Glycemic index chart beside produce

Glycemic index chart

Take advantage of this widely used scale to help guide your food decisions and balance your blood sugar.

A guide to the glycemic index

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-containing food or drink by how much it raises blood sugar levels after consumption. Foods with a high GI increase blood sugar higher and faster compared to foods with a low GI.

Diabetes Canada uses a colour coding system to highlight foods you should GO for, foods you should approach with CAUTION and foods you should STOP & THINK about, based on their GI category.

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GREEN = GOYELLOW = CAUTIONRED = STOP & THINK
Low GI (55 or less)
Choose most often
Medium GI (56 to 69)
Choose less often
High GI (70+)
Choose least often

Benefits of a low GI diet

Research suggests eating mostly low GI foods can help:

Finding high GI foods and their lower GI alternatives has never been simpler.

Let’s take a look at GI breakdowns in the following food groups

  Low Glycemic Index

(55 or less)
Choose most often

Medium Glycemic Index

(56 to 69)
Choose less often

High Glycemic Index

(70 or more)
Choose least often

Breads

  • Heavy mixed grain breads
  • Spelt bread
  • Sourdough bread
  • Tortilla (whole grain)
  • Chapati (white, whole wheat)
  • Flaxseed/Linseed bread
  • Pita bread (white, whole wheat)
  • Pumpernickel bread
  • Roti (white, whole wheat)
  • Rye bread (light, dark, whole grain)
  • Stone ground whole wheat bread
  • Whole grain wheat breads
  • Bread (white, whole wheat)
  • Naan (white, whole wheat)

Cereal and crackers

  • All-Bran™ cereal
  • All-Bran Buds™ with psyllium cereal
  • Oat bran
  • Oats (steel-cut)
  • Cream of Wheat™ (regular)
  • Oats (instant)
  • Oats (large flakes)
  • Oats (quick)
  • Rye crisp crackers (e.g., Ryvita Rye Crispbread™)
  • All-Bran Flakes™ cereal
  • Corn Flakes™ cereal
  • Cream of wheat™ (instant)
  • Puffed wheat cereal
  • Rice Krispies™ cereal
  • Special K™ cereal
  • Pretzels
  • Rice cakes
  • Soda crackers

Grains

  • Barley
  • Bulgur
  • Mung bean noodles
  • Pasta (al dente, firm)
  • Pulse flours
  • Quinoa
  • Rice (converted, parboiled)
  • Basmati rice
  • Brown rice
  • Cornmeal
  • Couscous (regular, whole wheat)
  • Rice noodles
  • White rice (short, long grain)
  • Wild rice
  • Jasmine rice
  • Millet
  • Sticky rice
  • White rice (instant)

  Low Glycemic Index

(55 or less)
Choose most often

Medium Glycemic Index

(56 to 69)
Choose less often

High Glycemic Index

(70 or more)
Choose least often

Fruits

Some fruits don’t have a GI because they contain less than 15 g of available carbohydrate per serving (e.g., lemon and lime).

  • Apple
  • Apricot (fresh, dried)
  • Banana (green, unripe)
  • Berries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Grapefruit
  • Honeydew melon
  • Mango
  • Orange
  • Peach
  • Pear
  • Plum
  • Pomegranate
  • Prunes
  • Banana (ripe, yellow)
  • Cherries (bottled)
  • Cherries (fresh)
  • Cranberries (dried)
  • Figs (fresh, dried)
  • Grapes
  • Kiwi
  • Lychee
  • Pineapples
  • Raisins
  • Banana (brown, overripe)
  • Watermelon

Vegetables*

  • Peas
  • Popcorn
  • Sweet potato
  • Winter squash
  • Beets
  • Corn
  • French fries
  • Parsnip
  • Potato (red, white, cooled)
  • Carrots
  • Potato (instant, mashed)
  • Potato (red, white, hot)

   

* Most starchy/sweet vegetables (e.g., peas, parsnip, winter squash) provide 15 g or more carbohydrate per 1 cup serving. Beets and carrots often provide less than 15 g carbohydrate per serving.
Most non-starchy (or free) vegetables (e.g., tomato and lettuce) have not been assigned a GI because they have very little carbohydrate and very little effect on blood sugar.

  Low Glycemic Index

(55 or less)
Choose most often

Medium Glycemic Index

(56 to 69)
Choose less often

High Glycemic Index

(70 or more)
Choose least often

Milk & alternatives

List includes flavoured (e.g., chocolate), sweetened and unsweetened varieties.

  • Almond milk
  • Cow milk (skim, 1%, 2%, whole)
  • Frozen yogurt
  • Greek yogurt
  • Soy milk
  • Yogurt (skim, 1%, 2%, whole)
N/A
  • Rice milk

  Low Glycemic Index

(55 or less)
Choose most often

Medium Glycemic Index

(56 to 69)
Choose less often

High Glycemic Index

(70 or more)
Choose least often

Proteins

  • Baked beans
  • Chickpeas
  • Kidney beans
  • Lentils
  • Mung beans
  • Romano beans
  • Soybeans/Edamame
  • Split peas
  • Lentil soup (ready-made)
  • Split pea soup (ready-made)
N/A

Meat, poultry and fish don’t have a GI because they do not contain carbohydrates. When ½ cup or more of beans, lentils and peas are eaten, they can be included in the Grains & starches food group or the Proteins group.

Adapted from Diabetes Canada, 2018.

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Information presented within Cart2Table is not intended to replace the advice of a healthcare professional.

Cart2Table has been reviewed and approved by Registered Dietitian Caroline Leblanc and Certified Diabetes Educator Naomi Orzech.