The glycemic index (GI) is a method used to differentiate between carbohydrates that have the greatest effect on your blood sugar levels and those that do not, according to GlycemicIndex.com. Foods with a low GI index cause the least amount of fluctuation in your blood sugar, resulting in decreased risk of diabetes and heart disease. Opting for these foods also enables you to lose and maintain a healthy weight. A low glycemic index is considered 55 or below. The following is a list of foods that fall into this category.
Fruits
Fruit cocktail has a GI of 55, while bananas and mangoes are rated at 52 and 51 respectively. Grapes are next on the list with a rating of 46, followed by canned pears which have a GI of 43. Both fresh pears and navel oranges are rated with a 42, strawberries with a 40 and plums with a 39. Fresh pears, canned peaches in juice and apples have a GI of 38, while dried apricots have a GI of 30. Prunes are next with a rating of 29, followed by grapefruit with a GI of 25. Finally there are cherries; they have a rating of 22.
Vegetables
Carrots kick this off with a GI of 49, followed by green peas with a rating of 48. Finally, all with a GI of 10, are broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, lettuce, onions and red peppers.
Dairy Products
Most dairy products you consume fall into the low-glycemic foods. Low-fat ice cream has a GI of 43, while premium ice cream has a GI of 38. Sweetened yogurt is ranked at 33, followed by skim milk at 32. Whole milk has a lower GI; 31, and artificially flavored yogurt is the lowest with a GI of 14.
Rice, Grains and Pasta
Brown rice has a GI of 55, followed by buckwheat with a GI of 54. Elbow macaroni comes next at 47, linguini is next at 46 with cappellini close behind with a rating of 45. Long-grain white rice has a GI of 44, spiral macaroni is ranked at 43 and converted white rice, star pasta and white spaghetti are all rated with a GI of 38. Next is whole-wheat spaghetti at 37, followed by fettucini with a GI of 32. Finally there is pearled barley; it has a GI of 25.
Juices
Unless you are drinking water all day, every day, you need to know the glycemic index assigned to juices as well. Orange juice is ranked the highest with a GI of 53, followed by grapefruit juice with a GI of 48. Pineapple juice is next with a rating of 46, while apple juice has a GI of 40. The lowest is tomato juice; it has a GI of 38.
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