1. The
Glycemic Index
What is the Glycemic Index of food? If I eat foods with a low Glycemic Index can I eat
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-rich foods as much as I want?
by how much they raise blood glucose levels compared to a standard No. Using the Glycemic Index to choose foods is only one part of
food. The standard food is glucose or white bread. healthy eating.
Healthy eating also means:
Why should I eat foods with a low Glycemic Index?
Eating foods with a low Glycemic Index may help you to: w Eating at regular times
w Control your blood glucose level w Choosing a variety of foods Milk
Vegetables
from all food groups
w Control your cholesterol level
Grains & Meat &
w Limiting sugars and sweets Starches Alterna-
w Control your appetite tives Fruit
w Reducing the amount of fat you eat
w Lower your risk of getting heart disease
w Including foods high in fibre
w Lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes
w Limiting salt, alcohol and caffeine
Use these meal planning ideas to include the Glycemic Index
as part of healthy eating.
w njoy vegetables, fruits and low-fat milk products with your
E Remember that checking your blood glucose before
meals. These are carbohydrate-rich foods that, in general, have and 2 hours after a meal is the best way to know how
low glycemic index.
your body handles the meal.
w lan your meals with foods in the low and medium Glycemic
P
Index starch choices on the list that follows.
w ry foods such as barley, bulgar, couscous, or lentils, which have
T
a low Glycemic Index.
w onsult a registered dietitian for help with choosing low GI
C
foods, adapting recipes, and other ways to incorporate low GI
foods in your meal plan.
Printed September 2008 Check out the Canadian Diabetes Association website, diabetes.ca, for more information.

2. A lot of starchy foods have a high Glycemic Index (GI). Choose medium
and low GI foods more often.
Low GI (55 or less) * † Medium GI (56-69) * † High GI (70 or more) * †
Choose most often 333 Choose more often 33 Choose less often 3
One change I will make now is:
Breads: Breads: Breads:
100% stone ground whole wheat Whole wheat White bread
Heavy mixed grain Rye Kaiser roll
Pumpernickel Pita Bagel, white
Cereal: Cereal: Cereal:
All Bran™ Grapenuts™ Bran flakes
Bran Buds with Psyllium™ Puffed wheat Corn flakes
Oat Bran™ Oatmeal Rice Krispies™
Quick oats
Grains: Grains: Grains:
Barley Basmati rice Short-grain rice
Bulgar Brown rice
Pasta/noodles Couscous
Parboiled or converted rice
Other: Other: Other:
Sweet potato Potato, new/white Potato, baking (Russet)
Yam Sweet corn French fries
Legumes Popcorn Pretzels
Lentils Stoned Wheat Thins™ Rice cakes
Chickpeas Ryvita™ (rye crisps) Soda crackers
Kidney beans Black bean soup
Split peas Green pea soup
Soy beans
Baked beans
*expressed as a percentage of the value for glucose † Canadian values where available
Adapted with permission from: Foster-Powell K, Holt SHA, Brand-Miller JC. International table of glycemic index and glycemic load values Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;76:5-76 111018 08-395 09/08 Q-2M