What is Glycemic Index & Glycemic Load?
The glycemic index is a numerical value placed on foods in order to measure the impact it has on your blood sugar level. In other words, how quickly or slowly it raises it.
On the other hand, the glycemic load measures how high your blood sugar could go when you eat an actual serving of food. One unit of glycemic load approximates the effect of consuming one gram of glucose.
To help you understand how the foods you are eating might impact your blood glucose level, here is a listing of the glycemic index and glycemic load, per serving, for some foods.
Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Table
| FOOD | Glycemic index (glucose = 100) | Serving size (grams) | Glycemic load per serving |
| BAKERY PRODUCTS AND BREADS | |||
| Banana cake, made with sugar | 47 | 60 | 14 |
| Banana cake, made without sugar | 55 | 60 | 12 |
| Sponge cake, plain | 46 | 63 | 17 |
| Vanilla cake made from packet mix with vanilla frosting (Betty Crocker) | 42 | 111 | 24 |
| Apple muffin, made with rolled oats and sugar | 44 | 60 | 13 |
| Apple muffin, made with rolled oats and without sugar | 48 | 60 | 9 |
| Waffles, Aunt Jemima® | 76 | 35 | 10 |
| Bagel, white, frozen | 72 | 70 | 25 |
| Baguette, white, plain | 95 | 30 | 14 |
| Coarse barley bread, 80% kernels | 34 | 30 | 7 |
| Hamburger bun | 61 | 30 | 9 |
| Kaiser roll | 73 | 30 | 12 |
| Pumpernickel bread | 56 | 30 | 7 |
| 50% cracked wheat kernel bread | 58 | 30 | 12 |
| White wheat flour bread, average | 75 | 30 | 11 |
| Wonder® bread, average | 73 | 30 | 10 |
| Whole wheat bread, average | 69 | 30 | 9 |
| 100% Whole Grain® bread (Natural Ovens) | 51 | 30 | 7 |
| Pita bread, white | 68 | 30 | 10 |
| Corn tortilla | 52 | 50 | 12 |
| Wheat tortilla | 30 | 50 | 8 |
| BEVERAGES | |||
| Coca Cola® (US formula) | 63 | 250 mL | 16 |
| Fanta®, orange soft drink | 68 | 250 mL | 23 |
| Lucozade®, original (sparkling glucose drink) | 95 | 250 mL | 40 |
| Apple juice, unsweetened, | 41 | 250 mL | 12 |
| Cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray®) | 68 | 250 mL | 24 |
| Gatorade, orange flavor (US formula) | 89 | 250 mL | 13 |
| Orange juice, unsweetened, average | 50 | 250 mL | 12 |
| Tomato juice, canned, no sugar added | 38 | 250 mL | 4 |
| GRAINS | |||
| Pearled barley, average | 25 | 150 | 11 |
| Sweet corn on the cob | 48 | 60 | 14 |
| Couscous | 65 | 150 | 9 |
| Quinoa | 53 | 150 | 13 |
| White rice, average | 73 | 150 | 43 |
| Quick cooking white basmati | 63 | 150 | 26 |
| Brown rice, average | 68 | 150 | 16 |
| Parboiled Converted white rice (Uncle Ben's®) | 38 | 150 | 14 |
| Whole wheat kernels, average | 45 | 50 | 15 |
| Bulgur, average | 47 | 150 | 12 |
| COOKIES AND CRACKERS | |||
| Graham crackers | 74 | 25 | 13 |
| Vanilla wafers | 77 | 25 | 14 |
| Shortbread | 64 | 25 | 10 |
| Rice cakes, average | 82 | 25 | 17 |
| Rye crisps, average | 64 | 25 | 11 |
| Soda crackers | 74 | 25 | 12 |
| DAIRY PRODUCTS AND ALTERNATIVES | |||
| Ice cream, regular, average | 62 | 50 | 8 |
| Ice cream, premium (Sara Lee®) | 38 | 50 | 3 |
| Milk, full-fat, average | 31 | 250 mL | 4 |
| Milk, skim, average | 31 | 250 mL | 4 |
| Reduced-fat yogurt with fruit, average | 33 | 200 | 11 |
| FRUITS | |||
| Apple, average | 36 | 120 | 5 |
| Banana, raw, average | 48 | 120 | 11 |
| Dates, dried, average | 42 | 60 | 18 |
| Grapefruit | 25 | 120 | 3 |
| Grapes, black | 59 | 120 | 11 |
| Oranges, raw, average | 45 | 120 | 45 |
| Peach, average | 42 | 120 | 5 |
| Watermelon | 72 | 120 | 4 |
| BEANS AND NUTS | |||
| Baked beans | 40 | 150 | 6 |
| Black-eyed peas | 50 | 150 | 15 |
| Black beans | 30 | 150 | 7 |
| Chickpeas | 10 | 150 | 3 |
| Chickpeas, canned in brine | 42 | 150 | 9 |
| Navy beans, average | 39 | 150 | 12 |
| Kidney beans, average | 34 | 150 | 9 |
| Lentils | 28 | 150 | 5 |
| Soy beans, average | 15 | 150 | 1 |
| Cashews, salted | 22 | 50 | 3 |
| Peanuts | 13 | 50 | 1 |
| PASTA and NOODLES | |||
| Fettucini | 32 | 180 | 15 |
| Macaroni, average | 50 | 180 | 24 |
| Macaroni and Cheese (Kraft®) | 64 | 180 | 33 |
| Spaghetti, white, boiled, average | 46 | 180 | 22 |
| Spaghetti, white, boiled 20 min | 58 | 180 | 26 |
| Spaghetti, whole-grain, boiled | 42 | 180 | 17 |
| SNACK FOODS | |||
| Corn chips, plain, salted, average | 42 | 50 | 11 |
| Fruit Roll-Ups® | 99 | 30 | 24 |
| M & M's®, peanut | 33 | 30 | 6 |
| Microwave popcorn, plain, average | 55 | 20 | 7 |
| Potato chips, average | 56 | 50 | 12 |
| Pretzels, oven-baked | 83 | 30 | 16 |
| Snickers Bar® | 51 | 60 | 18 |
| VEGETABLES | |||
| Green peas | 54 | 80 | 4 |
| Carrots, average | 39 | 80 | 2 |
| Parsnips | 52 | 80 | 4 |
| Baked russet potato | 111 | 150 | 33 |
| Boiled white potato, average | 82 | 150 | 21 |
| Instant mashed potato, average | 87 | 150 | 17 |
| Sweet potato, average | 70 | 150 | 22 |
| Yam, average | 54 | 150 | 20 |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |||
| Hummus (chickpea salad dip) | 6 | 30 | 0 |
| Chicken nuggets, frozen, reheated in microwave oven 5 min | 46 | 100 | 7 |
| Pizza, plain baked dough, served with parmesan cheese and tomato sauce | 80 | 100 | 22 |
| Pizza, Super Supreme (Pizza Hut®) | 36 | 100 | 9 |
| Honey, average | 61 | 25 | 12 |
Adapted from Health Harvard
Nutrition experts believe that people with diabetes should pay attention to both the glycemic index and glycemic load to avoid sudden spikes in blood sugar. However, The American Diabetes Association says that the total amount of carbohydrate in a food, rather than its glycemic index or load, is a stronger predictor of what will happen to blood sugar. While some dietitians also feel that focusing on the glycemic index and load adds an unneeded layer of complexity to choosing what to eat.
But to make it a bit simpler, following the principles of low-glycemic-index eating will be very beneficial for people with diabetes. And maintaining a healthy weight is more important for your blood sugar and your overall health.
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