The glycemic index (GI) classifies carbohydrates according to their ability to raise blood sugar. They are sorted according to a reference food: pure glucose with a glycemic index set at 100. All foods are assigned an index compared to glucose. Carbohydrates are positioned on a scale from 0 to 100 depending on the rise in blood sugar after absorption. A classification distinguishes
- foods to low glycemic index (under 55)
- foods to average glycemic index (between 55 and 70)
- foods to high glycemic index (over 70)
This classification allows you to direct your food choices by favoring foods with a low glycemic index on a daily basis. Foods with an average glycemic index should be eaten more occasionally and those with a high glycemic index less occasionally.
Why ? The high GI foods promote fat storage by causing insulin spikes. On the contrary, favoring foods with a low glycemic index allows you to lose weight and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Foods with a low or medium glycemic index are fresh fruits, boiled potatoes, whole grains, multi-grain breads, rye, wheat and spelled, legumes such as lentils, green beans and chickpeas. It is right to choose the right cooking method because some preparations increase GI and others reduce it. Thus, pasta cooked “al dente” has a lower GI than very cooked pasta. In addition, the more a food is cut, the more it is cooked and the more it is reduced to porridge (mashed potatoes for example) and the higher its GI.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of GIs of the most common foods:
High GI (70 and over)
- Baked potatoes: 95
- French fries: 95
- Quick cooking rice: 85
- Sandwich bread: 85
- Cooked carrots: 85
- Baguette, white bread: 70
- Sweetened rice pudding: 75
- Standard white rice: 70
- Risotto: 70
- Chips: 70
- Ascending: 70
- Soft drinks: 70
Medium GI (56 to 69)
- Pain au chocolat: 65
- Wholemeal bread: 65
- Potato cooked in its skin, with water: 65
- Couscous, semolina: 65
- Common corn kernels: 65
- Well done pasta: 55
- Ripe banana: 60
- Ravioli: 60
- Mayonnaise (industrial, sweet): 60
Low GI (0 to 55)
- Sushi: 55
- Ketchup: 55
- Mango (fresh fruit): 50
- Surimi: 50
- Whole grains without sugar: 45
- Grapefruit juice without sugar: 45
- Orange juice without sugar and squeezed: 45
- Canned peas: 45
- Tomato sauce: 45
- Green banana: 45
- Raw cider: 40
- Dried figs: 40
- Canned Red Beans: 40
- Whole al dente pasta: 40
- Orange: 35
- Fishing: 35
- Apple: 35
- Plain yogurt: 35
- Raw carrots: 30
- Pear: 30
- Green beans: 30
- Brown lentils: 30
- Dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa: 25
- Eggplant: 20
- Lemon juice without sugar: 20
- Asparagus: 15
- Broccoli: 15
- Mushroom: 15
- Zucchini: 15
- Sprouts: 15
- Fennel: 15
- Cashews: 15
- Spices: 5
- Crustaceans: 5
Sources:
-Sheet: The true false of the glycemic indexe, Sugar crops
-Dr Pierre Nys, The metabolic GI diet, Editions Leduc.s, 2011
Read also:
- How to prepare a smoothie with little sweetness and good for the figure?
- A week of low GI menus
- Calculate your BMI
