Glycemic Index Explained

Division of Medicine

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. HIGH GI 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. 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. LOW GI

A number of factors determine a food’s GI: the starch content and type, LEVELS GLUCOSE BLOOD fat content, method of processing, acidity, type of fibre and more. 1 2 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 TIME/HOURS foods and their GI.

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. Slow Release Carbohydrates Medium Release Carbohydrates Quick Release Carbohydrates (Low GI: 55 or less) (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® Kellogg’s Cornflakes plain® Natural Muesli Kellogg’s Mini Wheats® (whole wheat) & 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 Weet-Bix® Puffed Wheat Rice Bran (Regular & Hi-Bran, Oat-Bran) Kellogg’s Rice Bubbles® 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™ Grains: Barley (pearled and boiled) Cous Cous (pearl) Bulgur (cracked wheat) Polenta (cornmeal) Buckwheat Bread: Buttercup Fruit and Spice Loaf Bagel Country Life Gluten Free Multigrain Corn Tortilla Helga’s™ Classic Seed Loaf Bread Dense grainy bread Pita bread Lebanese bread, white Fruit loaf (Burgen® Fruit & muesli, Bakers Delight™ Chia White Bread Molenberg bread Continental Fruit loaf) Taco Shells* White bread Country Life Bakery gluten free low Lower GI white bread White Turkish bread GI white bread Wholemeal bread Multigrain bread (dense) Sourdough bread (genuine) Whole wheat Turkish bread Rice: Mahatma long grain white rice Basmati rice Calrose white & brown rice Wild rice SunRice® Medium Grain brown rice Jasmine rice SunRice Doongara Clever Rice™ SunRice® Arborio rice SunRice® Premium White long grain rice Sri Lankan Red rice SunRice Medium Grain white rice Sticky rice Noodles and Pasta: Wheat based pasta and noodles Gnocchi Rice noodles (fresh) Rice noodles (dried) Soba noodles Rice vermicelli Freedom Foods gluten-free rice pasta Udon noodles Mung bean noodles Slow Release Carbohydrates Medium Release Carbohydrates Quick Release Carbohydrates (Low GI: 55 or less) (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 Carisma potatoes (al dente) Parsnip Yam Legumes and Lentils: All types e.g. baked beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, split peas, lentils Fruit: 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 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 Westons Puffed Crispbread-Cruskit (labelled low GI) Puffed Rice cakes Arnotts™ Snack Right® Fruit Roll- Arnott’s Sao™* varieties (labelled low GI) Scones, plain from packet Snack foods: Sanitarium Wildberry Fruity-Bix™ bar Sustain™ bar Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes bar Sunripe School Straps, wildberry Uncle Toby’s crunchy muesli bar with Uncle Toby’s Fibre Plus™ bar & strawberry dried fruit Kellogg’s K-Time bars™ Freedom Foods gluten-free muesli Kellogg’s Just Right bar™ breakfast 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 Medium Release Carbohydrates Quick Release Carbohydrates (Low GI: 55 or less) (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 Pretzels Milo™ popcorn (butter flavour) 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 Chronic Disease Management Health Directorate ACT Health Diabetes Service Canberra Hospital and Health Services