What is the glycaemic index (GI)? - NHS

The glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It shows how quickly each food affects your blood sugar (glucose) level when ... Skiptomaincontent Home Commonhealthquestions Foodanddiet BacktoFoodanddiet Whatistheglycaemicindex(GI)? Theglycaemicindex(GI)isaratingsystemforfoodscontainingcarbohydrates.Itshowshowquickly eachfoodaffectsyourbloodsugar(glucose)levelwhenthatfoodiseatenonitsown. HighGIfoodsCarbohydratefoodsthatarebrokendownquicklybyyourbodyandcausearapidincreaseinbloodglucosehaveahighGIrating.HighGIfoodsinclude:sugarandsugaryfoodssugarysoftdrinkswhitebreadpotatoeswhiterice LowandmediumGIfoodsLowormediumGIfoodsarebrokendownmoreslowlyandcauseagradualriseinbloodsugarlevelsovertime.Theyinclude:somefruitandvegetablespulseswholegrainfoods,suchasporridgeoats ArelowGIfoodshealthier?SomelowGIfoods,suchaswholegrainfoods,fruit,vegetables,beansandlentils,arefoodsweshouldeataspartofahealthy,balanceddiet.However,usingthe glycaemicindex todecidewhetherfoodsorcombinationsoffoodsarehealthycanbemisleading.FoodswithahighGIarenotnecessarilyunhealthyandnotallfoodswithalowGIarehealthy.Forexample,watermelonandparsnipsarehighGIfoods,whilechocolate cakehasalowerGIvalue.Also,foodsthatcontainorarecookedwithfatandproteinslowdowntheabsorptionofcarbohydrate,loweringtheirGI.Forexample,crispshavealowerGIthanpotatoescookedwithoutfat.However,crispsarehighinfatandshouldbeeateninmoderation.IfyouonlyeatfoodswithalowGI,yourdietmaybeunbalancedandhighinfat.Findoutmoreabouteatingahealthy,balanceddiet. CanlowGIfoodshelpmeloseweight?LowGIfoods,whichcauseyourbloodsugarlevelstoriseandfallslowly,mayhelpyoufeelfullerforlonger.Thiscouldhelpcontrolyourappetiteandmaybeusefulifyou'retryingtoloseweight.However,asmentionedabove,notallfoodswithalowGIarehealthy.Therefore,relyingonGIaloneisnotareliablewaytodecidewhetherfoodsorcombinationsoffoodsarehealthy.Readmoreinformationaboutlosingweight. Cantheglycaemicindexhelppeoplewithdiabetes?Ifyouhavediabetes,it'susefultounderstandtheglycaemicindex,becauseeatingfoodswithlowGIratingscanhelpcontrolbloodglucose.However,otherfactorsmustalsobetakenintoaccount.Researchhasshownthattheamountofcarbohydrateyoueat,ratherthanitsGIrating,hasthebiggestinfluenceonbloodglucoselevelsaftermeals.It'salso importanttoeatahealthy,balanceddietthatislowinfat,sugarandsalt,andhighinfruitandvegetables.Ifyou'vebeenadvisedtomakechangestoyourdiet,oryouneedadvice,adiabetesdietitiancanhelpyouworkoutadietplan.SpeaktoyourGPaboutbeingreferredtoadietitian.SeetheDiabetesUKwebsiteformoreinformationonGIanddiabetes.ReadgovernmentdietadviceintheEatwellGuide thatshowstheamounts ofdifferenttypesoffoodsneededtohaveawell-balancedandhealthydiet. Youdon'tneedtoachievethisbalancewitheverymeal,buttrytogetthebalancerightoveradayorevenaweek.Readtheanswerstomorequestionsaboutfoodanddiet. FurtherinformationWhatshouldmydailyintakeofcaloriesbe?Whatisahealthybalanceddiet?Whatisthebodymassindex(BMI)?Type1diabetesType2diabetesLoseweight Pagelastreviewed:23July2018 Nextreviewdue:23July2021