What is the glycemic index of products?
The glycemic index (GI) indicates the rate at which the body absorbs carbs from foods and increases the blood glucose level. To put it simply, GI is the amount of glucose formed during digestion.
What does it mean in practice? Products with a high GI are rich in net sugars and provide fast energy to the body. On the contrary, low GI foods increase the blood glucose slowly and steadily.
*To make it simple, a scoring scale of 100 units was developed: 0 means absence of carbohydrates, while 100 is pure glucose.
100 Best Low GI Products
These foods are most suitable for weight loss, for diabetics, as well as for long distance runners since they provide energy slowly and evenly.
Keep in mind that GI has nothing to do with calorie content, so consider both aspects when compiling a weekly menu.
|
Product |
GI |
|---|---|
|
Cranberries (fresh or frozen) |
47 |
|
Grapefruit juice (with no added sugar) |
45 |
|
Canned green peas |
45 |
|
Brown basmati rice |
45 |
|
Coconuts |
45 |
|
Grapes |
45 |
|
Orange fresh |
45 |
|
Whole-grain toast |
45 |
|
Whole-cereal flakes (with no added sugar or honey) |
43 |
|
Guckwheat |
40 |
|
Dried figs |
40 |
|
Al dente pasta |
40 |
|
Carrot juice (with no added sugar) |
40 |
|
Dried apricots |
40 |
|
Prunes |
40 |
|
Black wild rice |
35 |
|
Chickpeas |
35 |
|
Fresh apples |
35 |
|
Meat with beans |
35 |
|
Dijon mustard |
35 |
|
Dried tomatoes |
34 |
|
Fresh green peas |
35 |
|
Chinese noodles and pasta |
35 |
|
Sesame |
35 |
|
Oranges |
35 |
|
Fresh plums |
35 |
|
Fresh quince |
35 |
|
Soy sauce (with no added sugar) |
35 |
|
Low-fat natural yogurt |
35 |
|
Ice-cream with fructose |
35 |
|
Kidney beans |
34 |
|
Nectarines |
34 |
|
Pomegranates |
34 |
|
Peaches |
34 |
|
Dried fruit drink (with no added sugar) |
34 |
|
Tomato juice |
33 |
|
Yeast |
31 |
|
Soy milk |
30 |
|
Apricots |
30 |
|
Brown lentils |
30 |
|
Grapefruits |
30 |
|
Green beans |
30 |
|
Garlic |
30 |
|
Fresh carrots |
30 |
|
Fresh beets |
30 |
|
Jam (with no added sugar) |
30 |
|
Fresh pears |
30 |
|
Fresh tomatoes |
30 |
|
Low-fat cottage cheese |
30 |
|
Yellow lentils |
30 |
|
Blueberries, lingonberries, bilberries |
30 |
|
Bitter chocolate (more than 70% cocoa) |
30 |
|
Almond milk |
30 |
|
Milk (any fat content) |
30 |
|
Passionfruit |
30 |
|
Fresh tangerine |
30 |
|
Blackberry |
20 |
|
Cherry |
25 |
|
Green lentils |
25 |
|
Golden beans |
25 |
|
Fres raspberry |
25 |
|
Red currant |
25 |
|
Soy flour |
25 |
|
Strawberries and wild strawberries |
25 |
|
Pumpkin seeds |
25 |
|
Gooseberries |
25 |
|
Peanut butter (with no added sugar) |
20 |
|
Artichokes |
20 |
|
Eggplants |
20 |
|
Soy yoghurt |
20 |
|
Almonds |
15 |
|
Broccoli |
15 |
|
Cabbage |
15 |
|
Cashews |
15 |
|
Celery |
15 |
|
Bran |
15 |
|
Brussels sprouts |
15 |
|
Cauliflower |
15 |
|
Chilli |
15 |
|
Fresh cucumber |
15 |
|
Hazelnuts, cedar nuts, pistachios, walnuts |
15 |
|
Asparagus |
15 |
|
Ginger |
15 |
|
Mushrooms |
15 |
|
Zucchini |
15 |
|
Onion |
15 |
|
Pesto |
15 |
|
Leek |
15 |
|
Olives |
15 |
|
Peanuts |
15 |
|
Pickled cucumbers |
15 |
|
Rhubarb |
15 |
|
Tofu |
15 |
|
Soybeans |
15 |
|
Spinach |
15 |
|
Avocado |
10 |
|
Green salad |
9 |
|
Parsley, basil, vanilla, cinnamon, oregano |
5 |
As you can see, meat, fish, poultry and eggs are not included on the list, since they are almost carb-free. In fact, these are products with a zero GI.
How to reduce the glycemic index of foods and is it possible? There are several ways to reduce GI:
- Products you choose should be high in fiber, then its total GI is lower;
- Pay attention to the way of cooking. For example, mashed potatoes have higher GI than boiled potatoes;
- Another way to lower GI is to combine proteins with carbs, because the latter increase the absorption of the former.
