Division of Medicine
       Glycemic Index Explained
       Food choices can make a difference 
       Eating a variety of nutritious foods, particularly carbohydrate foods that are low in fat, and high in fibre, assists in achieving 
       good blood glucose control. Many types of foods contain carbohydrate (starches and sugars) including: breads and cereals, 
       starchy vegetables, fruit, dairy foods and foods containing sugar such as lollies and soft drinks. 
       All carbohydrate foods break down to glucose, which then enters the bloodstream. This glucose is then used for energy. 
       Research has shown that different carbohydrates raise blood glucose levels (BGL’s) at different rates due to the varying 
       absorption and digestion of each food. This concept is referred to as the Glycemic Index (GI).
       What is the Glycemic Index?
       The Glycemic Index is a ranking of carbohydrate foods according to how 
       quickly they raise BGL’s.                                                                          HIGH GI
       Carbohydrate foods with a high GI break down quickly during digestion and 
       produce larger rises in BGL’s. The rate of increase in BGL’s is faster and the 
       peak in BGL’s is higher. 
       Carbohydrate foods with a low GI break down slowly during digestion and        OSE LEVELS
       produce smaller rises in BGL’s. The rate of increase is slower and the peak    UC
       in BGL’s is lower.                                                                                             LOW GI
                                                                                      OOD GL
       A number of factors determine a food’s GI: the starch content and type,        L
                                                                                      B
       fat content, method of processing, acidity, type of fibre and more.
                                                                                                             1                     2
       The GI cannot be predicted from an ingredients list or nutrient table 
       and there is no simple link between the fibre and sugar content of                               TIME/HOURS
       foods and their GI.
       How does the Glycemic Index help?
       •  Regular intake of foods with a low GI can improve BGL control.
       •  Low GI foods at supper may keep BGL’s more stable during the night and help your morning BGL’s.
       •  Eating low GI foods regularly may help to reduce hunger.
       •  Low GI diets may help to reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels. 
       Try to include at least one low GI food with each meal.
       The Glycemic Index Symbol
                        The GI symbol is now being placed on some food packages to help consumers make better food choices (see 
                        GI symbol to the left). The GI value of that food appears near the nutrition information panel. A high GI value 
                        is 70 or more, a medium GI value is 56 to 69 and a low GI value is 55 or less. 
                        The GI logo is a registered trademark of the University of Sydney.
        Slow Release Carbohydrates              Medium Release Carbohydrates  Quick Release Carbohydrates 
        (Low GI: 55 or less)                    (Medium GI: 56 – 69)                    (High GI: 70 or more)
        Cereals:
        Kellogg’s All-Bran®                     Kellogg’s All-Bran Wheat Flakes™        Kellogg’s Coco Pops®
        Kellogg’s All-Bran Fruit ‘n Oats™       Kellogg’s Just Right®                   Kellogg’s Crispix®
        Kellogg’s Guardian®                     Kellogg’s Just Right Just Grains®       Kellogg’s Cornflakes plain®  
        Natural Muesli                          Kellogg’s Mini Wheats® (whole wheat)    & Crunchy Nut®
        Kellogg’s Komplete™                     Uncle Tobys® Swiss Muesli               Kellogg’s Honey Smacks™
                                                                                        Kellogg’s Mini Wheats®
        Vogel’s Soytana™                        Uncle Toby’s Vita-Brits®                                       (Blackcurrant)
        Oat Porridge                            Weet-Bix®                               Puffed Wheat
        Rice Bran                               (Regular & Hi-Bran, Oat-Bran)           Kellogg’s Rice Bubbles® 
                                                Kellogg’s Sultana Bran™                             ®
        Semolina                                                                        Uncle Tobys  Instant Porridge
        Kellogg’s Sustain®                      Nutrigrain™                             Kellogg’s Bran Flakes™
        Kellogg’s Special K®                    Sanitarium Soy Tasty™                   Kellogg’s Pop Tarts™
                                                Uncle Toby’s Health Wise™ cereal        Uncle Toby’s Wheat-bites™
        Grains:
        Barley (pearled and boiled)             Cous Cous (pearl)
        Bulgur (cracked wheat)                  Polenta (cornmeal)
        Buckwheat
        Bread:
        Buttercup Fruit and Spice Loaf          Bagel                                   Country Life Gluten Free Multigrain 
        Corn Tortilla                           Helga’s™ Classic Seed Loaf              Bread
        Dense grainy bread                      Pita bread                              Lebanese bread, white
        Fruit loaf (Burgen® Fruit & muesli,     Bakers Delight™ Chia White Bread        Molenberg bread
        Continental Fruit loaf)                 Taco Shells*                            White bread 
        Country Life Bakery gluten free low     Lower GI white bread                    White Turkish bread 
        GI white bread                                                                  Wholemeal bread
        Multigrain bread (dense)
        Sourdough bread (genuine) 
        Whole wheat Turkish bread 
        Rice:
        Mahatma long grain white rice           Basmati rice                            Calrose white & brown rice 
        Wild rice                               SunRice® Medium Grain brown rice        Jasmine rice
        SunRice Doongara Clever Rice™           SunRice® Arborio rice                   SunRice® Premium White long grain rice
                                                Sri Lankan Red rice                     SunRice Medium Grain white rice
                                                                                        Sticky rice
        Noodles and Pasta:
        Wheat based pasta and noodles           Gnocchi
        Rice noodles (fresh)                    Rice noodles (dried)
        Soba noodles                            Rice vermicelli
        Freedom Foods gluten-free rice pasta    Udon noodles
        Mung bean noodles
         Slow Release Carbohydrates                 Medium Release Carbohydrates  Quick Release Carbohydrates 
         (Low GI: 55 or less)                       (Medium GI: 56 – 69)                        (High GI: 70 or more)
         Starchy Vegetables:
         Sweet corn                                 New canned potatoes                         Potato – boiled, baked, mashed
         Taro                                       Orange sweet potato (boiled)                Instant potato
         Carisma potatoes (al dente)
         Parsnip
         Yam
         Legumes and Lentils:
         All types e.g. baked beans, kidney 
         beans, chickpeas, split peas, lentils
         Fruit:
         Apple – fresh & dried                      Apricot (fresh & canned in light syrup)     Watermelon
         Apricot (dried)                            Cherries
         Banana                                     Dates (dried)
         Custard apple                              Figs, dried
         Fruit cocktail (canned)                    Paw paw/ papaya
         Grapes                                     Pineapple
         Grapefruit                                 Raisins
         Kiwifruit                                  Rockmelon
         Mango                                      Sultanas
         Orange 
         Peach raw & canned in natural juice 
         Pears raw & canned in natural juice
         Plums
         Juice (see note)
         Biscuits/Crackers/ Bakery Products:
         Arnott’s Jatz®*                            Arnott’s Milk Arrowroot                     Real Foods Corn Thins 
         Freedom Foods low GI fruit cookies         Digestive biscuits*                         Doughnut*
         Paradise Highland Oatmeal™                 Pancakes (Green’s shake mix)                Kavli®
         Paradise Rich Tea                          Ryvita®                                     Arnotts Morning Coffee
         Arnotts™ Snack Right®                      Arnott’s Shredded Wheatmeal                 Pikelet – Tip Top Bakeries
         Arnott’s snack right Fruit Slice varieties                                             Westons Puffed Crispbread-Cruskit
         (labelled low GI)                                                                      Puffed Rice cakes 
         Arnotts™ Snack Right® Fruit Roll-                                                      Arnott’s Sao™*
         varieties (labelled low GI)                                                            Scones, plain from packet
         Snack foods:
         Sanitarium Wildberry Fruity-Bix™ bar       Sustain™ bar                                Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Cornflakes bar
         Sunripe School Straps, wildberry           Uncle Toby’s crunchy muesli bar with        Uncle Toby’s Fibre Plus™ bar
         & strawberry                               dried fruit                                 Kellogg’s K-Time bars™
         Freedom Foods gluten-free muesli                                                       Kellogg’s Just Right bar™
         breakfast bar
                                                                                                Uncle Toby’s Strawberry Real Fruit Bars 
       Juice – Fruit juice is low in fibre and should not replace fruit. Dietitians recommend limiting fruit juice to 1 small glass each day.
       * High fat – Choose only occasionally, or choose lower fat alternatives.
        Slow Release Carbohydrates            Medium Release Carbohydrates  Quick Release Carbohydrates 
        (Low GI: 55 or less)                  (Medium GI: 56 – 69)                  (High GI: 70 or more)
        Dairy:
        Custard- low fat, full fat*
        Milk – skim, low fat, full fat*
        Yoghurt – low fat, diet
        Soy milk – low fat, full fat*
        Sanitarium® Up & Go drink
        So Natural Foods Soy yoghurt, peach 
        and mango, 2% fat
        Yakult
        Dairy Desserts:
        Fruche® 
        Ice cream – low fat & full fat*
        Yoplait™ Le Rice® desserts
        Other:
        Chocolate*                            Sugar (white & brown)                 Smiths Burger Rings™*
        Smith’s Grain Waves™ Original*        Potato Chips*                         Jelly beans
        Hommus                                Green’s Foods Poppin™ microwave       Pretzels
        Milo™                                 popcorn (butter flavour)              Uncle Toby’s Roll-Ups™ fruit snack
        Green’s Foods plain popcorn                                                 Uncle Toby’s™ plain popcorn
        Quik™ made with lite milk                                                   Smith’s Twisties™*
        Salmon Sushi
        Sustagen™
        Jam
        Logicane™
       * High fat – choose only occasionally, or choose lower fat alternatives
       When choosing foods that contain carbohydrate it is important to look for lower fat, higher fibre choices first and then 
       consider the GI once a healthy choice has been made. Some low GI foods are not ‘everyday’ food choices, as they contain 
       too much fat (e.g. chocolate, potato crisps). The amount of carbohydrate in a food and the GI of that food will combine to 
       influence your blood glucose levels (this is referred to as the glycemic load or GL). It is important to remember that just 
       because a food has a low GI it does not mean you can eat a lot of it. 
       •  Free vegetables contain minimal amounts of carbohydrate and are unlikely to affect your BGL’s. Free vegetables include all 
          vegetables apart from the starchy vegetables shown (such as potato, sweet potato and sweet corn).
       The GI values in this handout have been sourced from the University of Sydney Glycemic Index Website and are correct at the 
       time of publication. The GI values of foods may change with time due to changes in the formulation of commercial foods. You 
       will find revised and new data on the web page www.glycemicindex.com. There are many GI books available in bookstores 
       and at Diabetes ACT.
       Foods mentioned in this GI list include both brand names and generic foods. The symbols ™ and ® indicate ‘Trade Mark’ and 
       ‘Registered Trade Mark’.
       ACT Government                             Chronic Disease Management
       Health Directorate                         ACT Health Diabetes Service
       Canberra Hospital and Health Services
          © Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, March 2012  | www.health.act.gov.au | www.act.gov.au | Enquiries: Canberra 13ACT1 or 132281