A List of High-Glycemic Carbs
While trying to manage your diabetes, it’s essential to avoid foods that are high on the glycemic index. Foods with a high GI rating break down quickly in your gut, sending a surge of sugar into your bloodstream and raising your blood glucose.
While trying to manage your diabetes, it's essential to avoid foods that are high on the glycemic index. Foods with a high GI rating break down quickly in your gut, sending a surge of sugar into your bloodstream and raising your blood glucose. Keep your distance from foods high on the scale that have a rating of 70 or more to help stabilize your glucose levels.
Cereals
If your favorite cereal has some kind of cartoon character on the box, odds are, it's full of sugar and high on the glycemic index. Chocolate puffs have a rank of 77 on the glycemic index, while corn-based flake cereals rate at 93. Don't think you're doing yourself any favors by opting for a puffed-wheat cereal either. The GI of this cereal could be as high as 83. If hot cereal is more your style, stay away from instant creamy wheat cereal and instant oatmeal. These sinfully hot cereals have glycemic index scores of 74 and 83, respectively.
Snacks
Many of your favorite processed snack foods are off the table if you want to skip all high-glycemic carbohydrates. That rice cake may be helpful for your waistline, but it has bad effects for your blood sugar. Rice cakes rank at 82 on the glycemic index. Plain soda crackers have a score of 74, graham crackers fall at 74, pretzels have a GI of 83 and vanilla wafers rate at 77.
Potatoes
If you love your baked potato, you'll want to find a replacement to help you manage your blood glucose. A baked russet potato has a glycemic index of 111. For the most part, any potato that is white on the inside has a rating of at least 80. Instant mashed potatoes can be as high as 87 on the index classification. Sweet potatoes aren't your best friend either, since they fall at 70 on the scale; however, their cousin the yam, has a GI of just 54.
Breads
You can have bread if you have diabetes, just not the ones that are bleached white without any visible sign of whole grains. Heavily processed white bread has a GI measure of at least 71 on the scale. Processed whole-wheat bread can be just as high. Plain white bagels are at 72, a slice of a white baguette has an index score of 95 and a Kaiser roll ranks at 73. Always opt for bread that is at least 50 percent whole grains, such as cracked wheat kernel or coarse barley bread. These breads are low on the glycemic index, with a scores below 50.
Rice
If white rice is your go-to side dish, you'll want to reconsider. White rice has a glycemic score of around 89. Even basmati rice is on the higher end with a rank of 67. Not all rice is your enemy, just go for parboiled or brown rice. These varieties have a GI of 38 and 50, respectively.
Fruits
For the most part, any fresh fruit you enjoy will be low or moderate on the glycemic index. But a few of them are incredibly high. Cantaloupe rates at around 70 on the scale, while watermelon has a GI of as high as 80. Very ripe fresh pineapple can also be up above 70 on the scale.