Glycemic Index and Smart Carb Choices (cont.)
The truth is, there is plenty of evidence that a mostly plant-based diet can reduce your risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. And these foods tend to have lower glycemic index numbers.
But we have yet to determine whether a low-glycemic-index diet is really what helps prevent disease, or whether this effect comes mostly from eating a healthful variety of foods.
Glycemic Load and Index Values for Common Foods
Here are glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) values for some common foods. I have included their fiber content as well. Keep in mind that GI/GL is just one tool. Other aspects of food, like vitamin, mineral, fiber, and phytochemical content, are also very important.
This table uses white bread as the reference for glycemic index. White bread has a glycemic index of 100 when used as the reference food.
| Food |
GI |
GL |
*Fiber (g) |
| BEVERAGES |
| Milk, whole |
38 |
4 |
0 |
| Milk, skim |
46 |
6 |
0 |
| Chocolate milk (2%) |
49 |
12 |
1.2 |
| Coca-Cola |
90 |
22 |
0 |
| JUICES |
| Apple, unsweet |
57 |
17 |
0.3 |
| Carrot juice, fresh |
61 |
14 |
1 |
| Cranberry juice cocktail |
97 |
33 |
0.3 |
| Grapefruit, unsweet |
69 |
12 |
0.3 |
| Orange, unsweet |
71 |
18 |
0.5 |
| Pineapple, unsweet |
66 |
22 |
0.5 |
| Tomato, canned (no added sugar) |
54 |
6 |
1.1 |
| BREADS |
| Bagel, white (Lenders) |
103 |
35 |
1.8 |
| Baguette, plain |
136 |
21 |
1.8 |
| Oat-bran bread |
63 |
11 |
1.4 |
| Rye bread |
71 |
8 |
1.8 |
| White bread |
100 |
14 |
0.7 |
| 100% whole-grain bread |
73 |
10 |
4.5 |
| BREAKFAST CEREALS |
| All-Bran (Kellogg's) |
54 |
13 |
9.7 |
| Bran Chex |
83 |
15 |
4.9 |
| Cheerios |
106 |
21 |
2.6 |
| Corn Chex |
118 |
29 |
0.5 |
| Cornflakes |
130 |
33 |
0.8 |
| Corn Pops |
114 |
29 |
0.4 |
| Cream of Wheat |
105 |
30 |
3 |
| Crispix |
124 |
30 |
0.7 |
| Froot Loops |
99 |
25 |
0.6 |
| Golden Grahams |
102 |
25 |
0.9 |
| Grape-Nuts |
107 |
22 |
2.6 |
| Oat bran, raw |
78 |
4 |
1.5 |
| Raisin Bran |
87 |
17 |
4 |
| Rice Chex |
127 |
32 |
0.3 |
| Rice Krispies |
117 |
30 |
0.3 |
| Shredded Wheat |
107 |
21 |
3 |
| Special K |
98 |
19 |
0.9 |
| Total |
109 |
24 |
2.6 |
| GRAINS |
| Barley, pearl |
36 |
15 |
5.7 |
| Buckwheat |
78 |
22 |
6 |
| Bulgur (cracked wheat), boiled |
68 |
17 |
7 |
| Corn, sweet, cooked |
85 |
20 |
4 |
| Couscous, boiled 5 min. |
93 |
23 |
2.1 |
| Oats, (as porridge) |
83 |
18 |
4 |
| RICE |
| Long grain, white unconverted, boiled 15 min. |
71 |
29 |
0.6 |
| Uncle Ben's parboiled, 20 minutes |
107 |
39 |
0.6 |
| Basmati, white |
83 |
30 |
0.3 |
| Brown rice, steamed |
72 |
22 |
3 |
| DAIRY PRODUCTS, ETC. |
| Vanilla ice cream, light (1/2% fat) |
67 |
7 |
0 |
| Chocolate ice cream, premium (15% fat) |
53 |
6 |
0.5 |
| Milk, whole |
38 |
4 |
0 |
| Milk, skim |
46 |
6 |
0 |
| Vanilla pudding (instant, made w/ whole milk) |
57 |
8 |
0 |
| Fruit yogurt (low-fat) w/ sugar |
47 |
14 |
0 |
| Fruit yogurt (nonfat) w/ acesulfame K and Splenda |
33 |
6 |
1 |
| Soy milk, reduced-fat |
63 |
11 |
1 |
| FRUIT |
| Apple |
57 |
8 |
4 |
| Banana |
73 |
18 |
3 |
| Cherries |
32 |
4 |
2.8 |
| Dates, dried |
147 |
58 |
4.5 |
| Grapefruit, raw |
36 |
4 |
5 |
| Grapes |
66 |
11 |
1.2 |
| Kiwifruit |
68 |
7 |
4.1 |
| Orange |
69 |
7 |
3 |
| Peach |
40 |
62.4 |
|
| Pear |
54 |
6 |
3 |
| Pineapple |
84 |
10 |
1.5 |
| Plum |
34 |
41.8 |
|
| Prunes, pitted |
41 |
14 |
4.3 |
| Raisins |
91 |
28 |
3 |
| Cantaloupe |
93 |
6 |
1 |
| Strawberries |
57 |
1 |
2.8 |
| Watermelon |
103 |
6 |
0.6 |
| LEGUMES/BEANS |
| Black-eyed peas |
59 |
18 |
9.6 |
| Garbanzo beans |
39 |
11 |
6.6 |
| Kidney beans (canned) |
74 |
12 |
14 |
| Black beans, soaked overnight, cooked 45 min. |
28 |
7 |
13.1 |
| Lentils, red |
36 |
7 |
12 |
| Pinto beans (dried), boiled |
55 |
14 |
13 |
| Soybeans, green, boiled |
25 |
1 |
6.3 |
| PREPARED/CONVENIENCE FOODS |
| Chicken nuggets |
66 |
10 |
0.4 |
| Fish sticks |
54 |
10 |
0 |
| French fries, from frozen |
107 |
30 |
4.5 |
| Pizza, cheese, from frozen |
86 |
22 |
2 |
| Pizza, vegetarian (thin crust) |
70 |
17 |
3 |
| PASTA/NOODLES |
| Fettuccine, egg noodles |
57 |
25 |
2 |
| Macaroni, boiled 5 min. |
64 |
30 |
1 |
| Spaghetti, boiled 5 min. |
45 |
21 |
3.1 |
| Spaghetti, boiled 11 min. (durum wheat semolina) |
84 |
39 |
3.1 |
| SNACK FOODS |
| Corn chips |
60 |
15 |
1.8 |
| Fruit bars, strawberry |
129 |
32 |
0.5 |
| Popcorn, plain, cooked in microwave |
102 |
11 |
3 |
| Pretzels, oven-baked |
119 |
22 |
1 |
| SWEETS |
| Chocolate (milk) |
49 |
10 |
1.7 |
| Chocolate (white) |
63 |
18 |
0 |
| Roll-Ups (fruit leather w/added vitamin C) |
142 |
33 |
0 |
| Jelly beans |
112 |
30 |
0 |
| M&M's, peanut |
47 |
8 |
1 |
| Snickers bar |
97 |
32 |
1.5 |
| Twix cookie bar |
63 |
24 |
0.7 |
| NUTS |
| Cashews |
31 |
4 |
1.7 |
| Peanuts |
19 |
1 |
4 |
| SUGARS |
| Honey |
78 |
14 |
0 |
| Sucrose (sugar) |
97 |
10 |
0 |
| VEGETABLES |
| Broccoli, steamed |
0 |
0 |
2.5 |
| Kale, cooked |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Spinach, raw |
0 |
0 |
2.2 |
| Zucchini, steamed |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Lettuce, Romaine |
0 |
0 |
1 |
| Green peas |
68 |
4 |
4.4 |
| Sweet corn, boiled |
85 |
15 |
2 |
| Carrots, boiled and peeled |
70 |
3 |
3 |
| Potato, baked (russet) |
121 |
36 |
4 |
| Sweet potato, baked with skin |
69 |
22 |
6 |
|
