We assess how a food impacts blood sugar by using the glycemic index (GI) and its glycemic load (GL).
The GI ranks foods on a scale from 0 to 100 based on how quickly they raise blood sugar after eating. Foods with a GI below 55 are considered low-glycemic, while those with a GI above 70 are considered high-glycemic.
GL takes into account portion sizes. It considers both how quickly a food raises blood sugar and how much carbohydrate is typically consumed in a serving. A GL of 10 or less is considered low, 11–19 is moderate, and 20 or higher is high.1
Here’s how different types and preparations of potatoes, rice, and pasta compare in terms of their GI and GL.
