather than fixed values for every brand and recipe. Foods marked as variable may move between categories depending on processing, variety, ripeness, and cooking method.
| Food group | Lower-GI choices | Medium or variable-GI choices | Often higher-GI choices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beans and legumes | Lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, split peas | Some canned or sweetened bean recipes | Few plain legumes fall in this category |
| Grains | Pearled barley, bulgur, intact grains | Basmati rice, brown rice, couscous, quinoa | Many sticky or short-grain white rices, instant rice |
| Breakfast cereals | Steel-cut or minimally processed oats | Traditional rolled oats, some muesli | Many instant cereals, puffed cereals, cornflakes |
| Bread | Dense whole-kernel bread, some sourdough and seeded breads | Many whole-wheat and mixed-grain breads | Many white breads, highly processed bread, some gluten-free breads |
| Pasta and noodles | Pasta cooked al dente, bean or lentil pasta | Soft-cooked pasta and some noodles | Some highly processed instant noodles |
| Fruit | Apples, pears, oranges, berries, peaches, plums | Ripe banana, pineapple, mango, some dried fruit | Watermelon may test high, although a usual portion has a relatively low glycemic load |
| Starchy vegetables | Some sweet potato varieties, corn in moderate portions | Some boiled potatoes and sweet potatoes | Instant mashed potatoes, many baked or very soft potatoes |
| Dairy and alternatives | Plain milk, unsweetened yogurt, some unsweetened soy products | Sweetened yogurt and flavored milk vary | Some sweetened rice drinks and heavily sweetened dairy drinks |
| Snacks and drinks | Nuts and seeds contain little carbohydrate and have minimal glucose impact | Some sweetened foods appear medium GI because fat slows digestion | Rice cakes, pretzels, glucose drinks, many refined crackers |
Important: This chart shows typical patterns, not guaranteed values. For a tested product, use an established GI database. For your personal response, check your glucose as recommended by your healthcare team.
Glycemic load, or GL, combines the glycemic index with the amount of available carbohydrate in the portion you actually eat.
Glycemic load = GI × grams of available carbohydrate in the portion ÷ 100
Glycemic-load categories are commonly described as:
Glycemic load explains why portion size matters. A food may have a high GI but contain relatively little carbohydrate in a normal portion. Watermelon is a common example: its GI can be high, but a typical portion has a much lower glycemic load than a large serving of rice or bread.
The reverse is also true. A very large portion of a low-GI food can still provide a substantial amount of carbohydrate and raise glucose considerably.
Neither value gives you the complete answer. GI, sugar, total carbohydrate, portion size, fiber, and overall food quality describe different parts of the food.
| Feature | Glycemic index | Sugar content | Total carbohydrate |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it shows | Relative speed and size of response to a standardized carbohydrate amount | Grams of naturally occurring and added sugars | All carbohydrate likely to affect glucose |
| Where you find it | GI databases and tested-food charts | Nutrition label | Nutrition label |
| Main limitation | Does not show your usual portion or full nutritional quality | Does not include starch that is digested into glucose | Does not show how quickly the carbohydrate is absorbed |
If you count carbohydrates for insulin dosing, use total carbohydrate rather than only the sugar line or GI value.
An apple contains natural sugar but also water, fiber, and nutrients and is usually low GI. A chocolate bar may have a lower GI than expected because fat slows stomach emptying, but that does not make it nutritionally superior to fruit.
Sugar-sweetened drinks should still be limited even when a particular drink does not appear at the very top of a GI chart. They can deliver a large carbohydrate load rapidly with little fiber or fullness.
The same type of food may have different GI values because of:
Grinding, puffing, flaking, and instant preparation often make starch easier to digest. Intact or minimally processed grains generally produce a slower response than finely milled versions.
Longer cooking can soften and gelatinize starch, making it easier to digest. Pasta cooked al dente often has a lower GI than very soft pasta.
As some fruits ripen, starch is converted into sugars. A very ripe banana may produce a different glucose response from a less-ripe banana.
Different types of rice, potatoes, bread, oats, and fruit can have different starch structures and GI values.
Cooling some cooked starches may increase resistant starch, which can modestly reduce the glucose response. This does not remove the carbohydrate or make portion size irrelevant.
Protein, fat, fiber, acidity, and meal order may slow digestion and change the overall glucose response. GI values are normally measured for foods in isolation, while most people eat mixed meals.
Medication, insulin production, activity, sleep, stress, time of day, stomach emptying, and the gut microbiome can all influence your personal glucose response.
I recommend using GI to make practical swaps within the same food group.
| Instead of choosing | Try more often |
|---|---|
| Instant breakfast cereal | Steel-cut or traditional oats |
| Highly processed white bread | Dense whole-kernel or tested lower-GI bread |
| Large serving of sticky white rice | Smaller portion of basmati rice, barley, or legumes |
| Instant mashed potato | Beans, lentils, or a smaller portion of less-processed potato |
| Fruit juice | Whole fruit in an appropriate portion |
| Sugary drink | Water or an unsweetened drink |
A lower-GI carbohydrate works best as part of a balanced meal. A simple approach is:
See my diabetic meal plan for practical examples.
Systematic reviews of randomized trials suggest that low-GI or low-glycemic-load eating patterns can modestly improve A1C, fasting glucose, and some cardiovascular risk markers when compared with higher-GI diets.
The benefit is usually modest, and low GI should be viewed as one part of an overall eating pattern. Medication, activity, sleep, total energy intake, carbohydrate portions, and weight management remain important.
A low-GI eating plan should not replace insulin or prescribed diabetes medication. If major food changes improve your glucose, your treatment may need adjustment to prevent hypoglycemia.
GI charts are useful, but they have important limitations:
My practical rule
Start with minimally processed, high-fiber foods. Use GI to compare similar carbohydrate choices, control the portion, build a balanced meal, and review your own glucose response when monitoring is recommended.
No. Some whole-grain products are finely milled or highly processed and can have a medium or high GI. Look for intact grains and products with a tested GI value when available.
Most non-starchy vegetables contain little digestible carbohydrate and have a minimal glucose effect. Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, and some root vegetables contain more carbohydrate and require closer attention to portion and preparation.
No. A food rich in saturated fat or calories may have a lower GI because fat slows digestion. Evaluate its full nutritional profile.
Often, yes. The portion, frequency, meal combination, medication, and glucose response matter. High-GI foods may also be used intentionally to treat hypoglycemia when your care plan calls for fast-acting carbohydrate.
If you dose insulin according to carbohydrate, total carbohydrate remains essential. GI can provide additional information about how quickly the carbohydrate may affect you, but it does not replace carbohydrate counting.
This information is for general education and does not replace individual medical or nutritional advice.