How to read this chart
Three columns matter. Band — low (≤55), medium (56–69), high (≥70) — is the speed of the sugar rise. Portion is where control actually happens: glycemic load combines speed with quantity, which is why watermelon (high GI, mostly water) troubles people less than a heaped plate of rice (similar GI, far more carbohydrate). Notes carry the caveat that matters for that food — ripeness, cooking, cooling. Values are ranges from the International Tables of Glycemic Index (Atkinson et al., Diabetes Care) and USDA FoodData Central; where a local variety has little published data, the chart says so instead of inventing a number.
The master chart — everyday foods at a glance
| Food | GI (range) | Band | Sensible portion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guava (koyya) | ~29–33 | Low | 1 fruit |
| Carrot, boiled | ~33–49 | Low | 1 cup |
| Apple | ~36–40 | Low | 1 medium |
| Orange | ~40–45 | Low | 1 medium |
| Barnyard millet (kuthiraivali) | ~41–50 | Low | 1 cup cooked |
| Basmati rice | ~50–58 | Low–Med | ¾ cup cooked |
| Banana, just ripe | ~48–55 | Low–Med | 1 small |
| Mango, ripe | ~51–60 | Medium | ½ medium fruit |
| Chapati (whole wheat) | ~52–62 | Medium | 2 medium |
| Papaya | ~56–60 | Medium | 2 small slices |
| Ragi, whole/thick | ~55–68 | Medium | 1 cup cooked |
| Semiya (vermicelli) | ~58–65 | Medium | 1 cup cooked |
| Matta / red parboiled rice | ~55–65* | Medium | ¾–1 cup cooked |
| Idli (fermented, with sambar) | ~60–69 | Medium | 3 idlis + sambar |
| Beetroot | ~61–64 | Medium | ½ cup |
| Brown rice | ~66–68 | Medium–High | ¾ cup cooked |
| Rava / sooji upma | ~66–75 | High | 1 cup |
| White polished rice | ~70–77 | High | ¾ cup, mixed meal |
| White bread | ~70–75 | High | 2 slices |
| Watermelon | ~72–76 | High (low load) | 1 slice |
| Potato, boiled | ~66–82 | High | ½ cup, cooled better |
| Tapioca (kappa) | ~70–94 | High | 1 cup, with fish/protein |
* limited variety-specific published data — parboiled red rices test toward the lower-medium band; treat the range as indicative.
Explore by category
Rice varieties → matta, ponni, basmati, brown, black (karuppu kavuni), hand-pounded · Fruits → guava to dates · Wheat products → chapati, bread, rava, semiya, porotta · Millets → ragi, jowar, bajra, thinai, samai, varagu · Tubers & roots → kappa, potato, yam, chembu, sweet potato.
The four rules that beat any chart
Portion first — halving the serving halves the load; no food swap matches that. Never carbohydrate alone — protein, fat and fibre on the same plate slow absorption measurably. Preparation moves GI — softer and more overcooked digests faster; cooling cooked rice, potato and kappa creates a little resistant starch. Frequency writes your HbA1c — the daily habits, not the occasional festival plate, decide the three-month number. For verdict-style answers on individual foods — is papaya fine, can you eat jackfruit, what about kappa — see the food answers library, which pairs with these charts: charts for data, food answers for the decision.
When numbers need a doctor
GI charts guide healthy choices; they do not set targets. If your readings stay high despite sensible eating, if you take insulin or sulfonylureas and need carbohydrate consistency, if kidney disease limits potassium-rich foods, or if you are pregnant — the chart is where the conversation starts, not where it ends.
Frequently asked questions
Foods at 55 or below are classed low-GI, 56–69 medium, and 70 or above high. Favouring low and medium foods helps — but the serving size decides the real effect. Half a plate of a medium-GI food raises sugar more than two spoons of a high-GI one.
No. Published GI values are averages from test meals; your response varies with ripeness, cooking, what else is on the plate, and your own body. Use the bands as a guide, and test your own two-hour reading after common meals for personal evidence.
Because GI is measured on specific samples — variety, ripeness and preparation change results, so published studies differ. This chart gives ranges and bands from standard references rather than false single numbers, and says plainly where data is limited.
No — that turns eating into arithmetic and fails within weeks. Use GI to choose between alternatives, control portions of medium and high-GI staples, pair carbohydrates with protein and vegetables, and keep the diet one your household can actually cook.