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Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Index
Calculate your BMI easily here! (In pounds or Kilograms)


This system, known as the glycemic index, measures how fast and how far blood sugar rises after you eat a food that contains carbohydrates.
This system for classifying carbohydrates calls into question many of the old assumptions about how carbohydrates affect health. White bread, for example, is digested almost immediately to glucose, causing blood sugar to spike rapidly. So white bread is classified as having a high glycemic index, brown rice, in contrast, is digested more slowly, causing a lower and more gentle change in blood sugar. It has a lower glycemic index.

Glycemic index is a number. It gives you an idea about how fast your body converts the carbs in a food into glucose. Two foods with the same amount of carbohydrates can have different glycemic index numbers.

The smaller the number, the less impact the food has on your blood sugar.

35 or less = Low (good)

36 - 50 = Medium

55 or higher = High (bad)

Look for the glycemic index on the labels of packaged foods. You can also find glycemic index lists for common foods on the Internet. Harvard University has one with more than 100. Or ask your dietitian or nutrition counselor.

Foods that are close to how they're found in nature tend to have a lower glycemic index than refined and processed foods.

Most beneficial: Low GI
Less beneficial: Medium GI
Avoid: High GI

Note from Four Winds Nutrition: If you have a blood sugar issue try anyone of these formulas below and add GTF Chromium.



 
 

 
  • Supports the glandular system.
  • Is traditionally used to support proper pancreas function
 
 
 
 
  • Supports pancreas.
  • Supports normal-range blood sugar levels.
  • Provides glandular support
 
 
 

 
  • Helps maintain blood sugar levels
  • May help support vascular health
  • Supports the circulatory system

 



Weight Issue? Visit this page

Glycemic Index Tables
By Michel Montignac

High GI
(55 or higher)

Corn syrup

115

Glucose (dextrose)

100

Modified starch

100

Fried potatoes, scalloped potatoes

95

Potatoes, oven cooked

95

Gluten-free white bread

90

Sticky rice

90

Carrots (cooked) *

85

Corn flakes

85

Instant/parboiled rice

85

Parsnip *

85

Puffed rice

85

Rice milk

85

Turnip (coked) *

85

White wheat flour

85

Mashed potatoes

80

Lasagna (soft wheat)

75

Rice milk (with sugar)

75

Waffle (with sugar)

75

Bagels

70

Biscuit

70

Cabbage turnip, rutabaga, Swede turnip

70

Cola drinks, soft drinks, sodas

70

Croissant

70

Gnocchi

70

Millet, sorghum

70

Mush

70

Pealed boiled potatoes

70

Polenta, cornmeal

70

Puffed amaranth

70

Refined cereals (with sugar added)

70

Risotto

70

Special K™

70

Tacos

70

Whole brown sugar

70

Chestnut flour

65

Couscous, semolina

65

Jam (with sugar added)

65

Marmalade (with sugar)

65

Muesli (with sugar or honey added...)

65

Panapen, breadfruit, breadnut

65

Quince (preserve/jelly, with sugar)

65

Rye bread (30% of rye)

65

Sweet corn, corn

65

Tropical yam -US-, yam

65

Unpeeled boiled/steamed potato

65

Apricots ( tin/can with syrup)

60

Blanched barley

60

Hard/durum wheat semolina

60

Ice cream (regular, with sugar added)

60

Long-grain rice

60

Melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, etc.) *

60

Oatmeal, porridge

60

Perfumed rice (jasmine...)

60

Powder chocolate (with sugar)

60

Bulgur wheat (cooked)

55

Grape juice (unsweetened)

55

Ketchup

55

Manioc, mandioca, yucca, Cassava (bitter)

55

Mustard (sugar added)

55

Papaya (fresh fruit)

55

Red rice

55

Sushi

55

 

 
 

Beer *

110

Glucose syrup

100

Wheat syrup, rice syrup

100

Potato flour (starch)

95

Rice flour

95

Potato flour

90

Arrowroot

85

Celeriac, knob celery, turnip rooted celery (cooked) *

85

Hamburger buns

85

Maizena (corn starch)

85

Pop corn (without sugar)

85

Rice cake/pudding

85

Tapioca

85

White sandwich bread

85

Fava bean, broad bean, horse bean (cooked)

80

Doughnuts

75

Pumpkin, gourd *

75

Squash/marrow (various) *

75

Watermelon*

75

Baguette white bread

70

Brioche

70

Chocolate bar (with sugar added)

70

Corn flour

70

Dried dates

70

Matzo bread (white flour)

70

Molasses

70

Noodles (tender wheat)

70

Plantain/cooking banana/platano (cooked)

70

Potato chips, crisps

70

Ravioli (soft wheat)

70

Rice bread

70

Rusk

70

Standard rice

70

White sugar (sucrose)

70

Beet, beetroot (cooked) *

65

Chinese noodles/vermicelli (rice)

65

Hovis, brown bread (with leaven)

65

Maple syrup

65

Mars®, Sneakers®, Nuts®, etc.

65

Pain au chocolat

65

Pineapple (tin/can)

65

Raisins (red and golden)

65

Sorbet (with sugar added)

65

Tamarind, Indian date (sweet)

65

Unpeeled boiled/steamed potato

65

Whole-grain bread

65

Bananas (ripe)

60

Chestnut

60

Honey

60

Lasagna (hard wheat)

60

Mayonnaise (industrial, sweetened)

60

Milk loaf, milk white

60

Ovomaltine

60

Pizza

60

Ravioli (hard wheat)

60

Butter cookies, shortbread, spritz biscuit (flour, butter, sugar)

55

Japanese plum, loquat

55

Mango juice (unsweetened)

55

Manioc, mandioca, yucca, cassava (sweet)

55

Nutella®

55

Peaches (tin/can, with syrup)

55

Spaghetti (well cooked)

55

Tagliatelle (well cooked)

55

 

 



Medium Gi

36 - 50

All Bran™

50

Basmati rice

50

Bread with quinoa (approximately 65% of quinoa)

50

Cereal bar, energetic (no sugar added)

50

Cranberry juice (unsweetened)

50

Kiwifruit, monkey peach *

50

Macaronis (durum wheat)

50

Muesli (no sweet)

50

Pineapple juice (unsweetened)

50

Sweet potatoes

50

Whole couscous/semolina

50

Bananas (unripe)

45

Brown basmati rice

45

Coconut

45

Farro flour (integral)

45

Grapes, green and red (fresh fruit)

45

Kamut bread

45

Orange juice (fresh squeezed and unsweetened)

45

Plantain/cooking banana/platano (raw)

45

Rye (integral; flour, bread)

45

Tomato sauce (with sugar)

45

Whole cereals (no sugar added)

45

Al dente spaghetti (5 min cook)

40

Brut cider

40

Carrot juice (unsweetened)

40

Dried apricots

40

Dried plums/prunes

40

Falafel (fava beans)

40

Fava beans, broad beans, horse beans (raw)

40

Kidney/pinto beans (tin/can)

40

Matzo bread (integral flour)

40

Oats

40

Pepino dulce, melon pear

40

Quince (preserve/jelly, without sugar)

40

Shortbread, spritz biscuit (integral flour, no sugar added)

40

Spelt, einkorn (integral)

40

 

 
 

Apple juice (unsweetened)

50

Biscuit (whole flour, no sugar added)

50

Brown rice, unpolished rice

50

Chayote, chocho, pear squash, christophine

50

Jerusalem artichoke

50

Litchi (fresh fruit)

50

Mango (fresh fruit)

50

Persimmon, kaki-persimmon

50

Spelt bread

50

Wasa™ light rye

50

Whole wheat pasta

50

Barley, whole grain

45

Capellini pasta

45

Cranberry

45

Grapefruit juice (unsweetened)

45

Green peas (tin/can)

45

Kamut flour (integral)

45

Pineapple (fresh fruit)

45

Plantain/cooking banana/platano (raw)

45

Toasted integral bread

45

Whole bulgur wheat (cooked)

45

Whole couscous, whole semolina

45

Bread, 100% integral flour with pure leaven

40

Buckwheat, kasha, saracen (integral; flour or bread)

40

Coconut milk

40

Dried fig

40

Egyptian wheat, kamut

40

Farro

40

Integral wheat pasta, al dente

40

Lactose

40

Oat flakes (uncooked)

40

Peanut butter (no suger addes)

40

Pumpernickel bread

40

Quinoa flour

40

Sorbet (unsweetened)

40

Tahin

40

 




Low GI

35 and lower

Adzuki/azuki bean

35

Amaranth, seeds

35

Apple stew, apple sauce

35

Cassoulet (meat and beans French dish)

35

Chick pea flour

35

Chinese noodles/vermicelli (hard wheat), noodles

35

Custard apple, cherimoya, sherbet fruit, soursop, guanabana

35

Dried apples

35

Essene/ezekiel bread (sprouted cereals bread)

35

Figs; Indian/barbary fig (fresh fruit)

35

Green peas (fresh)

35

Indian corn

35

Linum, sesame (seeds)

35

Oranges (fresh fruit)

35

Plums, prunes (fresh fruit)

35

Quince (fresh fruit)

35

Soy yogurt (fruit flavored)

35

Tomato juice

35

Wasa™ fiber (24%)

35

White beans, haricot beans, cannellini beans, faziola beans

35

Yeast

35

Almond milk

30

Beet (raw)

30

Carrots (raw)

30

Chinese noodles/vermicelli (made from soy or mung beans)

30

Garlic

30

Jam (no sugar added, fruit juice sweetened)

30

Milk** (skimmed or not)

30

Passion fruit, maracuja, granadilla

30

Powdered/fresh milk **

30

Scorzoneras

30

Tangerines, madarines, satsuma

30

Turnip (raw)

30

Blackberry, mulberry

25

Cherries

25

Flageolet beans, fayot beans

25

Green lentils

25

Mung beans, moong dal

25

Pearl barley

25

Redcurrant

25

Soy flour

25

Strawberries (fresh fruit)

25

Whole-hazelnut paste/puree (unsweetened)

25

Bamboo shoot

20

Eggplant, aubergine

20

Lemon juice (unsweetened)

20

Ratatouille

20

Soy yogurt (unflavored)

20

Tamari sauce (unsweetened)

20

Agave (syrup)

15

Asparagus

15

Bran (oat, wheat...)

15

Brussels sprouts

15

Carob powder

15

Cauliflower

15

Cereal shoots (soy or mung bean sprouts, etc.)

15

Chili pepper

15

Cucumber

15

Ginger

15

Leeks, scallions

15

Olives

15

Peanuts

15

Physalis, golden gooseberry, Cape, gooseberry, Chinese lantern, husk tomato

15

Pine seed

15

Radish

15

Runner beans, Italian flat beans

15

Sauerkraut, sourcrout

15

Sorrel dock

15

Spinach beet, perpetual spinach

15

Sprouted seeds

15

Tofu, soybean curd

15

Avocado

10

Spices (parsley, basil, oregano, cinnamon, vanilla, etc.)

5

 

 
 

Ale strains

35

Apple (fresh fruit)

35

Black beans

35

Celeriac, knob celery, turnip rooted celery (raw)

35

Chick peas, garbanzo beans (tin/can)

35

Cranberry bean, borlotti bean, Roman bean

35

Dijon type mustard

35

Dried tomatos

35

Falafel (chick peas)

35

Green peas (fresh)

35

Ice cream (with real fructose)

35

Kidney/pinto beans

35

Nectarines (fresh fruit)

35

Peaches (fresh fruit)

35

Pomegranate (fresh fruit)

35

Quinoa, hie

35

Sunflower seeds

35

Tomato sauce (natural, no sugar added)

35

White almond paste/puree (unsweetened)

35

Wild rice

35

Yoghurt, yogurt **

35

Apricots (fresh fruit)

30

Brown lentils

30

Chick peas, garbanzo beans

30

French beans, string beans

30

Grapefruit, pummelo, shaddock (fresh fruit)

30

Marmalade (no sugar added)

30

Oat milk (non cooked)

30

Pears (fresh fruit)

30

Quark, curd cheese **

30

Soya milk

30

Tomatoes

30

Yellow lentils

30

Blueberry, whortleberry, bilberry

25

Dark chocolate (more than 70% of cocoa content)

25

Gooseberry

25

Hummus, homus, humus

25

Peanut paste/puree (unsweetened)

25

Raspberry (fresh fruit)

25

Seeds (squash/marrow)

25

Split peas

25

Whole-almond paste/puree (unsweetened)

25

Artichoke

20

Chocolate, plain (>85% of cocoa)

20

Heart of palm, cabbage palm

20

Powder cocoa (no sugar added)

20

Real fructose, fruit sugar

20

Soy "cream"

20

West Indian cherry, acerola

20

Almonds

15

Black currant

15

Broccoli

15

Cabbage

15

Cashew nut, acajou

15

Celery

15

Chicory, endive

15

Courgettes, zucchini

15

Fennel

15

Hazelnuts, filberts, Barcelona nuts

15

Mushroom, fungus

15

Onions

15

Pesto

15

Pickle

15

Pistachio, green almond

15

Rhubarb

15

Salad, lettuce

15

Shallot, echalot, Spanish garlic

15

Soya

15

Spinaches

15

Sweet peppers (red, green), paprika

15

Walnuts

15

Crustaceans

5

Vinegar

5

 

 

* These foods, even though they have high GIs, their pure sugar content (pure glucid) is quite low (approximately 5%.) Consuming these foods should not significantly affect blood sugar levels.


** There is practically no difference in the GIs of whole-milk products and non-fat milk products. It is important to keep in mind that milk products, even if their GI is low, have a high insulinic index.

Why Is GI Important?

Over the past 15 years, low-GI diets have been associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, depression, chronic kidney disease, formation of gall stones, neural tube defects, formation of uterine fibroids, and cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, and pancreas.

Excerpts from WebMD
Some foods can make your blood sugar shoot up very fast. That's because carbohydrates like refined sugars and bread are easier for your body to change into glucose, the sugar your body uses for energy, than more slowly digested carbs like those in vegetables and whole grains. Eat a lot of those easy carbohydrates and you'll have a hard time controlling your blood sugar, even with insulin and diabetes medications.

The glycemic index gives you a way to tell slower-acting "good carbs" from the faster "bad carbs." You can use it to fine-tune your carb-counting and help keep your blood sugar more steady.

Assess Yourself: Is Your Type 2 Diabetes Under Control? (WebMD)


Glycemic Index Can Change

That number is a starting point on paper. It could be different on your plate, depending on several things.

Preparation. Fat, fiber, and acid (such as lemon juice or vinegar) lower the glycemic index. The longer you cook starches like pasta, the higher their glycemic index will be.

Ripeness. The glycemic index of fruits like bananas goes up as they ripen.

Other foods eaten at the same time. Bring down the overall glycemic index of a meal by combining a high-glycemic index food with foods that have lower ones.

Your age, how active you are, and how fast you digest food also affect how your body reacts to carbs. If you have a diabetes complication called gastroparesis, which delays your stomach from emptying, your body will absorb food much more slowly.

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