The Low Glycemic Food List and
Index Chart for Low Glycemic Diets

For those interested in following low glycemic diets, a low glycemic food list is a must. The glycemic index chart we provide here can be your guide to the best low glycemic foods to incorporate into your weekly meal plan. These foods can help you keep your blood sugar even and are useful if you are trying to lose weight.

According to the findings from a study done by the University of Sydney, those who ate diets that were high in low GI foods showed reductions in both weight and LDL cholesterol. Those who ate a combination of high protein and low GI foods showed a reduction in triglycerides. The best overall effect came from the high carb (55%) low GI diet.

Even moderate reductions in the glycemic load were found to increase the rate of loss of body fat, especially in women. Researchers found that even if the number of calories eaten is the same, more weight is lost when low glycemic foods are eaten.

Perhaps the widest range of values can be found on the list of sweeteners, from zero on the scale for stevia to 100 for glucose. Though pure fructose is quite low on the low glycemic food list (as is agave syrup, which is 90% fructose), it is metabolized entirely by the liver, and whatever can't be used immediately is stored as fat and can wreak havoc on your metabolism. So while it may not spike your blood sugar, it is still not healthy for your heart or liver. And though artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are also zero on the GI index, they are very unhealthy and should be avoided entirely. See our article Facts About Sugar for more information.

The low glycemic food list below is a compilation of the average glycemic index of some of the most common foods eaten in the western diet. It consists of basic ingredients for meals you make for yourself. If you are interested in a glycemic index chart of various processed foods (most of which are bad for your health, low glycemic or not) you can consult David Mendosa's Revised International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values.

Another useful tool is the University of Sydney's free searchable
GI database that has information about the GI values of thousands of different foods compiled from numerous international studies. Just type in the food you are curious about and it will provide you with its glycemic index number.

However, many simple foods such as cheese, meat, fish and most vegetables are not included on the low glycemic food list, mainly because they have little to no carbohydrate content and thus do not register or are very low on the glycemic index chart.

The following low glycemic meal plan can help you get started on a low GI diet. It consists of low glycemic recipes using ingredients on the low glycemic food list below. Click on each item to get the recipe: 

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Sunday	Apple cinnamon oatmeal	Butternut squash barley risotto	Basil chicken over angel hair pasta
Monday	Cheddar curry scrambled eggs	Savory hamburger steak, spicy sweet potato fries	Eggplant parmigiana, green salad
Tuesday	Blueberry-banana smoothie	Loaded spinach salad with blue cheese dressing	Sausages with green lentils
Wednesday	Chocolate chip barley muffins	Sweet potato bean burritos	Turkey chili
Thursday	Quinoa porridge	Lime-grilled chicken caesar salad	Soba noodle stir-fry
Friday	Buttermilk barley pancakes	Crustless spinach quiche	Chicken chimichurri
Saturday	Southwestern omelette with multigrain toast	Shrimp and avocado salad	Lamb stew

The following low glycemic food list is arranged by lowest to highest GI for each food category. Low glycemic ranges from 0 to 55 (in green), medium glycemic is 56 to 69 (in orange), and high glycemic is 70 and above (in red).

FOOD ITEMS	GI
GRAINS
Pearled barley, cooked	28
Barley flour bread (80% barley, 20% white wheat flour)	34
Rye kernel bread (80% kernels, 20% white wheat flour)	41
Buckwheat, cooked	45
Barley kernel bread	45
Corn tortillas	46
Cracked wheat, bulgur, boiled	46
Buckwheat bread (50% dehusked buckwheat groats, 50% white flour)	47
Spaghetti, whole meal	48
Spaghetti, white, boiled 10-15 minutes	49
Rye bread (50% rye flour, 50% wheat flour)	50
Oat bran bread (45% oat bran, 50% white wheat flour)	50
Oatmeal (thick, steel cut oats)	52
Wheat kernel bread (80% intact kernels, 20% white wheat flour	52
Quinoa	53
Multi-grain bread	53
Rice noodles, cooked	53
Oatmeal (rolled oats), cooked	55
Sweet corn	55
Whole meal barley porridge	56
Wild rice	57
Whole meal spelt bread	63
Couscous (from semolina-durham wheat) boiled 5 minutes	65
Oat bread (80% intact oat kernels, 20% white wheat flour)	65
Muesli	66
Millet, boiled	67
Brown rice, boiled	68
Taco shells	68
Cornmeal, boiled in salted water 2 minutes	68
White Rice, boiled	73
Whole wheat bread	74
White flour bread	75
Oatmeal (one-minute oats)	79
Rice cakes	82
White rice, boiled	83
FRUITS
Grapefruit	25
Apples, Dried	29
Prunes	29
Apricots, Dried	30
Apples, Raw	36
Pears	38
Plums	39
Strawberries	40
Oranges	42
Apricots, Raw	46
Grapes	50
Kiwi	52
Bananas	53
Pineapple	59
Papaya	60
Figs, dried	61
Raisins	61
Cantaloupe	68
Watermelon	76
STARCHY VEGETABLES
Carrots, peeled, boiled	33
Carrots, raw, diced	35
Sweet potatoes, boiled	46
Potatoes, boiled	49
Yams	54
Beets	64
French fries	64
Potatoes, Mashed	83
Potatoes, Baked	111
LEGUMES
Lentils, red, cooked	21
Split peas, yellow, cooked	25
Lentils, green, cooked	30
Kidney beans	31
Garbanzo beans, dried, soaked, boiled 35 minutes	31
Navy beans, cooked	35
Pinto beans, dried, boiled	39
Pinto beans, canned	45
DAIRY
Cheese	0
Greek yogurt	12
Whole fat milk	31
Yogurt, low fat, plain	35
Skim milk	36
Yogurt, low fat with fruit	47
SWEETENERS
Stevia	0
Agave syrup*	15
Fructose	18
Raw honey	30
Barley malt syrup	42
Sugar cane juice	43
Maple syrup	54
Evaporated cane juice	55
Black strap molasses	55
Turbinado sugar	65
Pasteurized honey	71
Corn syrup	75
Sucrose (white sugar)	80
Brown rice syrup	85
High fructose corn syrup	87
Glucose	100

*Agave syrup, while low on the glycemic scale, is high in fructose and no better for your health than HFCS.