Glycaemic index and carbohydrate content of some common foods

Glycaemic index (GI)is a numerical system that tells you how fast a particular food triggers a rise in your blood sugar levels. A food with a high GI will cause a fast rise in blood sugar while a food with a low GI will bring about a slower rise.

Below the three tables (divided into high, moderate and low GI foods) give the GI values for a range of common foods.

High GI foods (GI=60-100)

Food	Portion size	Glycaemic index (GI)	Carbohydrate (g) per portion	kcals per portion
Breakfast cereals
Cornflakes	1 small bowl (30g)	84	26	108
Rice Crispies	1 small bowl (30g)	82	27	111
Cheerios	1 small bowl (30g)	74	23	111
Shredded Wheat	2 (45g)	67	31	146
Weetabix	2 (40g)	69	30	141
Grains/pasta
Couscous	5 tbsp (150g)	65	77	341
Brown rice	6 tbsp (180g)	76	58	254
White rice	6 tbsp (180g)	87	56	248
Breads
Bagel	1 (90g)	72	46	241
Croissant	1 (60g)	67	23	216
Baguette	3 inches long (40g)	95	22	108
White bread	1 large slice (38g)	70	18	85
Wholemeal bread	1 large slice (38g)	69	16	82
Pizza	1 large slice (115g)	60	38	288
Crackers and biscuits
Puffed crispbread	1 slice (10g)	81	7	32
Ryvita	1 slice (10g)	69	7	32
Water biscuit	1 (8g)	78	6	35
Rice cakes	1 (8g)	85	6	28
Shortbread	1 (13g)	64	8	65
Vegetables
Parsnip	2 tbsp (65g)	97	8	43
Baked potato	1 medium (180g)	85	22	94
Boiled new potato	7 small (175g)	62	27	116
Mashed potato	4 tbsp (180g)	70	28	188
Chips	average (165g)	75	59	450
Swede	2 tbsp (60g)	72	1	7
Broad beans	2 tbsp (120g)	79	7	58
Fruit
Cantaloupe melon	1 slice (200g)	65	6	26
Pineapple	1 slice (80g)	66	8	33
Raisins	1 tbsp (30g)	64	21	82
Watermelon	1 slice (200g)	72	14	62
Dairy products
Ice cream	1 scoop (60g)	61	14	62
Drinks
Fanta	375 ml can	68	51	191
Lucozade	250 ml bottle	95	40	150
Isostar	250 ml can	70	18	68
Gatorade	250 ml bottle	78	15	56
Squash (diluted)	250ml glass	66	14	54
Snacks and sweets
Tortilla/Corn chips	1 bag (50g)	72	30	230
Mars bar	1 standard (65g)	68	43	287
Muesli bar	1 (33g)	61	20	154
Sugars
Glucose	1 tsp (5g)	100	5	19
Sucrose	1 tsp (5g)	65	5	19
Maltodextrin	1 tsp (5g)	105	5	19

Moderate GI foods (GI=40-59)

Food	Portion size	Glycaemic index (GI)	Carbohydrate (g) per portion	kcals per portion
Breakfast cereals
All Bran	1 small bowl (40g)	42	19	104
Sultana Bran	1 small bowl (30g)	52	20	91
Porridge (with water)	1 small bowl (160g)	42	14	78
Muesli	1 small bowl (50g)	56	34	183
Grains/pasta
Buckwheat	4 tbsp (80g)	54	68	292
Bulgar wheat	4 tbsp (56g)	48	44	196
Basmati rice	4 tbsp (60g)	58	48	215
Noodles	4 tbsp 230g cooked	46	30	143
Macaroni	4 tbsp 230g cooked	45	43	198
Spaghetti	4 tbsp 220g cooked	41	49	229
Breads
Pitta bread	1 large (75g)	57	43	199
Rye bread	1 slice (25g)	41	11	55
Biscuits and cakes
Digestive	1 (15g)	59	10	71
Oatmeal	1 (13g)	55	8	57
Rich Tea	1 (10g)	55	8	40
Muffin	1 (68g)	44	34	192
Sponge cake	1 slice (60g)	46	39	181
Vegetables
Carrots	2 tbsp (60g)	49	3	14
Boiled potato	2 medium (175g)	56	30	126
Peas	2 tbsp (70g)	48	7	48
Sweetcorn	2 tbsp (85g)	55	17	94
Sweet potato	1 medium (130g)	54	27	109
Yam	1 medium (130g)	51	43	173
Pulses
Baked beans	1 small tin (205g)	48	31	166
Fruit
Apricots	1 (40g)	57	3	12
Banana	1 (100g)	55	23	95
Grapes	1 small bunch (100g)	46	15	57
Kiwi	1 (68g)	52	6	29
Mango	half (75g)	55	11	43
Orange	1 (208g)	44	12	54
Papaya	half (175g)	58	12	47
Peach	1 (121g)	42	8	36
Plum	1 (58g)	39	5	20
Sultanas	1 tbsp (18g)	56	12	50
Dairy products
Custard	2 tbsp (120g)	43	20	140
Drinks
Apple juice	1 glass (160ml)	40	16	61
Orange juice	1 glass (160ml)	46	14	58
Snacks and sweets
Crisps	1 packet (30g)	54	16	159
Milk chocolate	1 bar (54g)	49	31	281
Sugars
Honey	1 heaped tsp (17g)	58	13	49

Low GI foods (GI=1-39)

Food	Portion size	Glycaemic index (GI)	Carbohydrate (g) per portion	kcals per portion
Breakfast cereals
Pulses
Butter beans	4 tbsp (120g)	31	22	124
Chick peas	4 tbsp (140g)	33	24	168
Red kidney beans	4 tbsp (120g)	27	20	124
Green/brown lentils	4 tbsp (160g)	30	28	164
Red lentils	4 tbsp (160g)	26	28	160
Soya beans	4 tbsp (120g)	18	6	169
Fruit
Apples	1 (100g)	38	12	47
Dried apricots	5 (40g)	31	15	63
Cherries	1 small handful (100g)	22	10	39
Grapefruit	half (80g)	25	5	24
Peaches tinned	half tin (120g)	30	12	47
Pear	1 (160g)	38	16	64
Plum	1 (55g)	39	5	20
Dairy products
Full cream milk	half pint (300ml)	27	14	198
Skimmed milk	half pint (300ml)	32	15	99
Yoghurt (low fat fruit)	1 carton (150g)	33	27	135
Snacks and sweets
Peanuts	1 small handful (50g)	14	4	301
Sugars
Fructose	1 tsp (5g)	23	5	19

References:

1. Leeds, A, Brand Miller J, Foster-Powell K, Colagiuri S. The Glucose Revolution (2000) (London: Hodder & Stoughton) p29.
2. MAFF/RSC (1991). McCance & Widdowson's The Composition of Foods, 5th ed. (Cambridge: MAFF/RSC)