|
Get most of your carbohydrates from low glycemic sources.
This list of low glycemic carbohydrates is arrange with the lowest glycemic
carbohydrates at the top of the list moving down to the higher glycemic
carbohydrates at the bottom according to their GI rating. This list is culled
from the Glycemic Index data base maintained by the University of Sydney in Sydney
Australia.
It is based on the work of Jennie Brand-Miller who is one of
the world's leading authorities on the glycemic index. She and her co-authors
have published a number of practical books on how choosing low GI carbohydrates.
The books are available in our on-line Amazon store.
Getting most if not all of your carbohydrates from low
glycemic carbs in this list can help you maintain good glucose control.
Measuring the GI
To determine a food's GI rating,
measured portions of the food containing 10 - 50 grams of carbohydrate are fed
to 10 healthy people after an overnight fast. Finger-prick blood samples are
taken at 15-30 minute intervals over the next two hours. These blood samples
are used to construct a blood sugar response curve for the two hour period. The
area under the curve (AUC) is calculated to reflect the total rise in blood
glucose levels after eating the test food. The GI rating (%) is calculated by
dividing the AUC for the test food by the AUC for the reference food (same
amount of glucose) and multiplying by 100 (see Figure 1). The use of a standard
food is essential for reducing the confounding influence of differences in the
physical characteristics of the subjects. The average of the GI ratings from
all ten subjects is published as the GI of that food.
Does
the GI increase with serving size? If I eat twice as much, does the GI double?
The GI always remains the same, even
if you double the amount of carbohydrate in your meal. This is because the GI
is a relative ranking of foods containing the "same amount" of
carbohydrate. But if you double the amount of food you eat, you should expect
to see a higher blood glucose response - ie, your glucose levels will reach a
higher peak and take longer to return to baseline compared with a normal serve.
Why
doesn't the GI of beef, chicken, fish, tofu, eggs, nuts, seeds, avocadoes, many
fruits (including berries) and vegetables, wine, beer and spirits appear on the
GI database?
These foods contain no carbohydrate,
or so little that their GI cannot be tested according to the standard
methodology. Bear in mind that the GI is a measure of carbohydrate quality.
Essentially, these types of foods, eaten alone, won't have much effect on your
blood glucose levels.
<!--[if gte vml 1]>
For our purposes foods with a glycemic index of less than 55
will be considered low glycemic. You may notice there are several foods with
carbohydrates that are not in the list. That is because many people do not
count them as carbohydrates. These include dark green and brightly colored vegetables, cruciferous vegetables like onion and garlic, nuts, seeds, fruits like avocado and
some berries.
This list is mean to give you more adeas about what you can safely eat but is by no means complete. When in doubt use your NutriBase software to see the Protein, Carbohydrate,
Fat (PCF) of that particular food. If the good fat and protien in the food is high and the sugar content is low it is usually a safe food. The diet management methods we recommend
account for all carbohydrates as well as the fats and protein in the meals we
eat and balance each meal.
|
Food
|
GI
|
Serve (g)
|
Carb/Serve (g)
|
GL
|
|
Soup, noodle soup (traditional Turkish soup with stock and noodles)
|
1
|
254 g
|
10.7
|
.1
|
|
Gaio® Tagatose sugar replacement (Arla Foods) (Test portion not 100% available carbohydrate)
|
3
|
10g
|
-
|
-
|
|
Hummus (chickpea salad dip)
|
6
|
30 g
|
3.3
|
.2
|
|
Xylitol (25 g test portion)
|
7
|
- -
|
-
|
-
|
|
Nopal (prickly pear cactus) (South American)
|
7
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Acacia aneura, mulga seed, roasted, wet ground to paste (Australia)
|
8
|
50 g
|
-
|
-
|
|
Castanospermum australe, blackbean seed, sliced, soaked 1 wk, pounded and baked (Australia)
|
8
|
50 g
|
8
|
8
|
|
Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans, Bengal gram), dried, soaked, boiled 35 min (Philippines)
|
10-36
|
150 g
|
24
|
2.4-8.6
|
|
Blue Agave cactus nectar, organic, light, 97% fructose
|
10
|
10 g
|
-
|
-
|
|
Blue Agave cactus nectar, organic, light, 90% fructose
|
11
|
10 g
|
-
|
-
|
|
Bengal gram dhal, chickpea (India)
|
11
|
150 g
|
11.1
|
1.2
|
|
Jalna Leben European Style Yoghourt
|
11
|
200 g
|
6.8
|
0.7
|
|
Fructose (50g test portion)
|
12
|
50 g
|
49.8
|
6
|
|
Ga kenkey, prepared from fermented cornmeal (Zea mays) (Ghana)
|
12
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Jalna Premium Blend - Greek Style Yoghourt
|
12
|
200 g
|
8.3
|
1.0
|
|
Kidney bean /white bean (Phaseolus vulgaris Linn), soaked, boiled 17 min (Philippines)
|
13-51
|
150 g
|
24
|
3.1-12
|
|
Peanuts (Canada)
|
13-23
|
50 g
|
4.5
|
0.6-1
|
|
Pinto beans, boiled in salted water (South American)
|
14-39
|
100 g
|
-
|
-
|
|
Cannelloni, spinach and ricotta
|
15
|
400 g
|
71.6
|
11
|
|
Carrots, raw (Romania)
|
16
|
80 g
|
4.2
|
0.7
|
|
Lentils, red, dried, boiled (Canada)
|
18-32
|
150 g
|
14.9
|
2.7-5.5
|
|
Uppuma kedgeree (millet, legumes, fenugreek seeds; roasted and cooked in water) (India)
|
18
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Rice Bran, extruded
|
19
|
30g
|
8
|
1.5
|
|
Rajmah (Phaseolus vulgaris) (India)
|
19
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Premium Agave Nectar (Sweet Cactus Farms)
|
19
|
5 g
|
3
|
1
|
|
Black bean (Phaseolus vulgaris Linn), soaked overnight, cooked 45 min (Philippines)
|
20
|
150 g
|
3.5
|
0.7
|
|
Barley, pearled (Canada)
|
22-48
|
150 g
|
31.7
|
7-15.2
|
|
Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan Linn. Huth.), soaked, boiled 45 min (Philippines)
|
22
|
150 g
|
11.3
|
2.5
|
|
Cashew nuts, (Australia)
|
22-27
|
50 g
|
10.3-13.2
|
2.9 -3
|
|
Yoghurt, non-fat with no added sugar
|
23
|
200 g
|
11
|
2.5
|
|
Plum, raw
|
24-53
|
120 g
|
7.8
|
1.9-4.1
|
|
Brown beans
|
24-38
|
80 g
|
5.2
|
1.2-2
|
|
Mixed nuts, roasted
|
24
|
50 g
|
17.3
|
4
|
|
Grapefruit, raw (Canada)
|
25
|
120 g
|
5.8
|
1.4
|
|
Mung bean, germinated (Australia)
|
25-53
|
150 g
|
17.3
|
4.3-9
|
|
Peas, yellow, split, dried, soaked overnight, boiled 55 min
|
25-32
|
150 g
|
11-84.9
|
3.5-21
|
|
Butter beans, soaked overnight, boiled 50 min
|
26
|
150 g
|
74.7
|
19
|
|
Maltitol
|
26
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Freedom Foods Raspberry spread, no added sugar
|
26
|
10 g
|
5
|
1.3
|
|
Coarse barley kernel bread with 75% kernels
|
27
|
30 g
|
12.8
|
3.5
|
|
Bangladeshi rice, variety BR16, pressure parboiled (27% amylose)
|
27
|
150 g
|
41
|
11.1
|
|
Spaghetti, protein enriched, boiled 7 min
|
27
|
180 g
|
44.3
|
12
|
|
Chapatti, baisen (India)
|
27
|
60 g
|
23.3
|
6.3
|
|
Apple, raw (Denmark)
|
28
|
120 g
|
14.6
|
4.1
|
|
Peach, raw (Canada)
|
28
|
120 g
|
7.4
|
2.1
|
|
Butter beans (South Africa)
|
28
|
150 g
|
3.5
|
1
|
|
Proti pasta (protein-enriched pasta), boiled in water: Vital Nature Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA
|
28
|
1 cup cooked
|
49
|
14
|
|
Rye, whole kernels (Canada)
|
29
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
| Apple, dried (Australia) |
29
|
60 g
|
37.2
|
10.8
|
|
Prunes, pitted
|
29
|
60 g
|
19.5
|
5.7
|
|
Butter beans, dried, cooked 1.25 h (South Africa)
|
29
|
150 g
|
3.5
|
1
|
| Haricot/Navy beans, pressure cooked at 15 psi for 25 min |
29
|
150 g
|
19.8
|
5.7
|
|
Wheat, whole kernels (Triticum aestivum) (India)
|
30
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Apricots, dried (Australia)
|
30
|
60 g
|
24.9
|
7.5
|
|
Banana, under-ripe (Denmark)
|
30
|
60 g
|
23.9
|
7.2
|
|
Haricot/Navy beans, dried, boiled (Canada)
|
30
|
150 g
|
19.8
|
5.9
|
|
Black Beans (South American)
|
30
|
150 g
|
31.5
|
9.5
|
|
Wheat tortilla (Mexican)
|
30
|
50 g
|
20.7
|
6.2
|
|
Full-fat cow's milk, fresh
|
31
|
258 ml
|
12.1
|
3.8
|
|
Orange, raw (Denmark)
|
31
|
120 g
|
9.2
|
2.9
|
|
Haricot/Navy beans, boiled (Canada)
|
31
|
150 g
|
19.8
|
6.1
|
| Marrowfat peas, dried, boiled (USA) |
31
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
| Apricots, dried, ready to eat |
31
|
150 g
|
21.6
|
7
|
| Bangladeshi rice, variety BR16, traditionally parboiled (27% amylose) |
31
|
150 g
|
41
|
13.1
|
| Skim milk (Canada) |
31
|
259 ml
|
13
|
4.1
|
| Apple, Braeburn, raw (New Zealand) |
32
|
120 g
|
14.6
|
4.7
|
| Lima beans, baby, frozen, reheated in microwave oven |
32
|
150 g
|
17
|
5.4
|
| Fettucine, egg, boiled |
32
|
180 g
|
46.1
|
14.7
|
| Spaghetti, white, boiled 15 min |
32
|
180 g
|
44.3
|
14.2
|
| Spaghetti, wholemeal, boiled (USA) |
32
|
180 g
|
44.3
|
14.2
|
| Locust honey (Romania) |
32
|
25 g
|
20.5
|
6.6
|
|
Pear, raw, (Canada)
|
33
|
120 g
|
11.3
|
3.7
|
|
Blackeyed beans/peas (Cowpeas), boiled (Canada)
|
33
|
150 g
|
21.5
|
7.1
|
| Campbell's ® tomato juice (US formulation): Campbell soup company, Camden, NJ, USA |
33
|
354 ml
|
11
|
3.6
|
| Coarse barley kernel bread with 80% scalded intact kernels and 20% white wheat flour |
34
|
30 g
|
12.8
|
4.3
|
| Rye, whole kernels, pressure cooked (15 psi) 30 min in 2 L water (Canada) |
34
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Apple, raw (Canada)
|
34
|
120 g
|
14.6
|
5
|
| Pear, Winter Nellis, raw (New Zealand) |
34
|
120 g
|
11.3
|
3.8
|
| Spaghetti, white, durum wheat, boiled |
34
|
180 g
|
44.3
|
15.1
|
| Dioscorea bulbifera, cheeky yam, peeled, sliced, soaked 2 d, baked 15 min (Australia) |
34
|
150 g
|
33.3
|
11.3
|
| Dioscorea bulbifera, cheeky yam, peeled, sliced, soaked 2 d, baked 15 min (Australia) |
34 |
250 g
|
12.0 |
4 |
| Bangladeshi rice, variety BR16, parboiled (28% amylose) |
34 |
150 g |
41 |
14.3 |
| Vermicelli, white, boiled (Australia) |
35 |
180 g
|
45.5 |
15.9 |
| Yellow box honey (46% fructose) (Australia) |
35 |
25 g
|
20.5 |
7.2 |
| Yam, peeled, boiled (New Zealand) |
35 |
150 g
|
- |
- |
| Dhokla, leavened, fermented, steamed cake; dehusked chickpea and wheat semolina (India) |
35 |
100 g
|
- |
- |
| Yoghurt, low fat, natural |
35 |
200 g
|
11.6 |
4 |
| Peaches, dried, ready to eat |
35 |
60 g
|
22.1 |
8 |
| Maltitol |
35 |
- |
- |
- |
| Yoghurt (Canada) |
36 |
200 g
|
9.4 |
3.4 |
| Butter beans (Canada) |
36 |
150 g
|
3.5 |
1.2 |
| Cheela (thin savoury pancake made from legume batter), bengal gram, fermented batter (India) |
36 |
150 g
|
- |
- |
| Lima beans broth (Phaseolus lunatus)(Pima Indian, USA) |
36 |
- |
- |
- |
| Yakult LIGHT, fermented milk drink |
36 |
65 ml
|
9 |
3.2 |
| Yoghurt, Greek style, honey topped |
36 |
140 g
|
19.0 |
7 |
| Dates, Khalas, sun-dried, vacuum-packed |
36 |
55 g
|
41.1 |
14.8 |
| Apple juice, pure, cloudy, unsweetened |
37 |
262 ml
|
26.5 |
9.8 |
| Sweet corn, 'Honey & Pearl' variety (New Zealand) |
37 |
80 g
|
16.2 |
6 |
| Chapatti, barley (India) |
37 |
60 g
|
23.3 |
8.6 |
| Tomato juice, canned, no added sugar |
38 |
257 ml
|
8.5 |
3.2 |
| Converted rice, white, boiled 20-30 min, Uncle Ben's® brand |
38 |
150 g
|
42 |
16 |
| Long grain rice, parboiled, boiled 5 min (Canada) |
38 |
150 g
|
41 |
15.6 |
| Cheela, (thin savoury pancake made from legume batter), green gram, fermented batter (India) |
38 |
150 g
|
- |
- |
| Green gram, (Phaseolus aureus),soaked 12 h, stored moist 24 h, steamed 1 h (India) |
38 |
- |
- |
- |
| Green banana, boiled (New Zealand) |
38 |
120 g
|
28.6 |
10.9 |
| Tortilla, corn (Zea mays and Olneya tesota)(Pima Indian, USA) |
38 |
50 g
|
20.7 |
7.8 |
| Apple juice, pure, unsweetened, reconstituted |
39 |
243 g
|
24.5 |
9.6 |
| Apple, Golden Delicious, raw (Canada) |
39 |
120 g
|
14.6 |
5.7 |
| Ravioli, durum wheat flour, meat filled, boiled (Australia) |
39 |
180 g
|
38.3 |
15 |
| Pea, green, frozen, boiled (Canada) |
39
|
80 g
|
6.3 |
2.5 |
| Corn tortilla, served with refried mashed pinto beans and tomato sauce (Mexican) |
39 |
100 g
|
- |
- |
| Muesli, Natural |
40 |
30 g
|
16 |
6.4 |
| Apple, raw (USA) |
40 |
120 g
|
14.6 |
5.9 |
| Orange, raw (Canada) |
40
|
120 g
|
9.2 |
3.7 |
| Strawberries, fresh, raw (Australia) |
40 |
120 g
|
3.2 |
1.3 |
| Unripe plantain (Musa paradisiaca) (Ghana) |
40
|
120 g
|
33.6 |
13.4 |
| Corn hominy (Zea mays)(Pima Indian, USA) |
40 |
150 g
|
12.9
|
5.2 |
| Chapatti, flour made from popped wheat, moth bean and bengal gram (India) |
40 |
60 g
|
23.3 |
9.3 |
| Macrozamia communis, cycad palm seed, sliced, soaked 1 wk, pounded, baked (Australia) |
40
|
- |
- |
- |
| Coarse rye kernel bread (pumperknickel) with 80% intact kernels and 20% white wheat flour (Sweden) |
40 |
30 g
|
13.4 |
5.5 |
| Wholemeal rye bread (Canada) |
40 |
30 g
|
13.4 |
5.5 |
| Mango (Mangifera indica) (Philippines) |
41 |
120 g
|
15.1 |
6.2 |
| Pear, Bartlett, raw (Canada) |
41 |
120 g
|
11.3 |
4.6 |
| Carrots, peeled, boiled (Australia) |
41 |
80 g
|
4.6 |
1.9 |
| Porridge made from raw rolled oats |
42 |
250 g
|
20.3 |
8.5 |
| Banana, slightly under-ripe (yellow with green sections) (USA) |
42 |
120 g
|
23.9 |
10 |
| Wheat, whole kernels, boiled (Canada) |
42 |
- |
- |
- |
| Corn chips, plain, salted, Doritos™ original (1998) |
42 |
50 g
|
26.1 |
11 |
| Cheela (thin savoury pancake made from legume batter), bengal gram (Cicer arietinum) (India) |
42 |
150 g
|
- |
- |
| Fajitas, chicken |
42 |
275 g
|
38.9 |
17 |
| 9-Grain Multi-Grain bread |
43 |
30 g
|
12.8 |
5.5 |
| Grapes, raw (Canada) |
43 |
120 g
|
18 |
7.7 |
| Lactose (50 g test portion) |
43 |
- |
- |
- |
| Black gram, (Phaseolus mungo), soaked 12 h, stored moist 24 h, steamed 1 h (India) |
43 |
150 g
|
3.5 |
1.5 |
| V8 ® 100% vegetable juice (US formulation): Campbell soup company, Camden, NJ, USA |
43 |
163 ml
|
6 |
2.6 |
| Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas),boiled (Australia) |
44 |
150 g |
26 |
11.4 |
| Buckwheat groats, hydrothermally treated, dehusked, boiled 12 min (Sweden) |
45 |
150 g
|
28.8 |
13 |
| Converted rice, white, Uncle Ben's® brand |
45 |
150 g
|
42 |
18.9 |
| Macaroni, plain, boiled 5 min |
45 |
180 g
|
44.3 |
19.9 |
| Dates, Khalas, traditional dried, dark brown colour |
45 |
55 g
|
41.3 |
18.6 |
| Wholegrain pumpernickel bread |
46 |
30 g
|
13.4 |
6.2 |
| Cracked wheat (bulgur/bourghul), boiled in 800 mL water 20 min (Canada) |
46 |
150 g
|
25.8 |
11.9 |
| Banana, raw (Canada) |
46 |
120 g |
23.9 |
11 |
| Romano beans (Canada) |
46 |
- |
- |
- |
| Cassava, boiled, with salt (Kenya) |
46 |
100 g
|
30.4 |
14 |
| Sweet corn, frozen, heated in microwave |
47 |
80 g
|
16.2 |
7.6 |
| Potato, New (Canada) |
47 |
150 g
|
19.5 |
9.2 |
| Grapefruit juice, unsweetened |
48 |
261 ml
|
15.7 |
7.5 |
| Sourdough rye (Australia) |
48 |
30 g
|
13.5 |
6.5 |
| Sweet corn, on the cob, boiled 20 min (Australia) |
48 |
50 g
|
10.1 |
4.8 |
| Banana, over-ripe (yellow flecked with brown) (USA) |
48 |
120 g
|
23.9 |
11.5 |
| Milk, skimmed, pasteurised, British (Dairycrest) |
48 |
250 ml
|
12.5 |
6 |
| Red River Cereal, breakfat cereal |
49 |
- |
- |
- |
| Oat bran, raw |
50 |
10 g
|
5 |
2.5 |
| Brown rice, steamed (USA) |
50 |
150 g
|
47.7 |
23.9 |
| Parboiled rice, Doongara, high-amylose (28%), boiled |
50 |
150 g
|
41 |
20.5 |
| Banana, ripe (all yellow) (USA) |
51 |
120 g
|
23.9 |
12.2 |
| Pea, green, frozen, boiled (Canada) |
51 |
80 g
|
6.3 |
3.2 |
| Yam (Canada) |
51 |
- |
- |
- |
| Porridge made from steel-cut oats, cooked in water |
52 |
60 g dry
|
33 |
17.2 |
| Cracked wheat (bulgur/bourghul), boiled 20 min (Canada) |
53 |
150 g
|
- |
- |
| Quinoa, organic, boiled |
53 |
100 g
|
17.0 |
9 |
| Taro (Colocasia esculenta) peeled, boiled (Australia) |
54 |
150 g
|
35.1 |
19 |
|
Healthy Diet 
We encourage you to become a good medical self advocate.