Benefits of the Glycemic Index

What are the Benefits of the Glycemic Index? Eating a lot of high GI foods can be detrimental to your health because it pushes your body to extremes. This is especially true if you are overweight and sedentary. Switching to eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals. Low GI diets help people lose and control weight Low GI diets increase the body's sensitivity to insulin Low GI carbs improve diabetes control Low GI carbs reduce the risk of heart disease Low GI carbs reduce blood cholesterol levels Low GI carbs can help you manage the symptoms of PCOS Low GI carbs reduce hunger and keep you fuller for longer Low GI carbs prolong physical endurance High GI carbs help re-fuel carbohydrate stores after exercise

How to Switch to a Low GI Diet The basic technique for eating the low GI way is simply a "this for that" approach - ie, swapping high GI carbs for low GI carbs. You don't need to count numbers or do any sort of mental arithmetic to make sure you are eating a healthy, low GI diet. Use breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran Use breads with wholegrains, stone-ground flour, sour dough Reduce the amount of potatoes you eat Enjoy all other types of fruit and vegetables Use Basmati or Doongara rice Enjoy pasta, noodles, quinoa Eat plenty of salad vegetables with a vinaigrette dressing

The principles of the Glycemic Index relate to a ranking of how carbohydrates in foods affect your blood sugar levels.
Swap out High GI foods for Low GI foods as an easy way to begin benefitting from the principles of the Glycemic Index. With smart carbs (low GI) causing only a gradual rise in blood glucose.
Carbohydrates with a low GI (0 - 55) help you feel fuller, have more energy, and can lead to weight loss and reduced risk of diabetes.
High = GI of 70+ (Avoid). Medium = GI of 55 to 69. Low = GI of 0 to 54.
Personalize your own: Glycemic Diet Profile. Meal Plans from eDiets.
Glycemic Index Chart

Category	Name	GI Score
Vegetables and Beans
	Baked Beans, 4oz.	48
	Kidney beans, 3 oz.	27
	Lima beans, 3 oz.	32
	Navy beans, 3 oz.	38
	Pinto beans, 4oz.	45
	Soy beans, 3 oz.	18
	Beets, 3 oz.	64
	Tomato Sauce	49
	Peas	48
	Sweetcorn	48
	Broccoli, cauliflower, celery, mushrooms	10-25
Breads
	Dark rye, 1.7 oz.	51
	French baguette, 1 oz.	95
	Hamburger bun, 1 bun	61
	Kaiser roll, 1	73
	Pita bread - whole wheat, 1 slice	57
	Sourdough, 1 slice	52
	Fruit Bread	53
	White bread, 1 slice	70
	Wheat bread - stoneground, 1 slice	53
	Whole wheat, 1 slice	69
	Bagel, plain, 2 oz.	72
	Wholegrain Bread	40
	Multigrain Breads	45
Meats*	see bottom for more comments
	Sweet & Sour Chicken with Noodles	41
	Lean Cuisine, French style Chicken	36
	Beef casserole	53

Cereals
	All-Bran Kellogs, 1/2 cup	42
	Bran Flakes, Post, 2/3 cup	74
	Cheerios, 1 cup	74
	Cocoa Krispies, 1 cup	77
	Corn Chex, 1 cup	83
	Corn Flakes, 1 cup	84
	Corn Pops, 1 cup	80
	Cream of Wheat, 1 oz.	74
	Frosted Flakes, 3/4 cup	55
	Grapenuts Flakes, 3/4 cup	80
	Mini Wheats, 1 cup	58
	Multi Bran Chex, 1 cup	58
	Museli, 2/3 cup	43
	Raisin Bran, 3/4 cup	73
	Rice Chex, 1 1/4 cup	89
	Shredded Wheat, 1/2 cup	83
	Smacks, 3/4 cup	56
	Special K, 1 cup	54
	Total, 3/4 cup	76
Rice
	Barley, pearled, 1/2 cup	25
	Couscous, 1/2 cup	65
	Instant, 1 cup, cooked	87
	Uncle Bens, converted, 1 cup	44
	Long grain White, 1 cup	56
	Short grain, white, 1 cup	72
Cookies
	Graham crackers	74
	Oatmeal cookie, 1 cookie	55
	Vanilla wafers, 7 cookies	77
Crackers
	Rice cakes, plain, 3 cakes	82
	Stoned wheat thins, 3 crackers	67
	Water cracker, 3 crackers	78

Dairy
	Ice cream, vanilla, 10% fat	61
	Low Fat Ice Cream	35
	Milk, whole, 1 cup	27
	Milk, skim, 1 cup	32
	Milk, chocolate, 1 cup, 1%	34
	Pudding, 1/2 cup	43
	Milk, soy, 1 cup	31
	Tofu frozen dessert, low fat, 1/2 cup	115
	Yogurt, nonfat, fruit, sugar, 8 oz.	33
	Yogurt, nonfat, plain, artifical sweet, 8 oz.	14
	Yogurt, nonfat, fruit, artificial sweet, 8 oz.	14
	Custard, 3/4 cup	43
Fruits
	Apple, 1 medium, 5 oz.	38
	Apple juice, unsweetened, 1 cup	40
	Apricots, 3 medium, 3 oz.	57
	Banana bread, 3 oz.	47
	Banana, 5 oz.	55
	Cherries, 10 large, 3 oz.	22
	Cranberry juice, 8 oz.	52
	Grapefruit, raw, 1/2 medium	25
	Grapes, green, 1 cup	46
	Kiwi, 1 medium	52
	Mango, 1 small	55
	Orange, 1 medium	44
	Orange juice, 1 cup	46
	Peach, 1 medium	30
	Pear, 1 medium	38
	Pineapple, 2 slices	66
	Plums, 1 medium	69
	Prunes, 6	29
	Raisins, 1/4 cup	64
	Watermelon, 1 cup	72

Pasta
	Fettucine, 6 oz.	45
	Linguine, 6 oz.	46
	Macaroni, 5 oz.	45
	Ravioli, meat, 4 large	39
	Apaghetti, white, 6 oz.	41
	Spaghetti, wheat, 6 oz.	37
	Spaghetti, white	44
	Spiral, durum, 1 cup	43
	Tortellini, cheese, 8 oz.	50
	Vermicelli, 6 oz.	35
	Lasagna, beef	47
Snacks and Chips
	Vanilla wafers, 7 cookies	77
	Sponge cake, plain, 1 slice	46
	Snickers, 2.2 oz. Candy bar