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Division of Medicine
Glycemic Index Explained
Food choices can make a difference
Eating a variety of nutritious foods, particularly carbohydrate foods that are low in fat, and high in fibre, assists in achieving
good blood glucose control. Many types of foods contain carbohydrate (starches and sugars) including: breads and cereals,
starchy vegetables, fruit, dairy foods and foods containing sugar such as lollies and soft drinks.
All carbohydrate foods break down to glucose, which then enters the bloodstream. This glucose is then used for energy.
Research has shown that different carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels (BGL’s) at different rates due to the varying
absorption and digestion of each food. This concept is referred to as the Glycemic Index (GI).
What is the Glycemic Index?
The Glycemic Index is a ranking of carbohydrate foods according to how
quickly they raise BGL’s.
Carbohydrate foods with a low GI break down slowly during digestion and
produce smaller rises in BGL’s. The rate of increase is slower and the peak
in BGL’s is lower.
A number of factors determine a food’s GI: the starch content and type,
fat content, method of processing, acidity, type of fibre and more.
BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS
Carbohydrate foods with a high GI break down quickly during digestion and
produce larger rises in BGL’s. The rate of increase in BGL’s is faster and the
peak in BGL’s is higher.
HIGH GI
The GI cannot be predicted from an ingredients list or nutrient table
and there is no simple link between the fibre and sugar content of
foods and their GI.
LOW GI
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TIME/HOURS
How does the Glycemic Index help?
• Regular intake of foods with a low GI can improve BGL control.
• Low GI foods at supper may keep BGL’s more stable during the night and help your morning BGL’s.
• Eating low GI foods regularly may help to reduce hunger.
• Low GI diets may help to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
Try to include at least one low GI food with each meal.
The Glycemic Index Symbol
The GI symbol is now being placed on some food packages to help consumers make better food choices (see
GI symbol to the left). The GI value of that food appears near the nutrition information panel. A high GI value
is 70 or more, a medium GI value is 56 to 69 and a low GI value is 55 or less.
The GI logo is a registered trademark of the University of Sydney.
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Slow Release Carbohydrates
(Low GI: 55 or less)
Medium Release Carbohydrates Quick Release Carbohydrates
(Medium GI: 56 – 69)
(High GI: 70 or more)
Cereals:
Kellogg’s All-Bran®
Kellogg’s All-Bran Wheat Flakes™
Kellogg’s Coco Pops®
Kellogg’s All-Bran Fruit ‘n Oats™
Kellogg’s Just Right®
Kellogg’s Crispix®
Kellogg’s Guardian®
Kellogg’s Just Right Just Grains®
Natural Muesli
Kellogg’s Mini Wheats® (whole wheat)
Kellogg’s Cornflakes plain®
& Crunchy Nut®
Kellogg’s Komplete™
Uncle Tobys® Swiss Muesli
Kellogg’s Honey Smacks™
Vogel’s Soytana™
Uncle Toby’s Vita-Brits®
Kellogg’s Mini Wheats® (Blackcurrant)
Oat Porridge
Puffed Wheat
Rice Bran
Weet-Bix®
(Regular & Hi-Bran, Oat-Bran)
Semolina
Kellogg’s Sultana Bran™
Uncle Tobys® Instant Porridge
Kellogg’s Sustain®
Nutrigrain™
Kellogg’s Bran Flakes™
Kellogg’s Special K®
Sanitarium Soy Tasty™
Kellogg’s Pop Tarts™
Uncle Toby’s Health Wise™ cereal
Uncle Toby’s Wheat-bites™
Kellogg’s Rice Bubbles®
Grains:
Barley (pearled and boiled)
Cous Cous (pearl)
Bulgur (cracked wheat)
Polenta (cornmeal)
Buckwheat
Bread:
Buttercup Fruit and Spice Loaf
Corn Tortilla
Dense grainy bread
Fruit loaf (Burgen® Fruit & muesli,
Continental Fruit loaf)
Country Life Bakery gluten free low
GI white bread
Multigrain bread (dense)
Sourdough bread (genuine)
Whole wheat Turkish bread
Bagel
Helga’s™ Classic Seed Loaf
Pita bread
Bakers Delight™ Chia White Bread
Taco Shells*
Lower GI white bread
Country Life Gluten Free Multigrain
Bread
Lebanese bread, white
Molenberg bread
White bread
White Turkish bread
Wholemeal bread
Rice:
Mahatma long grain white rice
Wild rice
SunRice Doongara Clever Rice™
Basmati rice
SunRice® Medium Grain brown rice
SunRice® Arborio rice
Sri Lankan Red rice
Noodles and Pasta:
Wheat based pasta and noodles
Rice noodles (fresh)
Soba noodles
Freedom Foods gluten-free rice pasta
Mung bean noodles
Gnocchi
Rice noodles (dried)
Rice vermicelli
Udon noodles
Calrose white & brown rice
Jasmine rice
SunRice® Premium White long grain rice
SunRice Medium Grain white rice
Sticky rice
Slow Release Carbohydrates
(Low GI: 55 or less)
Medium Release Carbohydrates Quick Release Carbohydrates
(Medium GI: 56 – 69)
(High GI: 70 or more)
Starchy Vegetables:
Sweet corn
New canned potatoes
Potato – boiled, baked, mashed
Taro
Orange sweet potato (boiled)
Instant potato
Apple – fresh & dried
Apricot (fresh & canned in light syrup)
Watermelon
Apricot (dried)
Cherries
Banana
Dates (dried)
Custard apple
Figs, dried
Fruit cocktail (canned)
Paw paw/ papaya
Grapes
Pineapple
Grapefruit
Raisins
Kiwifruit
Rockmelon
Mango
Sultanas
Carisma potatoes (al dente)
Parsnip
Yam
Legumes and Lentils:
All types e.g. baked beans, kidney
beans, chickpeas, split peas, lentils
Fruit:
Orange
Peach raw & canned in natural juice
Pears raw & canned in natural juice
Plums
Juice (see note)
Biscuits/Crackers/ Bakery Products:
Arnott’s Jatz®*
Arnott’s Milk Arrowroot
Real Foods Corn Thins
Freedom Foods low GI fruit cookies
Digestive biscuits*
Doughnut*
Paradise Highland Oatmeal™
Pancakes (Green’s shake mix)
Kavli®
Paradise Rich Tea
Ryvita®
Arnotts Morning Coffee
Arnotts™ Snack Right®
Arnott’s Shredded Wheatmeal
Pikelet – Tip Top Bakeries
Arnott’s snack right Fruit Slice varieties
(labelled low GI)
Westons Puffed Crispbread-Cruskit
Arnotts™ Snack Right® Fruit Rollvarieties (labelled low GI)
Arnott’s Sao™*
Puffed Rice cakes
Scones, plain from packet
Snack foods:
Sanitarium Wildberry Fruity-Bix™ bar
Sustain™ bar
Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes bar
Sunripe School Straps, wildberry
& strawberry
Uncle Toby’s crunchy muesli bar with
dried fruit
Uncle Toby’s Fibre Plus™ bar
Freedom Foods gluten-free muesli
breakfast bar
Kellogg’s K-Time bars™
Kellogg’s Just Right bar™
Uncle Toby’s Strawberry Real Fruit Bars
Juice – Fruit juice is low in fibre and should not replace fruit. Dietitians recommend limiting fruit juice to 1 small glass each day.
* High fat – Choose only occasionally, or choose lower fat alternatives.
Slow Release Carbohydrates
(Low GI: 55 or less)
Medium Release Carbohydrates Quick Release Carbohydrates
(Medium GI: 56 – 69)
(High GI: 70 or more)
Dairy:
Custard- low fat, full fat*
Milk – skim, low fat, full fat*
Yoghurt – low fat, diet
Soy milk – low fat, full fat*
Sanitarium® Up & Go drink
So Natural Foods Soy yoghurt, peach
and mango, 2% fat
Yakult
Dairy Desserts:
Fruche®
Ice cream – low fat & full fat*
Yoplait™ Le Rice® desserts
Other:
Chocolate*
Sugar (white & brown)
Smiths Burger Rings™*
Smith’s Grain Waves™ Original*
Potato Chips*
Jelly beans
Hommus
Green’s Foods Poppin™ microwave
popcorn (butter flavour)
Pretzels
Milo™
Uncle Toby’s Roll-Ups™ fruit snack
Green’s Foods plain popcorn
Uncle Toby’s™ plain popcorn
Quik™ made with lite milk
Smith’s Twisties™*
Salmon Sushi
Sustagen™
Jam
Logicane™
* High fat – choose only occasionally, or choose lower fat alternatives
When choosing foods that contain carbohydrate it is important to look for lower fat, higher fibre choices first and then
consider the GI once a healthy choice has been made. Some low GI foods are not ‘everyday’ food choices, as they contain
too much fat (e.g. chocolate, potato crisps). The amount of carbohydrate in a food and the GI of that food will combine to
influence your blood glucose levels (this is referred to as the glycemic load or GL). It is important to remember that just
because a food has a low GI it does not mean you can eat a lot of it.
• Free vegetables contain minimal amounts of carbohydrate and are unlikely to affect your BGL’s. Free vegetables include all
vegetables apart from the starchy vegetables shown (such as potato, sweet potato and sweet corn).
The GI values in this handout have been sourced from the University of Sydney Glycemic Index Website and are correct at the
time of publication. The GI values of foods may change with time due to changes in the formulation of commercial foods. You
will find revised and new data on the web page www.glycemicindex.com. There are many GI books available in bookstores
and at Diabetes ACT.
Foods mentioned in this GI list include both brand names and generic foods. The symbols ™ and ® indicate ‘Trade Mark’ and
‘Registered Trade Mark’.
ACT Government
Health Directorate
Canberra Hospital and Health Services
Chronic Disease Management
ACT Health Diabetes Service
© Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, March 2012 | www.health.act.gov.au | www.act.gov.au | Enquiries: Canberra 13ACT1 or 132281