What is glycemic index?
The glycemic index (GI) is a measure that ranks foods on a scale of 1-100 based on their effect on blood sugar.
This guide uses pure glucose with a glycemic index (GI) of 100 as a reference.
The Glycemic Index Foundation classifies the GI of foods as follows:
70 or higher: high GI
56-69: Medium GI
55 or less: Low GI
The American Diabetes Association provides a table that lists the glycemic index of 62 foods. They also state that white bread is the reference point for the highest GI.
Glycemic index can help people choose healthy foods with low sugar and carbohydrates. This method may help people who want to lose weight or control certain diseases such as diabetes. Another measure is the glycemic load, which considers the number of carbohydrates in a food item.
Some experts believe that the glycemic load provides a more accurate picture of how a food increases blood sugar than the glycemic index.