Low Glycemic Foods: Glycemic Index Chart and Glycemic Load Explained

Low glycemic foods are carbohydrate foods with a glycemic index (GI) of 55 or less, which means they raise blood sugar less than pure glucose does in standardized tests. Most beans and lentils, barley, pasta, whole fruits such as apples and oranges, and milk and yogurt fall in that range in the international GI tables from the University of Sydney group. GI is only half of the picture, though: glycemic load (GL) also counts how much carbohydrate a normal serving contains, which is why watermelon has a high GI but a low GL. Below is a glycemic index chart of common foods with GL per serving, how both numbers are measured, what changes them, what the research shows and where the system falls short.

Peptide Labs does not sell foods, and this article is general nutrition information, not medical advice. If you have diabetes or prediabetes, plan any diet change with your clinician.

Low glycemic foods: glycemic index chart

The GI values below come from the 2008 international tables by Atkinson, Foster-Powell and Brand-Miller (Table 1, 62 common foods; the full tables hold 2,487 entries). GI uses glucose as 100. The glycemic load column is our own estimate: GI multiplied by the available carbohydrate in the serving (USDA FoodData Central total carbohydrate minus fiber), divided by 100. Read both as approximate, because a specific brand or recipe can test differently.

Two things stand out. First, most legumes, fruits and dairy foods are low glycemic index foods, while potatoes, white bread and rice tend to sit at the top. Second, whole wheat bread scores almost the same as white bread, and brown rice is only a little lower than white rice, so a whole-grain label does not mean a low GI. The tables do note that low-GI varieties of white bread and rice exist.

Glycemic index vs glycemic load

The glycemic index was introduced in 1981 by David Jenkins, Thomas Wolever and colleagues, who fed 62 foods to groups of 5 to 10 healthy volunteers and measured blood glucose for two hours, comparing each response with the same amount of carbohydrate eaten as glucose. Today’s tests follow the same idea: a portion of the food that supplies 50 grams of available carbohydrate, two hours of blood samples, and glucose as the reference. Glycemic load then scales GI to a real serving.

Why watermelon and pasta tell different stories

Watermelon has a high GI of 76, but a cup of it contains only about 11 grams of available carbohydrate, so its glycemic load is about 8, which is low. White spaghetti has a low GI of 49, but a cup of cooked pasta carries about 36 grams of available carbohydrate, giving a medium load of about 18. The same logic explains brown rice: a moderate GI on a large carbohydrate serving produces a high load. GL is usually the more practical number for a meal, because it reflects how much you actually eat.

What changes a food's glycemic index

• Processing and grinding: Harvard’s Nutrition Source notes that refined and finely ground grains digest faster. In the tables, instant oat porridge scores 79 against 55 for rolled-oat porridge, and instant mashed potato 87 against 78 for boiled potato.
• Ripeness: riper fruit and vegetables tend to have a higher GI.
• Fat, protein and acid: the 1981 study found that foods with more fat and protein produced smaller glucose rises, and Harvard lists fat and acid as slowing conversion to sugar. That is why potato crisps (56) score lower than boiled potato.
• Fiber: high-fiber foods slow digestion; our list of high fiber foods overlaps heavily with the low-GI list.
• The rest of the meal: GI is measured on one food eaten alone, but people eat mixed meals, and adding protein, fat or fiber changes the response.

The limits of the glycemic index

GI numbers look precise, but they are averages from small groups. The 2008 tables caution that many foods were tested only once in 10 or fewer people. A 2016 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition measured the GI of the same white bread three times in 63 healthy adults and found an average of 62, with a 20% variation within the same person and 25% between people. The authors concluded that this variability makes GI unlikely to be a good approach to guiding food choices on its own.

A low GI also says nothing about overall nutrition. In the tables fructose scores 15, chocolate 40 and ice cream 51, all low, while boiled potato, a whole food, scores 78. Meat, fish, eggs and oils have no meaningful GI at all because they contain little or no carbohydrate. If carbohydrate amount is your main concern, our guide to low-carb eating approaches it from that side, and high protein foods help build meals around protein.

What research says about low-GI eating

The largest recent summary is a 2021 BMJ systematic review and meta-analysis by Chiavaroli and colleagues, done to inform European diabetes nutrition guidelines. It pooled 29 trial comparisons in 1,617 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, mostly middle-aged with overweight or obesity and already using glucose-lowering medicines or insulin. Compared with higher-GI diets, low GI or low GL eating patterns lowered HbA1c (a measure of average blood sugar over about three months) by an average of 0.31 percentage points, rated high-certainty evidence. Small reductions were also seen in fasting glucose, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, body weight and C-reactive protein, mostly rated moderate certainty.

Keep the context in mind: results varied a lot between trials, the participants were under medical care, and two of the authors co-wrote the 1981 paper that introduced the GI. These are average effects in a research population, not a promise for any one person, and low-GI eating is not a replacement for the diabetes care your clinician prescribes.

If you have diabetes or prediabetes

Talk to your clinician or a registered dietitian before changing how you eat. Shifting the amount or type of carbohydrate can change blood sugar readings, which matters if you use insulin or other glucose-lowering medicines. People taking GLP-1 medicines can find practical eating advice in our GLP-1 diet guide.

Building meals with low glycemic index foods

• Put beans, lentils or chickpeas into soups, salads and grain bowls.
• Try barley or intact grains in place of instant or finely milled versions.
• Choose whole fruit; in the tables an orange scores 43 and orange juice 50.
• Pair starches with protein, healthy fat and vegetables rather than eating them alone.
• Watch portions of high-load foods such as rice and potatoes, since GL rises with the serving.
• Milk and fruit yogurt are low GI (37 to 41) and also supply calcium; see our list of foods high in calcium.

Supplements are sometimes sold with blood sugar language. Our guides to cinnamon and berberine summarize what that research does and does not show, and neither replaces food choices or medical care. If sweets are the sticking point, our guide to cravings covers practical strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before changing your diet in a big way or starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines or are pregnant. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Low Carb Foods List: Vegetables, Fruits, Proteins and Nuts, High Fiber Foods: USDA List of Fruits, Vegetables, Beans and Grains, Berberine Benefits: What the Research Shows and What It Does Not, South Beach Diet: History, Phases and What the Evidence Shows.