The glycemic index is an indicator of how rapidly a food will break down into simple sugars and enter your blood stream.  Foods that break down quickly are said to be High Glycemic and typically measure above 70 on the glycemic index.  If you have issues with high blood sugar (diabetic or pre-diabetic) it may help you to focus on eating more low glycemic foods and avoid the ones on this list.

When would someone want to consume high glycemic foods?  Typically it would be an athlete who was about to embark on an en devour that requires a burst of quick energy.  Power lifters will often use a technique known as carb-loading prior to their power lifting events to provide the rush of energy needed by the muscles.  A marathon runner on the other hand would want long burning complex carbs (generally low glycemic) in order to have sustained energy over a long period of time.

High Glycemic foods are often tough to spot, so that’s why it’s best to use a food list until you get things memorized.  The glycemic index is often a bit puzzling when you first start using it.  For example you would think that it would be better to eat Rice Cakes than Pound Cake but if you eat 100 calories of each the pound cake (54 GI) will not spike your blood sugar as much as the rice cakes (77 GI).  As you can see low GI doesn’t always mean healthy!


Here are a few examples of High Glycemic Index Foods:

White bread 71
Golden Grahams 71
Millet 71
Watermelon 72
White rolls 73
Puffed wheat 74
Corn chips 74
Chips 75
Waffles 76
Doughnut 76
Wafer biscuits 77
Rice cakes 77
Broad beans 79
Jelly beans 80
Pretzels 81
Rice Krispies 82
Cornflakes 83
Potato, instant 83
Potato, baked 85
Brown Rice Pasta 92
Baguette 95
Parsnips 97
Dates 103