Glycemic Index Checker

What GI Means

The glycemic index, or GI, compares how quickly a food containing carbohydrate raises blood sugar, on a scale where pure glucose is 100. A value of 55 or below counts as low, 56 to 69 as medium, and 70 or above as high. It is measured by giving people a test food and following their blood sugar for two hours.

This can be useful information for people managing blood sugar, as one of several things to think about.

What Glycemic Load Adds

GI compares foods gram for gram of carbohydrate, so it doesn’t take account of how much you eat. Glycemic load, or GL, brings the portion in. It is the GI multiplied by the grams of carbohydrate in the portion, divided by 100. A food with a high GI in a small portion can have a modest GL, and a large serving of a medium-GI food can have a high one.

Where These Values Come From

Every value here comes from the International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values 2021, by Atkinson and colleagues, and from the part of those tables that follows the standard international testing method. Each result tells you exactly what was tested and in which country, because that may not be the same as the food on your plate. A row of rice tested in one variety and one cooker can’t speak for every kind of rice.

The list is short because few Indian dishes have been tested. If a food has no value, this tool says so plainly, and that doesn’t tell you whether its GI is high or low.

What Changes the Result

The same food can give different results. Variety, ripeness, how it is processed, and how long it is cooked all matter. Eating it with protein, fat, or fibre, as in a thali with dal and vegetables, also changes how your blood sugar responds. So a single number is a rough guide, and your own response can differ from it. If you are managing diabetes or another condition, a doctor or nutritionist can help you put this into context.