The glycemic index or GI ranks carbohydrates according to their effect on blood glucose levels. The lower the GI, the slower the rise in blood glucose levels will be when the food is consumed. The effect may differ from person to person. It is recommended that people with diabetes have moderate amounts of carbohydrate and include high fibre foods that also have a low GI (not all high fibre foods have a low GI). Some research has shown that by eating a diet with a lower GI, people with diabetes can reduce their average blood glucose levels. This is important in reducing the risk of developing diabetes-related complications. GI numbers are to be used as a guide only as individual foods do not have the same response in all people with diabetes.
The recommendation is to eat more low and intermediate GI foods, not to exclude high GI foods. The GI is only a small part of the healthy eating plan for people with diabetes. For more information: visit the Glycemic Index and GI Database website.
The glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when that food is eaten on its own. Carbohydrate foods that are broken down quickly by your body and cause a rapid increase in blood glucose have a high GI rating. Some high GI foods are: Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and cause a gradual rise in blood sugar levels over time. Some examples are: Some low GI foods, such as wholegrain foods, fruit, vegetables, beans and lentils, are foods we should eat as part of a healthy, balanced diet. However, using the glycaemic index to decide whether foods or combinations of foods are healthy can be misleading. Foods with a high GI are not necessarily unhealthy and not all foods with a low GI are healthy. For example, watermelon and sometimes parsnips are high GI foods, while chocolate cake has a lower GI value. Also, foods that contain, or are cooked with, fat and protein slow down the absorption of carbohydrate, lowering their GI. For example, crisps have a lower GI than potatoes cooked without fat. However, crisps are high in fat and should be eaten in moderation. If you only eat foods with a low GI, your diet may be unbalanced and high in fat. Find out more about eating a healthy, balanced diet. Low GI foods, which cause your blood sugar levels to rise and fall slowly, may help you feel fuller for longer. This could help control your appetite and may be useful if you're trying to lose weight. However, as mentioned above, not all foods with a low GI are healthy. Therefore, relying on GI alone is not a good way to decide whether foods or combinations of foods are healthy. Read more information about losing weight. The glycaemic index can be useful for people with type 2 diabetes because eating foods with low GI ratings can help control blood glucose. However, other factors must also be taken into account. Research has shown that the amount of carbohydrate you eat, rather than its GI rating, has the biggest influence on blood glucose levels after meals. It's also important to eat a healthy, balanced diet that is low in fat, sugar and salt, and high in fruit and vegetables. If you've been advised to make changes to your diet, or you need advice, a diabetes dietitian can help you work out a diet plan. Speak to your GP about being referred to a dietitian. Diabetes UK has for more information on GI and diabetes The Eatwell Guide shows the amounts of different types of foods needed to have a well-balanced and healthy diet. You don't need to achieve this balance with every meal, but try to get the balance right over a day or even a week. Read the answers to more questions about food and diet.
Page last reviewed: 17 June 2022 Staying Healthy
Low glycemic foods help you feel full longer; help keep blood sugar even. Bread, rice, pasta, breakfast cereal, dairy foods, fruits, and vegetables are staples in many diets. All deliver carbohydrates. For providing calories, one carbohydrate is as good as another. When it comes to health, though, some are better than others. Picking good carbs can help you control your weight and ward off a host of chronic conditions, from diabetes and heart disease to various cancers. One way to identify good carbs is with the glycemic index (GI). This tool measures how much a food boosts blood sugar. "Glycemic index categories can be very helpful for people trying to choose a healthy diet," says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.
What's a carb?Carbohydrates are a family of molecules. They occur in three main forms. Sugars are the simplest. They include glucose (the type of sugar that travels in the blood stream), fructose (fruit sugar), lactose (milk sugar), and others. Starches are more complex carbs. A starch is a long chain of sugar molecules. Some starches, like those in the average baked potato, the body digests in a flash, quickly elevating blood sugar. Other starches, like those in whole grains and beans, are digested more slowly, and so don't boost blood sugar as high. Fiber, another complex carbohydrate, can't be broken down by the human digestive tract. Fiber tends to move though the stomach and gut slowly, making you feel full without adding calories. Understanding the glycemic indexBlood sugar and insulin levels rise every time you eat something containing carbohydrates. How high they rise, and how fast, depend on the food. A serving of white rice has almost the same effect as eating pure glucose—a quick, high spike in blood sugar and insulin. A serving of lentils has a slower, smaller effect. The glycemic index captures these changes by rating the effect of a specific amount of a food on blood sugar compared with the same amount of pure glucose. A food with a glycemic index of 28 boosts blood sugar only 28% as much as pure glucose; one with a GI of 95 acts almost like pure glucose. Over the past three decades, researchers have measured the glycemic index of several thousand foods. You can see the values for 100 commons foods and get links to more at health.harvard.edu/glycemic. The glycemic index of a diet can affect health in various ways. Some of the latest studies suggest that:
Using the glycemic indexUsing the glycemic index is easy: choose foods in the low GI category instead of those in the high GI category, and go easy on those in between. Using the glycemic index would be even easier if U.S. food makers put a symbol on low GI foods, as they do in Australia. (It's "under discussion in the U.S.," says Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller, professor of human nutrition at the University of Sydney and a long-time glycemic index researcher and advocate.) Low glycemic index (GI of 55 or less): Most fruits and vegetables, beans (Brand-Miller calls beans "star performers"), minimally processed grains, pasta, low-fat dairy foods, and nuts. Moderate glycemic index (GI 56 to 69): White and sweet potatoes, corn, white rice, couscous, breakfast cereals such as Cream of Wheat and Mini Wheats. High glycemic index (GI of 70 or higher): White bread, rice cakes, most crackers, bagels, cakes, doughnuts, croissants, most packaged breakfast cereals. Everything in moderationThe glycemic index is a useful guide for choosing healthy foods. But it shouldn't be the only one. The amount of carbohydrate you take in matters too. Spaghetti, for example, has a low glycemic index (42). But eat a huge plate of it and your blood sugar will head into the stratosphere. And "not all foods with a low glycemic index are health foods," cautions Dr. Hu. A Snickers bar has a GI of 43; Coca Cola one of 63. Both deliver little more than sugar.
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Why is it recommended to not eat foods with a high glycemic index?
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