Tools & References
Glycemic Index Chart: Teaspoons of Sugar in Food
Glycemic index: how fast a food raises your blood sugar.
Glycemic load: how much one normal serving raises your blood sugar.
Teaspoons: the same idea in a picture. Fewer teaspoons usually means a gentler rise.
If past plans didn't work, it's not about willpower. Many plans never show you this.
How to read a teaspoon card
Each card shows how much one normal serving might raise your blood sugar. It compares the food to teaspoons of table sugar. One teaspoon is 4 g of sugar.
No food here is off limits. Use the spoons to pick swaps for the meals you already like.
Load: Low is 10 or under, Medium is over 10 and under 20, High is 20 or more (glycemic load per serving). Foods with no listed load have no Load badge.
Speed colours show glycemic index. The teaspoons show how much a normal serving might raise your blood sugar, and that's the number to use when you choose.
Basmati rice
10.1 teaspoons
Potato, white, boiled
9.1 teaspoons
French fries, baked
7.5 teaspoons
Spaghetti, white, boiled
6.6 teaspoons
Corn, boiled
4 teaspoons
Frozen peas, boiled
1.3 teaspoons
Broccoli
0.2 teaspoons
Eggs
0 teaspoons
White bread
3.7 teaspoons
Glycemic load 10 Load: ● Low
Whole wheat bread, stoneground
2.6 teaspoons
Glycemic load 7 Load: ● Low
Corn Flakes
8.4 teaspoons
Special K
4 teaspoons
Oatmeal, cooked
4.4 teaspoons
Banana
5.9 teaspoons
Glycemic load 16 Load: ▲ Medium
Apple, Golden Delicious
2.2 teaspoons
Glycemic load 6 Load: ● Low
Strawberries, fresh
1.4 teaspoons
Glycemic load 3.8 Load: ● Low
Grapes, black
4 teaspoons
Glycemic load 11 Load: ▲ Medium
Watermelon, fresh
1.8 teaspoons
Glycemic load 5 Load: ● Low
Raisins
10.3 teaspoons
Cabbage
0.1 teaspoons
White rice, boiled (150 g) *
10.7 teaspoons
Glycemic load 29 Load: ■ High
Baked potato (150 g) *
8.1 teaspoons
Glycemic load 22 Load: ■ High
Spaghetti, white, boiled 10 to 15 min (180 g) *
8.8 teaspoons
Glycemic load 24 Load: ■ High
Cornflakes, average of 5 studies (30 g) *
7.4 teaspoons
Glycemic load 20 Load: ■ High
Orange juice, unsweetened *
5 teaspoons
Glycemic load 13.3 Load: ▲ Medium
Chicken, plain *
0 teaspoons
Beef, plain *
0 teaspoons
* Orange juice, meat, white rice, baked potato, spaghetti (10 to 15 min) and cornflakes (average) rows added by Ascent; sources below.
* Some foods appear twice. The starred rows are averages of several studies from Atkinson 2008. The unstarred rows are from Dr Unwin's chart. Numbers differ between studies, brands and serving sizes, so treat both as a rough guide.
The full table
Tap a food group to open it. Glycemic index runs from 0 to 100.
N/A means the poster didn't list it, or the food has no carbohydrate (meat).
* Orange juice, meat, white rice, baked potato, spaghetti (10 to 15 min) and cornflakes (average) rows added by Ascent; sources below.
Rice, potatoes and vegetables
| Food | Glycemic index | Serving | Glycemic load | Spoons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basmati rice | 69 Speed: ▲ Medium | 150 g | N/A | 10.1 |
| Potato, white, boiled | 96 Speed: ■ High | 150 g | N/A | 9.1 |
| French fries, baked | 64 Speed: ▲ Medium | 150 g | N/A | 7.5 |
| Spaghetti, white, boiled | 39 Speed: ● Low | 180 g | N/A | 6.6 |
| White rice, boiled (150 g) * | 72 Speed: ■ High | 150 g | 29 Load: ■ High | 10.7 |
| Baked potato (150 g) * | 86 Speed: ■ High | 150 g | 22 Load: ■ High | 8.1 |
| Spaghetti, white, boiled 10 to 15 min (180 g) * | 49 Speed: ● Low | 180 g | 24 Load: ■ High | 8.8 |
| Corn, boiled | 60 Speed: ▲ Medium | 80 g | N/A | 4 |
| Frozen peas, boiled | 51 Speed: ● Low | 80 g | N/A | 1.3 |
| Broccoli | 15 Speed: ● Low | 80 g | N/A | 0.2 |
| Cabbage | 10 Speed: ● Low | 80 g | N/A | 0.1 |
| Eggs | 0 Speed: ● Low | 60 g | N/A | 0 |
Bread (one small 30 gram slice)
| Food | Glycemic index | Serving | Glycemic load | Spoons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White bread | 71 Speed: ■ High | 30 g (1 small slice) | 10 Load: ● Low | 3.7 |
| Brown bread | 74 Speed: ■ High | 30 g (1 small slice) | 9 Load: ● Low | 3.3 |
| Rye bread (69% whole-grain rye) | 78 Speed: ■ High | 30 g (1 small slice) | 11 Load: ▲ Medium | 4 |
| Whole grain barley bread (50% barley) | 85 Speed: ■ High | 30 g (1 small slice) | 15 Load: ▲ Medium | 5.5 |
| Whole wheat bread, stoneground | 59 Speed: ▲ Medium | 30 g (1 small slice) | 7 Load: ● Low | 2.6 |
| Pita, whole wheat | 56 Speed: ▲ Medium | 30 g (1 small slice) | 8 Load: ● Low | 2.9 |
| Oat bread | 62 Speed: ▲ Medium | 30 g (1 small slice) | 9 Load: ● Low | 3.3 |
Breakfast cereals
| Food | Glycemic index | Serving | Glycemic load | Spoons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coco Pops (UK chocolate rice cereal) | 77 Speed: ■ High | 30 g | N/A | 7.3 |
| Corn Flakes | 93 Speed: ■ High | 30 g | N/A | 8.4 |
| Cornflakes, average of 5 studies (30 g) * | 81 Speed: ■ High | 30 g | 20 Load: ■ High | 7.4 |
| Mini Wheats (UK) | 59 Speed: ▲ Medium | 30 g | N/A | 4.4 |
| Shredded Wheat | 67 Speed: ▲ Medium | 30 g | N/A | 4.8 |
| Special K | 54 Speed: ● Low | 30 g | N/A | 4 |
| Bran Flakes | 74 Speed: ■ High | 30 g | N/A | 3.7 |
| Oatmeal, cooked | 63 Speed: ▲ Medium | 150 ml | N/A | 4.4 |
Fruit and juice
| Food | Glycemic index | Serving | Glycemic load | Spoons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banana | 62 Speed: ▲ Medium | 120 g | 16 Load: ▲ Medium | 5.9 |
| Grapes, black | 59 Speed: ▲ Medium | 120 g | 11 Load: ▲ Medium | 4 |
| Apple, Golden Delicious | 39 Speed: ● Low | 120 g | 6 Load: ● Low | 2.2 |
| Watermelon, fresh | 80 Speed: ■ High | 120 g | 5 Load: ● Low | 1.8 |
| Nectarines, fresh | 43 Speed: ● Low | 120 g | 4 Load: ● Low | 1.5 |
| Apricots, fresh | 34 Speed: ● Low | 120 g | 3 Load: ● Low | 1.1 |
| Strawberries, fresh | 40 Speed: ● Low | 120 g | 3.8 Load: ● Low | 1.4 |
| Raisins | 64 Speed: ▲ Medium | 60 g | N/A | 10.3 |
| Orange juice, unsweetened * | 50 Speed: ● Low | 250 ml (1 cup) | 13.3 Load: ▲ Medium | 5 |
Protein foods
| Food | Glycemic index | Serving | Glycemic load | Spoons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken, plain * | N/A (no carbohydrate) | 100 g | N/A | 0 |
| Beef, plain * | N/A (no carbohydrate) | 100 g | N/A | 0 |
These numbers are averages from research. The same food can change with ripeness, cooking and what you eat with it. This chart is for learning. It is not for changing any medicine. If you take medicine for blood sugar, please check with your prescriber or pharmacist before changing how you eat.
Full credit
Teaspoon tables: Dr David Unwin (a family physician in Southport, UK, @lowcarbGP). Shared for free by The Public Health Collaboration. Source: phcuk.org/resources.
Method: Unwin D, et al. "It is the glycaemic response to, not the carbohydrate content of food that matters in diabetes and obesity: The glycaemic index revisited." Journal of Insulin Resistance, 2016.
* Orange juice: added by Ascent. GI from Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008;31(12):2281-2283, Table A1. Carbohydrate from USDA FoodData Central (Orange juice, canned, unsweetened [FDC ID 169099]). Teaspoons worked out using Dr David Unwin's method. Chicken and beef: no carbohydrate, so GI does not apply. White rice, baked potato, spaghetti (10 to 15 min) and cornflakes (average): GI, serving, carbohydrate and glycemic load from the same 2008 International Tables (Table A1, average values: white rice boiled, mean of five studies; baked potato, mean of four foods; spaghetti, white, boiled 10 to 15 min, mean of six studies; cornflakes, mean of five studies). Teaspoons worked out using Dr David Unwin's method (glycemic load divided by 2.72).
Thank you to Dr Unwin and The Public Health Collaboration for making these tools free for everyone. The figures are theirs, unchanged. Ascent made the print bigger and used everyday Canadian food names. Rows marked * were added by Ascent and are not Dr Unwin's figures.
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