What is Glycaemic Index?

Glycaemic Index (GI) is a measure of the effect an individual food or drink has on blood sugar levels after it is consumed.

Foods that are digested slowly and release glucose into the bloodstream gradually have a low GI value

Foods that are digested quickly and release glucose into the bloodstream rapidly have a high GI value

The GI Index is a Scale from 1-100

Glucose has the highest score of all foods at a GI of 100. All other foods are measured against this refence point.

Low GI Foods have a glycaemic index of 55 or lower

Medium GI Foods have a glycaemic index of 56-69

High GI Foods have a glycaemic index of 70 or more

Foods only appear on the GI index if they contain carbohydrates. This explains why you won't find foods like meat, chicken, fish, eggs and cheese in GI lists. However, you may find some processed foods like sausages or chicken nuggets in a GI list because they contain carbs.

Glycaemic Load

Glycemic Load (GL) is based on a food’s glycaemic index and the carbohydrate content of a 100g serving of the food. Because GL takes account of the amount of carbs in a food it gives a more accurate idea of the food’s effect on blood sugar.

Why Are GI and GL Important?

Low GI (and GL) foods are better for us because they don't cause a rapid rise and fall in blood sugar levels, known as a sugar spike.

Sugar spikes can cause us to over eat because the fast fall in blood sugar can leave us feeling hungry.

Eating low GI foods help to keep us 'fuller for longer'. Especially important for those who want to lose weight.

Combinations of Foods

We mostly eat foods in combination, adding proteins like meat, fish and eggs, and fats, to our meals. This mitigates the effect of higher GI foods somewhat, and slows down the release of sugars into the blood.

The table at the bottom of this list will give you an idea of the effect of combining different foods. You'll also find plenty of low GI meal ideas in our low GI diet plan.

Glycaemic Index Food Lists

We’ve organised our tables into different food types so it’s easier to make comparisons between similar foods. Each table is split into 3 charts with low Gi foods at the top.

Gycaemic Index (GI) and Glycaemic Load (GL) is given for each food.

Table 1 - Bread

Low GI Bread

Bread Type GI GL Tortilla Wraps 30 16 vogel's sunflower and barley brown bread 40 16 Chapatis (made with fat) 50 24 Sourdough Bread 54 27

Low Carb Breads

GI values for ‘low carb’ breads are not currently available on recognised glycaemic index lists. But it’s safe to assume that these products will have a lower GI than their normal carb counterparts.

These types of bread are increasingly available in supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Lidl. Livlife Seriously Seeded, Hovis Lower Carb Deliciously Seeded and Hi-Lo Seeded Wholemeal are all available in the UK.

Medium GI Bread

Bread Type GI GL Granary bread 62 29 Naan bread 63 32 Wholemeal pitta bread 63 25 Ryvita crispbread 64 37 Croissant 67 29 White pitta bread 67 37 Crumpets (toasted) 69 31

High GI Bread

Bread Type GI GL Rye bread 70 32 Soda bread 70 38 White bread (average) 72 35 Ciabatta 72 37 Bagels (plain) 72 42 Breadsticks 72 52 Brown bread (average) 73 31 Wholemeal bread (average) 73 31 Soya & linseed bread (Burgen) 74 22 Seeded Batch Loaf (Warburtons) 80 32 Crackerbread 85 65 French stick, white 95 53

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Table 2 - Other Carbs

The GI of other carbohydrate foods including potatoes, rice, pasta and grains.

Low GI Carbs

Carb Type GI GL Wholemeal Spaghetti, boiled 37 9 Basmati rice, cooked (Tesco 250g pack) 43 12 Spaghetti, white, boiled 44 10 Macaroni. boiled 45 8 Pasta, fresh, cooked 45 14 Wholemeal pastry. cooked 45 20 Ebly (bulgur wheat) 46 32 Noodles, plain, boiled 47 6 White rice, easy cook, boiled 49 15 Brown rice. boiled 55 18

Medium GI Carbs

Carb Type GI GL Noodles, egg (boiled) 63 8 New potatoes (boiled) 63 8 Dumplings 63 15 Egg fried rice (takeaway) 63 21 Pilau rice 63 16 Long Grain rice, polished, boiled 64 19 Couscous 65 33 Yorkshire pudding 67 16 Pancakes, savoury, made with whole milk 67 16 Pancakes, sweet, made with whole milk 67 23 Risotto, Plain 69 24

High GI Carbs

Carb Type GI GL Cornflour 70 64 Soya flour (full fat) 70 16 Wholemeal flour (wheat) 70 45 White flour (wheat) 70 54 Oatmeal. raw 70 51 Bran (wheat) 70 19 Rye flour, whole 70 53 Oven Chips, frozen (baked) 75 22 Chips, French fries, (retail) 75 26 Potato, old (jacket/baked) 85 27 Potatoes, old (boiled) 85 14 Potato, old, mashed with butter 85 13

Table 3 - Fruits and Fruit Juices

Low GI Fruits

Fruit Type GI GL Cherries 22 3 Grapefruit 25 2 Apricots, dried 32 14 Innocent smoothie (average) 33 4 Pears 38 4 Apples 38 4 Tomato juice 38 1 Plums 39 3 Strawberries 40 2 Apple juice (unsweetened) 40 4 Dried mixed fruit 41 28 Satsumas 42 4 Peaches 42 3 Oranges 42 4 Tomatoes. raw 45 1 Raspberries. raw 45 2 Avocado 45 1 Grapes 46 7 Mangoes 51 8 Banana 52 10 Orange juice (unsweetened) 52 5 Kiwi fruit 53 6

Medium GI Fruits

Fruit Type GI GL Apricots 57 4 Sultanas 58 40 Pineapple 59 7 Cranberry juice 59 8 Figs 61 6 Dates, dried 61 41 Raisins 64 44

High GI Fruits

Fruit Type GI GL Blackcurrants. raw 70 5 Cranberries 70 2 Melon (all types, average) 72 4 Watermelon 72 4 Lychees 79 11

Table 4 - Vegetables and Vegetable Juices

Low GI Vegetables

Vegetable Type GI GL Processed peas, canned (drained and heated) 39 7 Mushy peas, canned (heated) 39 5 Runner beans, boiled 45 1 Green salad 45 1 Onions (raw) 45 4 Celery (raw) 45 0 Broccoli, green (boiled) 45 0 Brussels sprouts (boiled) 45 2 Cauliflower (boiled) 45 1 Tomatoes, tinned (whole contents) 45 1 Mushrooms (raw) 45 0 Mixed vegetables, frozen (boiled) 45 3 Curly kale. boiled in salted water 45 0 Courgette (boiled) 45 1 Asparagus (boiled) 45 1 Red peppers, capsicum 45 3 Green peppers, capsicum 45 1 Bamboo shoots, canned 45 2 Butternut squash (baked) 45 3 Spinach 45 1 Carrots (boiled) 47 2 Peas, frozen (boiled) 48 5 Sweetcorn, canned 55 9

Medium GI Vegetables

Vegetable Type GI GL Sweet potato (baked) 61 17 Turnip (boiled) 63 1 Beetroot, pickled 64 4

High GI Vegetables

Vegetable Type GI GL Swede (boiled) 72 2 Pumpkin (boiled) 75 2 Broad Beans (boiled) 79 4 Parsnip (boiled) 97 13

Table 5 - Breakfast Cereals

Popular breakfast cereal brands.

Low GI Cereals

Cereal Type GI GL Kelloggs All Bran 45 22 Porridge (made with water) 51 4 Porridge (made with milk) 51 7 Oatso Simple syrup swirl porridge (Quaker) 51 36 Ready Brek 51 33 Alpen muesli original (Weetabix) 55 36 Oatibix 55 35

Medium GI Cereals

Cereal Type GI GL Quaker Porridge Oats 58 20 Just Right (Kelloggs) 60 46 Kelloggs Fruit and fibre 68 47 Special K 69 56

High GI Cereals

Cereal Type GI GL Sugar Puffs 70 65 Nutri-Grain 70 50 Shreddies 70 54 Weetos 70 56 Crunchy Nut Corn Flakes 72 66 Cheerios 74 60 Bran Flakes 74 53 Shredded Wheat 75 54 Weetabix 75 57 Coco Pops 77 70 Rice Krispies 81 75 Corn Flakes 93 83

Table 6 - Desserts, Cakes and Biscuits

Low GI Desserts, Cakes and Biscuits

Dessert Type GI GL Fruit sorbet 34 8 Custard tart (individual) 34 11 Chocolate fudge cake 38 21 Swiss rolls, chocolate (individual) 38 22 Mr Kipling Angel Slices 42 25 Sponge cake, jam filled 42 27 Lemon tart 45 7 Trifle, fruit 45 9 Chocolate mousse 45 9 Tiramisu 45 15 Suet pudding 45 18 Sponge cake with dairy cream and jam 45 20 Mince pies (individual) 45 27 Sponge pudding with jam or treacle 46 22 Go Ahead Cake Bars (McVities) 46 29 Chocolate chip muffins (Tesco) 53 25 Bourbon biscuits 55 39 Rich Tea biscuits 55 41

Medium GI Desserts, Cakes and Biscuits

Dessert Type GI GL Oatcakes 57 36 Blueberry Muffin 59 23 Hobnobs 59 38 Digestive biscuits 59 40 Ice cream, non-dairy, vanilla 61 11 Cheesecake 63 16 Fruit crumble 63 23 Carrot cake (with topping) 63 23 Chocolate Eclairs, fresh 63 24 Profiteroles 63 24 Lemon meringue pie 63 27 Pandoro Italian cake 63 30 Danish pastries 63 32 Christmas pudding 63 35 Fruit pie (individual) 63 36 Flapjacks 63 39 Jam tarts 63 39 Shortbread 63 40 Chocolate fingers (Cadburys) 63 40 Chocolate chip cookies 63 41 Chocolate digestive biscuits 63 42 Fruit cake, rich, iced 63 42 Weight Watchers choc chip cookie 63 42 Oreo biscuits 63 44 Jaffa cakes 63 48 Gingernut biscuits 63 50 Amaretti biscuits (Doria) 63 53 Meringue 68 65

High GI Desserts, Cakes and Biscuits

Dessert Type GI GL Banoffee pie 70 26 Snowballs (Tunnock's) 70 33 Jammie Dodgers 70 48 Hot cross buns 72 42 Doughnut, jam 76 37 Scones. plain 92 49

Table 7 - Chocolate and Sweets

Low GI Chocolate and Sweets

Sweet Type GI GL Whole Nut Chocolate bar (Cadbury's) 43 21 Ripple (Galaxy) 43 22 Organic dark chocolate 70% cocoa (Green&Blacks) 43 22 Wispa (Cadbury) 43 23 Mint Aero (Nestle) 43 26 Minstrels 43 29 Twix 44 30 Twister ice lolly 45 9 Fruit and nut bar (Cadbury's) 45 25 Lion Bar (Nestle) 45 29 Mint crisp chocolates 45 30 Quality Street chocolates 45 30 After Eights 45 33 Milky Way 45 34 Alpen Bar (Strawberry & Yoghurt) 51 37 Snickers 55 31

Medium GI Chocolate and Sweets

Sweet Type GI GL Tracker bar 57 33 Kellogg's Fruit & Fibre Bar 57 41 Bounty bar 63 37 Maltesers (Mars) 63 39 Kit Kat 63 40 Double Decker 63 41 Chocolate covered caramels 63 42 Rolo 63 42 Nutrigrain bar, chocolate (Kelloggs) 63 42 Curly Wurly 63 44 Creme egg 63 45 Cadbury's Fudge 63 45 Crunchie (Cadbury's) 63 45 Mars bar 65 50 Foam sweets 68 54 Boiled sweets 68 59 Peppermint creams 68 67

High GI Chocolate and Sweets