Low glycemic foods are those that are less likely to cause your blood sugar to rise. The glycemic index measures how much the carbohydrate in a given food will raise blood sugar. Glycemic load (GL), which takes into account both the glycemic index and the actual amount of carbohydrate in a typical serving of the food, provides a more accurate way to measure how a food will affect blood sugar. A food with a GL of 10 or under is considered a low glycemic food.
Meats, Eggs, Vegetables
Foods that contain little or no starch, including meats, poultry, fish, eggs and most vegetables, do not cause a rise in blood sugar and usually don't appear on glycemic index or load tables. Low glycemic diets include eating plans, such as the Atkins or Zone diets, which are rich in these foods and low in starchy foods.
Dried Beans and Peas
A whole cup of soybeans, or edamame, has a glycemic load of only 1. Chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils, cannellini beans and dishes made from them, including hummus and three-bean salad, also have low GL numbers. Another legume, peanuts, ranks very low on the GL scale, making them a good low glycemic snack.
Starchy Vegetables
Starchy vegetables such as carrots, beets, winter squash, green peas and sweet corn will raise blood sugar, but rank low on the glycemic load scale in moderate --about half-cup -- servings.
Dairy Products
Although dairy products, such as milk and yogurt, contain carbohydrates, most are considered low glycemic foods, as long as they don't contain too much added sugar. Even regular ice cream, in half-cup servings, has a GL under 10. Low-carb ice cream has a GL of only 1. Soy milk and almond milk also are low glycemic foods. Rice milk is not.
Fresh Fruits
Most fresh fruits, including apples, citrus fruits, peaches, pears, melons, kiwifruit and berries, rate as low glycemic foods. Strawberries have a really low GL of 1. Bananas, fruit juices, fruits with sugar added and dried fruits have higher GL numbers.
Grains
High fiber bran cereal and whole grain bread -- as long as you have just one slice -- rate under 10 on the GL scale. Most grains and grain foods, including most bread and bagels, rice, pasta, barley, oats and ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, are not low glycemic foods.
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