What is the Glycemic Index (GI)?
The Glycemic Index (GI) is one the best tools for fat loss. It measures how quickly foods breakdown into sugar in your bloodstream. High glycemic foods turn into blood sugar very quickly. Starchy foods like potatoes are a good example. Potatoes have such a high GI rating; its almost the same as eating table sugar.
What is the Glycemic Load (GL)?
The GI tells you how fast foods spike your blood sugar. But the GI won’t tell you how much carbohydrate per serving you’re getting. That’s where the Glycemic Load is a great help. It measures the amount of carbohydrate in each serving of food. Foods with a glycemic load under 10 are good choices—these foods should be your first choice for carbs. Foods that fall between 10 and 20 on the glycemic load scale have a moderate affect on your blood sugar. Foods with a glycemic load above 20 will cause blood sugar and insulin spikes. Try to eat those foods sparingly.
| Food | GI | Serving Size (g) | GL |
| CANDY/SWEETS | |||
| Honey | 87 | 1 Tbs | 3 |
| Jelly Beans | 78 | 1 oz | 22 |
| Snickers Bar | 68 | 60g (1/2 bar) | 23 |
| Table Sugar | 68 | 2 Tsp | 7 |
| Strawberry Jam | 51 | 2 Tbs | 10.1 |
| Peanut M&Ms | 33 | 30 g (1 oz) | 5.6 |
| Dove Dark Chocolate Bar | 23 | 37g (1 oz) | 4.4 |
| BAKED GOODS & CEREALS | |||
| Corn Bread | 110 | 60g (1 piece) | 30.8 |
| French Bread | 95 | 64g (1 slice) | 29.5 |
| Corn Flakes | 92 | 28g (1 cup) | 21.1 |
| Corn Chex | 83 | 30g (1 cup) | 20.8 |
| Rice Krispies | 82 | 33g (1.25 cup) | 23 |
| Corn pops | 80 | 31g (1 cup) | 22.4 |
| Donut (lrg. glazed) | 76 | 75g (1 donut) | 24.3 |
| Waffle (homemade) | 76 | 75g (1 waffle) | 18.7 |
| Grape Nuts | 75 | 58g (1/2 cup) | 31.5 |
| Bran Flakes | 74 | 29g (3/4 cup) | 13.3 |
| Graham Cracker | 74 | 14g (2 sqrs) | 8.1 |
| Cheerios | 74 | 30g (1 cup) | 13.3 |
| Kaiser Roll | 73 | 57g (1 roll) | 21.2 |
| Bagel | 72 | 89g (1/4 in.) | 33 |
| Corn tortilla | 70 | 24g (1 tortilla) | 7.7 |
| Melba Toast | 70 | 12g (4 rounds) | 5.6 |
| Wheat Bread | 70 | 28g (1 slice) | 7.7 |
| White Bread | 70 | 25g (1 slice) | 8.4 |
| Kellogg’s Special K | 69 | 31g (1 cup) | 14.5 |
| Taco Shell | 68 | 13g (1 med) | 4.8 |
| Angel food cake | 67 | 28g (1 slice) | 10.7 |
| Croissant, Butter | 67 | 57g (1 med) | 17.5 |
| Muselix | 66 | 55g (2/3 cup) | 23.8 |
| Oatmeal, Instant | 65 | 234g (1 cup) | 13.7 |
| Rye bread, 100% whole | 65 | 32g (1 slice) | 8.5 |
| Rye Krisp Crackers | 65 | 25 (1 wafer) | 11.1 |
| Raisin Bran | 61 | 61g (1 cup) | 24.4 |
| Bran Muffin | 60 | 113g (1 med) | 30 |
| Blueberry Muffin | 59 | 113g (1 med) | 30 |
| Oatmeal | 58 | 117g (1/2 cup) | 6.4 |
| Whole wheat pita | 57 | 64g (1 pita) | 17 |
| Oatmeal Cookie | 55 | 18g (1 large) | 6 |
| Popcorn | 55 | 8g (1 cup) | 2.8 |
| Pound cake, Sara Lee | 54 | 30g (1 piece) | 8.1 |
| Vanilla Cake and Vanilla Frosting | 42 | 64g (1 slice) | 16 |
| Pumpernickel bread | 41 | 26g (1slice) | 4.5 |
| Chocolate cake w/chocolate frosting | 38 | 64g (1 slice) | 12.5 |
| BEVERAGES | |||
| Gatorade Powder | 78 | 16g (.75 scoop) | 11.7 |
| Cranberry Juice Cocktail | 68 | 253g (1 cup) | 24.5 |
| Cola, Carbonated | 63 | 370g (12oz can) | 25.2 |
| Orange Juice | 57 | 249g (1 cup) | 14.25 |
| Carrot juice (freshly made) | 43 | 250g | 10 |
| Hot Chocolate Mix | 51 | 28g (1 packet) | 11.7 |
| Grapefruit Juice, sweetened | 48 | 250g (1 cup) | 13.4 |
| Pineapple Juice | 46 | 250g (1 cup) | 14.7 |
| Soy Milk | 44 | 245g (1 cup) | 4 |
| Apple Juice | 41 | 248g (1 cup) | 11.9 |
| Tomato Juice | 38 | 243g (1 cup) | 3.4 |
| LEGUMES | |||
| Baked Beans | 48 | 253g (1 cup) | 18.2 |
| Pinto Beans | 39 | 171g (1 cup) | 11.7 |
| Lima Beans | 31 | 241g (1 cup) | 7.4 |
| Chickpeas, Boiled | 31 | 240g (1 cup) | 13.3 |
| Lentils | 29 | 198g (1 cup) | 7 |
| Kidney Beans | 27 | 256g (1 cup) | 7 |
| Soy Beans | 20 | 172g (1 cup) | 1.4 |
| Peanuts | 13 | 146g (1 cup) | 1.6 |
| VEGETABLES | |||
| Potato | 104 | 213g (1 med) | 36.4 |
| Parsnip | 97 | 78g (1/2 cup) | 11.6 |
| Carrot, raw | 92 | 15g (1 large) | 1 |
| Beets, canned | 64 | 246g (1/2 cup) | 9.6 |
| Corn, yellow | 55 | 166g (1 cup) | 61.5 |
| Sweet Potato | 54 | 133g (1 cup) | 12.4 |
| Yam | 51 | 136g (1 cup) | 16.8 |
| Peas, Frozen | 48 | 72g (1/2 cup) | 3.4 |
| Tomato | 38 | 123g (1 med) | 1.5 |
| Broccoli, cooked | 0 | 78g (1/2 cup) | 0 |
| Cabbage, cooked | 0 | 75g (1/2 cup) | 0 |
| Celery, raw | 0 | 62g (1 stalk) | 0 |
| Cauliflower | 0 | 100g (1 cup) | 0 |
| Green Beans | 0 | 135g (1 cup) | 0 |
| Mushrooms | 0 | 70g (1 cup) | 0 |
| Spinach | 0 | 30g (1 cup) | 0 |
| FRUIT | |||
| Watermelon | 72 | 152g (1 cup) | 7.2 |
| Pineapple, raw | 66 | 155g (1 cup) | 11.9 |
| Cantaloupe | 65 | 177g (1 cup) | 7.8 |
| Apricot, canned in light syrup | 64 | 253g (1 cup) | 24.3 |
| Raisins | 64 | 43g (small box) | 20.5 |
| Papaya | 60 | 140g (1 cup) | 6.6 |
| Peaches, canned, heavy syrup | 58 | 262g (1 cup) | 28.4 |
| Kiwi, w/ skin | 58 | 76g (1 fruit) | 5.2 |
| Fruit Cocktail, drained | 55 | 214g (1 cup) | 19.8 |
| Peaches, canned, light syrup | 52 | 251g (1 cup) | 17.7 |
| Banana | 51 | 118g (1 med) | 12.2 |
| Mango | 51 | 165g (1 cup) | 12.8 |
| Orange | 48 | 140g (1 fruit) | 7.2 |
| Pears, canned in pear juice | 44 | 248g (1 cup) | 12.3 |
| Grapes | 43 | 92g (1 cup) | 6.5 |
| Strawberries | 40 | 152g (1 cup) | 3.6 |
| Apples, w/ skin | 39 | 138g (1 med) | 6.2 |
| Pears | 33 | 166g (1 med) | 6.9 |
| Apricot, dried | 32 | 130g (1 cup) | 23 |
| Prunes | 29 | 132g (1 cup) | 34.2 |
| Peach | 28 | 98g (1 med) | 2.2 |
| Grapefruit | 25 | 123g (1/2 fruit) | 2.8 |
| Plum | 24 | 66g (1 fruit) | 1.7 |
| Sweet Cherries, raw | 22 | 117g (1 cup) | 3.7 |
| NUTS | |||
| Cashews | 22 | ||
| Almonds | 0 | ||
| Hazelnuts | 0 | ||
| Macademia | 0 | ||
| Pecans | 0 | ||
| Walnuts | 0 | ||
| DAIRY | |||
| Ice Cream (Lower Fat) | 47 | 76g (1/2 cup) | 9.4 |
| Pudding | 44 | 100g (1/2 cup) | 8.4 |
| Milk, Whole | 40 | 244g (1 cup) | 4.4 |
| Ice Cream | 38 | 72g (1/2 cup) | 6 |
| Yogurt, Plain | 36 | 245g (1 cup) | 6.1 |
| MEAT/PROTEIN | |||
| Beef | 0 | ||
| Chicken | 0 | ||
| Eggs | 0 | ||
| Fish | 0 | ||
| Lamb | 0 | ||
| Pork | 0 | ||
| Veal | 0 | ||
| Deer-Venison | 0 | ||
| Elk | 0 | ||
| Buffalo | 0 | ||
| Rabbit | 0 | ||
| Duck | 0 | ||
| Ostrich | 0 | ||
| Shellfish | 0 | ||
| Lobster | 0 | ||
| Turkey | 0 | ||
| Ham | 0 |
Follow these tips for fat busting meals:
- Avoid grains, including corn
- Avoid potatoes and other white foods, like white rice, sugar and salt.
- Try making protein the focus of each meal. It kicks your metabolism into higher gear. All meats, fish and poultry are the real “guilt-free” foods. The protein will help you handle insulin better, build muscle and repair tissue-all essential for staying lean and preventing diabetes.
- Snack on nuts and seeds. They are a good source of protein and have Omega 3’s.
- Avoid processed foods, trans fats, caffeine, and high fructose corn syrup. All increase insulin resistance.
- Choose vegetables that are low glycemic.
- Choose fruits such as berries and fruits you can eat with the skin on.
- Eat a high protein breakfast every morning. It will stabilize your blood sugar and get you off to a good start.
To see what you really need to provide your body with the nutrients it needs, click here to view my nutrition pyramid
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD