This glycemic index calculator can help you keep track of the GI values of the foods you have, from fruits to actual meals for diabetes management or just healthy living reasons.
How does the glycemic index calculator work?
This tool can be very useful when it comes to analyzing the effects of the food we eat on our blood sugar levels. It is based on an elaborated database containing glycemic values for aliments in various categories: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains, pasta, bread, bakery products, dairy, meals, sugar types, treats and beverages.
All you have to do is browse through each of the categories and test for the aliments you are interested in. The GI value will appear in the box near your selected choices.
You can calculate for as many products you want and from as many categories you like, you just have to select them from the glycemic index calculator's drop down list.
Keep in mind that these values are estimates and refer to different types of portions, for example for fruits and vegetables is it taken in consideration an average of 150g per fruit or vegetable, most beverages are referred for about 250ml while other aliments could be calculated for 100g.
What is the glycemic index?
This is a scale from 0 to 100 that comes in hand when trying to rank carbohydrate foods in relation to the way they affect blood glucose levels. Pure glucose is considered as reference with a GI of 100.
It is considered that foods with high GI increase blood glucose levels really fast after consumption and the body needs to adapt quicker to them, while foods with low GI take more time to be absorbed therefore they raise blood sugar slower and the body has time to adapt the regulatory measures to make use of the absorbed glucose.
Values below 55 are considered low, 56-69 is medium index while everything above 70 is considered to have a high glycemic index.
This index is particularly important in the management of diabetes but should also be taken in consideration by healthy people because constant sugar levels are desired instead of flagrant changes that require extra resources for any body to deal with them. This doesn’t mean however that we should avoid high GI aliments at all costs. There are certain situations, such as an increased physical or mental activity, that require higher amounts of blood sugar for the body to keep up but this shouldn’t be transformed in a habit.
Example of GI values
| Category | GI range | Product | GI value |
| Fruits | Low | Cherries | 22 |
| Medium | Banana | 58 | |
| High | Watermelon | 72 | |
| Vegetables | Low | Sweet potato | 48 |
| Medium | Beetroot | 64 | |
| High | Parsnips | 97 | |
| Legumes&Nuts | Low | Red lentils | 26 |
| Medium | Broad beans | 63 | |
| Grains&Pasta | Low | Fettuccine pasta | 32 |
| Medium | Sweet corn | 60 | |
| High | White rice | 76 | |
| Bread&Bakery | Low | English Muffin bread | 45 |
| Medium | Croissant | 67 | |
| High | Wheat flour pancakes | 80 | |
| Dairy&Egg | Low | Whole milk | 27 |
| Medium | Yoghurt | 57 | |
| Meals | Low | Baked beans in tomato sauce | 48 |
| Medium | Mashed potato | 67 | |
| High | French fries | 75 | |
| Sugar&Treats | Low | Maple syrup | 52 |
| Medium | Sugar | 65 | |
| High | Waffles | 72 | |
| Beverages | Low | Apple juice | 40 |
| Medium | Lemonade sweetened | 58 | |
| High | Rice milk drink | 92 |
References
1) Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC (2008) International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: Diabetes Care 31.
2) Glycemic Research Institute. (2006-2010) Glycemic Index Defined.
3) Somogyi M. (1948) Studies of Arteriovenous Differences in Blood Sugar (PDF) J. Biol. Chem 174 (1): 189–200.
15 Dec, 2014