A guide to the glycemic index

The glycemic index (GI) is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-containing food or drink by how much it raises blood sugar levels after consumption. Foods with a high GI increase blood sugar higher and faster compared to foods with a low GI.

Diabetes Canada uses a colour coding system to highlight foods you should GO for, foods you should approach with CAUTION and foods you should STOP & THINK about, based on their GI category.


GREEN = GO	YELLOW = CAUTION	RED = STOP & THINK
Low GI (55 or less) Choose most often	Medium GI (56 to 69) Choose less often	High GI (70+) Choose least often

Benefits of a low GI diet

Research suggests eating mostly low GI foods can help:

Lower your risk of type 2 diabetes complications
Lower your risk of heart disease and stroke
Keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer
With weight loss and weight maintenance goals

Finding high GI foods and their lower GI alternatives has never been simpler.

Let’s take a look at GI breakdowns in the following food groups

	Low Glycemic Index (55 or less) Choose most often	Medium Glycemic Index (56 to 69) Choose less often	High Glycemic Index (70 or more) Choose least often
Breads	Heavy mixed grain breads Spelt bread Sourdough bread Tortilla (whole grain)	Chapati (white, whole wheat) Flaxseed/Linseed bread Pita bread (white, whole wheat) Pumpernickel bread Roti (white, whole wheat) Rye bread (light, dark, whole grain) Stone ground whole wheat bread Whole grain wheat breads	Bread (white, whole wheat) Naan (white, whole wheat)
Cereal and crackers	All-Bran™ cereal All-Bran Buds™ with psyllium cereal Oat bran Oats (steel-cut)	Cream of Wheat™ (regular) Oats (instant) Oats (large flakes) Oats (quick) Rye crisp crackers (e.g., Ryvita Rye Crispbread™)	All-Bran Flakes™ cereal Corn Flakes™ cereal Cream of wheat™ (instant) Puffed wheat cereal Rice Krispies™ cereal Special K™ cereal Pretzels Rice cakes Soda crackers
Grains	Barley Bulgur Mung bean noodles Pasta (al dente, firm) Pulse flours Quinoa Rice (converted, parboiled)	Basmati rice Brown rice Cornmeal Couscous (regular, whole wheat) Rice noodles White rice (short, long grain) Wild rice	Jasmine rice Millet Sticky rice White rice (instant)

	Low Glycemic Index (55 or less) Choose most often	Medium Glycemic Index (56 to 69) Choose less often	High Glycemic Index (70 or more) Choose least often
Fruits Some fruits don’t have a GI because they contain less than 15 g of available carbohydrate per serving (e.g., lemon and lime).	Apple Apricot (fresh, dried) Banana (green, unripe) Berries Cantaloupe Grapefruit Honeydew melon Mango Orange Peach Pear Plum Pomegranate Prunes	Banana (ripe, yellow) Cherries (bottled) Cherries (fresh) Cranberries (dried) Figs (fresh, dried) Grapes Kiwi Lychee Pineapples Raisins	Banana (brown, overripe) Watermelon
Vegetables*	Peas Popcorn Sweet potato Winter squash	Beets Corn French fries Parsnip Potato (red, white, cooled)	Carrots Potato (instant, mashed) Potato (red, white, hot)

Low Glycemic Index

(55 or less)
Choose most often

Medium Glycemic Index

(56 to 69)
Choose less often

High Glycemic Index

(70 or more)
Choose least often

Fruits

Some fruits don’t have a GI because they contain less than 15 g of available carbohydrate per serving (e.g., lemon and lime).

Apple
Apricot (fresh, dried)
Banana (green, unripe)
Berries
Cantaloupe
Grapefruit
Honeydew melon
Mango
Orange
Peach
Pear
Plum
Pomegranate
Prunes

Banana (ripe, yellow)
Cherries (bottled)
Cherries (fresh)
Cranberries (dried)
Figs (fresh, dried)
Grapes
Kiwi
Lychee
Pineapples
Raisins

Banana (brown, overripe)
Watermelon

Vegetables*

Peas
Popcorn
Sweet potato
Winter squash

Beets
Corn
French fries
Parsnip
Potato (red, white, cooled)

Carrots
Potato (instant, mashed)
Potato (red, white, hot)

* Most starchy/sweet vegetables (e.g., peas, parsnip, winter squash) provide 15 g or more carbohydrate per 1 cup serving. Beets and carrots often provide less than 15 g carbohydrate per serving.
Most non-starchy (or free) vegetables (e.g., tomato and lettuce) have not been assigned a GI because they have very little carbohydrate and very little effect on blood sugar.

	Low Glycemic Index (55 or less) Choose most often	Medium Glycemic Index (56 to 69) Choose less often	High Glycemic Index (70 or more) Choose least often
Milk & alternatives List includes ﬂavoured (e.g., chocolate), sweetened and unsweetened varieties.	Almond milk Cow milk (skim, 1%, 2%, whole) Frozen yogurt Greek yogurt Soy milk Yogurt (skim, 1%, 2%, whole)	N/A	Rice milk

Low Glycemic Index

(55 or less)
Choose most often

Medium Glycemic Index

(56 to 69)
Choose less often

High Glycemic Index

(70 or more)
Choose least often

Milk & alternatives

List includes ﬂavoured (e.g., chocolate), sweetened and unsweetened varieties.

Almond milk
Cow milk (skim, 1%, 2%, whole)
Frozen yogurt
Greek yogurt
Soy milk
Yogurt (skim, 1%, 2%, whole)

N/A

Rice milk

	Low Glycemic Index (55 or less) Choose most often	Medium Glycemic Index (56 to 69) Choose less often	High Glycemic Index (70 or more) Choose least often
Proteins	Baked beans Chickpeas Kidney beans Lentils Mung beans Romano beans Soybeans/Edamame Split peas	Lentil soup (ready-made) Split pea soup (ready-made)	N/A

Meat, poultry and ﬁsh don’t have a GI because they do not contain carbohydrates. When ½ cup or more of beans, lentils and peas are eaten, they can be included in the Grains & starches food group or the Proteins group.

Adapted from Diabetes Canada, 2018.

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