Low-Glycemic Foods List Guide

What is a glycemic index?

It is better to eat foods that have a low gycemic index to support health.

Glycemic index (GI) is a numeric value assigned to foods based on how slowly or quickly they can increase your blood glucose levels. It is a rating system for carbohydrate-containing foods. Foods having a low GI are the ones that tend to release glucose slowly and steadily. By contrast, foods that fall high on the GI scale release glucose rapidly.

Foods with a low GI help to facilitate weight loss and promote satiety. People who have or are at a risk of diabetes should eat foods with a low GI. This is because they tend to have low amounts of insulin (type 1 diabetes) or a high degree of resistance to insulin (type 2 diabetes). Insulin is the hormone that keeps the blood glucose levels under check. In its absence, blood sugars may increase when a person eats high-glycemic foods. Low-glycemic foods release sugar gradually and thus will prevent an abrupt increase in blood sugar.

High-glycemic foods help with energy recovery after exercise. High-glycemic foods also aid recovery from low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia).

GI is assigned with reference to pure glucose that is arbitrarily given a GI of 100. Thus, if a food has a GI of 30, it means it will boost blood glucose by only 30% compared with pure glucose.

What value constitutes a low glycemic index?

Low glycemic index (GI) refers to a GI value of 55 or less. Low-GI foods include most fruits and vegetables, whole or minimally processed grains, beans, pasta, low-fat dairy products and nuts.

Foods with a GI of 56 to 69 come under the category of moderate-GI foods. They include potatoes, white rice, corn, couscous and breakfast cereals such as Mini-Wheats and Cream of Wheat.

High GI means a GI of 70 or more. Foods with high GI include white bread, cakes, doughnuts, cookies, rice cakes, most crackers, bagels, croissants and most packaged breakfast cereals.

Which are the low-glycemic foods?

Some of the common low-glycemic foods are as follows

Most vegetables

• Green peas
• Onions
• Lettuce
• Cabbage
• Leafy greens such as spinach, collards, kale, and beet
• Green beans
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Bok choy
• Artichokes
• Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Eggplant
• Peppers including bell peppers and jalapeno
• Zucchini 
• Crookneck squash
• Snow peas
• Mushrooms

Certain fruits

• Apples
• Pears
• Plum
• Avocado
• Olives
• Dried apricots
• Unripe banana
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Oranges
• Cherries
• Coconut
• Grapefruit
• Cranberries
• Blueberries

Whole or minimally processed grains

• Barley
• Whole wheat 
• Oat bran and rice bran cereals
• Whole-grain pasta
• Whole-grain pumpernickel bread
• Sourdough bread
• Wheat tortilla

Dairy and dairy-substitute products

• Plain yogurt
• Cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Milk 
• Soy milk and yogurt

Miscellaneous

• Nuts and nut butters 
• Seeds such as pumpkin, chia, sunflower and flax seeds
• Poultry such as chicken and turkey
• Eggs and egg whites
• Fish and shellfish
• Meat such as beef and pork
• Oils such as extra virgin olive oil and canola oil
• Fats such as lard, shortening and butter
• Mayonnaise