November 6, 2017
I began to pay attention to Glycemic Index when I first started to deal with my migraines through a natural diet. As a chronic dieter, meal skipper, fruit lover and protein deficient exerciser, I had very imbalanced blood sugar, leading to cravings and migraines. This guide helped me understand what would spike my blood sugar or not. We’ll continue to this list over time.
What is the Glycemic Index?
The Glycemic Index (GI) is a scale that ranks carbohydrate-rich foods by how much they raise blood glucose (sugar) levels compared to a standard food (glucose or white bread).
Eating foods with a low Glycemic Index may help you to:
- Control your blood glucose (sugar) level
- Control your cholesterol level
- Control your appetite
- Lower your risk of developing heart disease
- Lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes
Low Glycemic Foods (55 or less)
- Green vegetables
- Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, split peas, soy beans, baked beans)
- Brassica family
- Tomato
- Apple
- Pear
- Grapefruit
- Peach
- Beans
- Pearl Barley
- Rice Bran
- Whole Rye
- Wheat Bran
- Quinoa
- Pumpernickel
Medium Glycemic (56-69)
- Yams/Sweet potatoes
- Raw carrots
- Blueberries
- Grapes
- Kiwi
- Mango
- Orange Juice
- Corn
- Brown Rice
- Oatmeal/oat bran
- Wild Rice
High Glycemic (70 or more)
- potatoes
- beets
- parsnips
- dried fruit
- pineapple
- banana
- raisins
- couscous
- English muffin
- French baguette
- bread
- millet
- crackers
- taco shells
- corn flakes
- puffed rice cereal