GLYCEMIC INDEX CHART OF FOODS - WHY SO IMPORTANT?

I found this article on the 'net detailing the glycemic index of various foods. As you may or may not already know, the lower the glycemic index of a food, the more slowly the carbs are released into your blood stream, and the less blood sugar or insulin is released. Insulin is a storage hormone in the body, therefore, the LESS insulin that is released, the LESS carbs/fats is stored. Choosing lower GI foods will create a lower insulin response, more effectively regulate blood sugar levels, and keep you more satisfied and less hungry throughout the day. Read on for the skinny...

Glycemic Index List of Foods

The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how fast a carbohydrate triggers a rise in circulating blood sugar-the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. A low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike. A list of carbohydrates with their glycemic values is shown below. The book, The New Glucose Revlolution Complete Guide to Glycemic Index Values, contains the most complete list I know of. The first list contains some foods not found in the list from The University of Sydney. Combining the information in both list can assist you greatly in making the proper selections. These list was collected from the glycemic index database compiled by The University of Sydney and other sources. This list is only one criterion for selecting the proper foods to meet your nutritional needs. There are foods on the list that may be "low glycemic" but at the same time be a poor choice because of other criteria such as sodium content, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol and other issues. We are presenting this list as an aid in making better selections. It is your responsibility to make sure the selections meet all of your nutrition goals. Generally speaking, the lower the glycemic index the better for diabetics and people trying to lose weight. There are what on the surface seem to be apparent contradictions. For example, white rice is generally considered to be a high glycemic food, yet there are several white rice entries in the low glycemic list. There are also many good choices that have not as yet been tested and added to the University of Sydney database such as, avocado and artichoke, which are both widely, known to be good choices in most nutrition plans. many of those foods are found in the first list. This list gives us many food choices we may not normally think of and this list can give us options that we may not have considered.

Low-Glycemic Index Foods: Less Than 50 Intermediate-Glycemic Index Foods: 50 to 70 High-Glycemic Index Foods: More Than 70 Artichoke <15 Asparagus <15 Avocado < 15 Broccoli <15 Cauliflower <15 Celery <15 Cucumber <15 Eggplant <15 Green beans <15 Lettuce, all varieties <15 Low-fat yogurt, artificially sweetened <15 Peanuts <15 Peppers, all varieties <15 Snow peas <15 Spinach <15 Young summer squash <15 Zucchini <15 Tomatoes 15 Cherries 22 Peas, dried 22 Plum 24 Grapefruit 25 Pearled barley 25 Peach 28 Canned peaches, natural juice 30 Dried apricots 31 Soy milk 30 Baby lima beans, frozen 32 Fat-free milk 32 Fettuccine 32 * M&M's Chocolate Candies, Peanut 32 Low-fat yogurt, sugar sweetened 33 Apple 36 Pear 36 Whole wheat spaghetti 37 Tomato soup 38 Carrots, cooked 39 * Mars Snickers Bar 40 Apple juice 41 Spaghetti 41 All-Bran 42 Canned chickpeas 42 Custard 43 Grapes 43 Orange 43 Canned lentil soup 44 Canned pinto beans 45 Macaroni 45 Pineapple juice 46 Banana bread 47 Long-grain rice 47 Parboiled rice 47 Bulgur 48 Canned baked beans 48 Grapefruit juice 48 Green peas 48 Oat bran bread 48 * Chocolate bar, 1.5 oz 49 Old-fashioned oatmeal 49 Cheese tortellini 50 * Low-fat ice cream 50 Canned kidney beans 52 Kiwifruit 52 Orange juice, not from concentrate 52 Banana 53 * Potato chips 54 * Pound cake 54 Special K 54 Sweet potato 54 Brown Rice 55 Canned fruit cocktail 55 Linguine 55 Oatmeal cookies 55 Popcorn 55 Sweet corn 55 Muesli 56 White rice 56 Orange juice from frozen concentrate 57 Pita bread 57 Canned peaches, heavy syrup 58 Mini shredded wheats 58 Bran Chex 58 Blueberry muffin 59 Bran muffin 60 Cheese pizza 60 Hamburger bun 61 * Ice cream 61 Kudos Whole Grain Bars (chocolate chip) 61 Beets 64 Canned apricots, light syrup 64 Canned black bean soup 64 Macaroni and cheese 64 Raisins 64 Couscous 65 Quick-cooking oatmeal 65 Rye crispbread 65 * Table sugar (sucrose) 65 Canned green pea soup 66 Instant oatmeal 66 Pineapple 66 Angel food cake 67 Grape-Nuts 67 Stoned Wheat Thins 67 American rye bread 68 Taco shells 68 Whole wheat bread 69 Life Savers 70 Melba toast 70 White bread 70 Golden Grahams 71 Bagel 72 Corn chips 72 Watermelon 72 Honey 73 Kaiser roll 73 Mashed potatoes 73 Bread stuffing mix 74 Cheerios 74 Cream of Wheat, instant 74 Graham crackers 74 Puffed wheat 74 Doughnuts 75 French fries 76 Frozen waffles 76 Total cereal 76 Vanilla wafers 77 Grape-Nuts Flakes 80 Jelly beans 80 Pretzels 81 Rice cakes 82 Rice Krispies 82 Corn Chex 83 Mashed potatoes, instant 83 Cornflakes 84 Baked potato 85 Rice Chex 89 Rice, instant 91 French bread 95 Parsnips 97 Dates 103 Tofu frozen dessert 115