Low glycemic foods are those that cause but relatively small changes in circulating blood sugar levels. For many people, a low glycemic diet has been shown to have significant overall health benefits, including easier weight loss.
There are two broad classes of low glycemic foods (according to carbohydrate content): “no carb” , and “good carb” foods.
“No carb” foods are those that consist entirely or mainly of proteins, fats, and/or water. Because carbohydrates are not present in these foods, they are inherently “low-carb”.
These mainly include:
- Meats, poultry, fish
- Eggs, tofu
- Cheese
- Nuts and seeds
- Many vegetables
- Oils and Fats
2. “Good carb” foods are those that – because of the biochemical properties of the component carbohydrates – result in relatively small increases in blood sugar levels when eaten in “normal” or “average” portion sizes.
Low Glycemic Food Chart: Good Carbs
“Good carb” foods are the focus of this website and should constitute the bulk of your “go-to” carbohydrate sources. The lists presented below consist ONLY of foods that – when eaten alone in the indicated portion sizes – are “low glycemic” in that they each deliver what is widely considered a low glycemic load (less than 10).
Food (2/3 cup, cooked) | Gly. Index | Carbs | Gly. Load |
---|---|---|---|
Barley, pearl * | 22 | 19 g | 4 |
Soba Noodles | 35 | 17 g | 7 |
Pasta* | 41 | 17 g | 7 |
Rice Noodles | 40 | 20 g | 8 |
Mung Noodles | 39 | 21 g | 8 |
Quinoa | 51 | 15 g | 8 |
Ezekiel Bread (2 slices) * | 35 | 26 g | 9 |
Rolled Oats (oatmeal) | 45 | 20 g | 9 |
Sweet Corn | 47 | 20 g | 9 |
* Contains gluten
Food (1/2 cup, cooked) | Gly. Index | Carbs | Gly. Load |
---|---|---|---|
Chana Dal | 22 | 19 g | 4 |
Split Peas | 25 | 13 g | 3 |
Lentils | 21 | 15 g | 3 |
Beans, all types* | 30 | 15 g | 5 |
Chickpeas | 37 | 19 g | 7 |
NOTE: “Beans, all types*” data represents average values for the most common varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris, including pinto beans, kidney beans, etc.
Food (1 cup; NSA*) | Gly. Index | Carbs | Gly. Load |
---|---|---|---|
Almond Milk | N/A | 0-1 g | 0 |
Greek Yogurt | 19 | 8 g | 2 |
Yogurt | 19 | 14 g | 3 |
Dairy Milk | 32 | 12 g | 4 |
Soy Milk | 31 | 17 g | 5 |
Ice Cream | 38 | 18 g | 7 |
* “NSA” = no sugar added.
Food | Gly. Index | Carbs | Gly. Load |
---|---|---|---|
Most common berries* (1 cup) | 40 | 8 g | 3 |
Plums (2 whole) | 24 | 14 g | 3 |
Peaches (1 lg.) | 28 | 14 g | 4 |
Cantaloupe (1 slice of lg melon) | 70 | 5 g | 4 |
Nectarines (1 medium) | 43 | 13 g | 5 |
Apricots (5 whole) | 34 | 15 g | 5 |
Oranges (1 med.) | 40 | 13 g | 5 |
Grapefruit (1 avg.) | 25 | 22 g | 5 |
Pears (1 small) | 37 | 18 g | 7 |
Papaya (1 cup chunks) | 55 | 13 g | 7 |
Apples (1 med.) | 37 | 21 g | 8 |
Mango (1/3 lg fruit) | 51 | 15 g | 8 |
Watermelon (1″ wedge/240g) | 72 | 12 g | 8 |
Blueberries (1 cup) | 50 | 18 g | 9 |
Pineapple (3/4 cup chunks) | 65 | 14 g | 9 |
Bananas** (1 med.) | 42 | 24 g | 10 |
NOTES: *”Most common berries” include strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. **”Banana” data applies to “just ripe” stage (some green showing, but sweet to taste)
Food | Gly. Index | Carbs | Gly. Load |
---|---|---|---|
Apples (5 slices) | 29 | 15 g | 4 |
Plums (Prunes) (3 pieces) | 29 | 15 g | 4 |
Apricots (7 pieces) | 31 | 16 g | 5 |
Peaches (2 pieces) | 35 | 14 g | 5 |
Pears (2 halves) | 29 | 24 g | 7 |
NOTE: For all tables (above) “Carbs” refers to “Available Carbohydrates” (i.e., total carbohydrate content minus dietary fiber
Additional Food Lists
In addition to the “go to” low GI choices listed above, we have devoted separate pages of our website to each of the following categories:
Proper Use of These Data
It is essential for those choosing to engage in a low GI diet to have a clear understanding of the meaning of, and the difference between, two essential metrics of this diet:
We strongly suggest that you begin here before attempting to use any quantitative data on the glycemic index of different foods in the context of a low glycemic diet.