Are you scared that the simple sugars in fruits will spike your blood sugar? Glycemic index gives diabetics a good scale to determine which fruits are better than others, but it doesn’t paint the whole picture. Learn why, and see the lowest glycemic fruits, plus the best fruits for diabetics.

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On This Page

– Glycemic Index Definition
– What Affects It
– Interactive Glycemic Index Fruit Chart
– Low Glycemic Fruits Chart
– Lowering Glycemic Index
– FAQs
– Vegetables & More

Glycemic Index Definition

Glycemic index is a scale from 1 to 100 that shows how quickly or how slowly a food raises your blood sugar. Foods are assigned a value based on one serving eaten alone. Low glycemic foods have a smaller effect on blood sugar than medium or high glycemic foods.

0 to 55 = Low glycemic
56 to 69 = Medium glycemic
70 to 100 = High glycemic

What Affects the Glycemic Index of a Food?

Glycemic index is determined by the food’s nutritional information like the number of carbohydrates, the type of carbohydrates (whether simple or complex), and the amount of fiber, fat, and protein in one serving.

Additionally, a food’s ripeness, processing, form (liquid or food, long or short grain), cooking method, and more affect it’s glycemic value.

Simple carbohydrates do not need to be digested because they are already in their simplest form, so they enter the blood stream immediately when eaten. If a food has a significant amount of simple carbs (or sugars), it is likely high glycemic.

Complex carbohydrates, on the other hand, need to be broken down, so they enter the blood stream at a slower rate.

When a food has other nutrients that the body needs to process, like fiber, fat, and protein, the break down is even slower, causing the carbohydrates to enter the blood stream at an even slower rate.

Glycemic Index Fruit Chart

This chart has the glycemic index, serving size, and basic nutritional information for common fruits at the grocery store; fresh and dried fruits. Any information left blank was unavailable or unclear.

Caution

Be mindful that glycemic index alone should NOT be the deciding factor as to whether or not you can eat a certain fruit. Take a look at the total carbs, sugar and fiber as well.

For example, watermelon has a very high glycemic index of 76, but only 12g carbohydrates in 1 cup’s serving, whereas a small pear has a glycemic index of 39 and 23g carbs.

For this reason, manually calculating the glycemic index of a food isn’t worth your time. BUT if you’re concerned that a food has too many sugars or carbs, you can lower the glycemic index by eating it with another food with significant fat, fiber, or protein.

Low Glycemic Fruits

Here are the best low glycemic and low carb fruits for diabetics.

Lowering Glycemic Index

A food’s glycemic index cannot be lowered on its own, but if you eat it with another food that’s higher in fiber, protein, or fat, you can slow down the processing of all carbohydrates. Examples:

– apple with peanut butter
– melon with proscuitto
– watermelon with feta cheese

A food’s glycemic value can be raised, however, by removing the more nutritious parts. For example, eating an apple or pear without the peeling takes away the fiber and leaves sugars, and squeezing the juice from an orange removes the pith (white parts).

FAQs

Looking for more foods?

– Glycemic Index Foods Chart (all types of foods)
– Glycemic Index Vegetable Chart (coming soon)