The Ultimate Blood Sugar Friendly Grocery List with GI Scores

TL;DR: This grocery list covers every aisle with GI scores for each item. Green items (GI under 55) are your staples. Yellow items (GI 55-69) are fine in moderation and when paired with protein or fat. Red items (GI 70+) should be minimized or swapped. Print this and bring it shopping.

How to Use This List

Each food is marked:

• Green = Low GI (under 55) — Buy freely
• Yellow = Medium GI (55-69) — Buy selectively, pair with protein/fat
• Red = High GI (70+) — Swap for a green alternative

GI values are for plain, standard preparations unless noted otherwise.

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Produce Section

Vegetables (Almost All Low GI)

Vegetable	GI	Status
Broccoli	10	Green
Cauliflower	10	Green
Spinach	10	Green
Kale	10	Green
Lettuce (all types)	10	Green
Cucumber	10	Green
Celery	10	Green
Bell peppers	15	Green
Mushrooms	10	Green
Zucchini	15	Green
Asparagus	15	Green
Green beans	15	Green
Tomatoes	15	Green
Onions	10	Green
Garlic	10	Green
Brussels sprouts	15	Green
Eggplant	15	Green
Cabbage	10	Green
Carrots (raw)	16	Green
Carrots (cooked)	39	Green
Sweet potato	44	Green
Butternut squash	51	Green
Corn on the cob	52	Green
Beets (cooked)	64	Yellow
Potato (boiled, whole)	65	Yellow
Potato (baked)	78	Red
Potato (mashed)	83	Red
Parsnips	97	Red
Pumpkin	75	Red

Fruits

Fruit	GI	Status
Cherries	22	Green
Grapefruit	25	Green
Strawberries	25	Green
Blueberries	25	Green
Raspberries	26	Green
Pear	33	Green
Apple	36	Green
Plum	35	Green
Peach	28	Green
Orange	43	Green
Grapes	43	Green
Kiwi	47	Green
Mango	51	Green
Banana (slightly green)	42	Green
Banana (ripe, spotted)	62	Yellow
Pineapple	59	Yellow
Watermelon	76	Red
Dates (dried)	42-55	Green-Yellow
Raisins	64	Yellow

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Bread and Bakery Aisle

Bread	GI	Status
Pumpernickel	41	Green
Sprouted grain (Ezekiel-style)	44	Green
Heavy rye (dense, dark)	41	Green
Sourdough	48	Green
Stone-ground whole wheat	52	Green
Whole wheat pita	57	Yellow
Whole wheat (fluffy, packaged)	65-69	Yellow
White bread	75	Red
Bagel (white)	72	Red
Baguette (French)	95	Red
Rice cakes	82	Red

Best picks: Pumpernickel, sprouted grain, and sourdough. Look for bread that is dense and heavy with visible grains and seeds.

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Grain and Pasta Aisle

Grain/Pasta	GI	Status
Pearl barley	28	Green
Bulgur wheat	36	Green
Whole wheat pasta (al dente)	42	Green
Soba (buckwheat) noodles	46	Green
Basmati rice (white)	50	Green
Brown rice	55	Yellow
Quinoa	53	Green
Egg noodles	55	Yellow
Long-grain white rice	64	Yellow
Couscous	65	Yellow
Short-grain white rice	73	Red
Jasmine rice	80-89	Red
Instant rice	87	Red

Best picks: Pearl barley, bulgur, and whole wheat pasta are the lowest-GI grain staples. Basmati rice is the best rice option.

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Canned and Dried Goods Aisle

Legumes (All Low GI — Best Carb Source for Blood Sugar)

Legume	GI	Status
Chickpeas	28	Green
Lentils (any color)	26-32	Green
Black beans	30	Green
Kidney beans	24	Green
Cannellini beans	31	Green
Navy beans	30	Green
Split peas	25	Green
Lima beans	31	Green

All legumes are green. They are the single best carb source for blood sugar management. Buy canned for convenience or dried for economy.

Canned Goods

Item	GI	Status
Canned tomatoes	15	Green
Canned tuna/salmon	0	Green
Canned coconut milk	0	Green
Tomato paste	15	Green
Canned corn	55	Yellow
Canned fruit in juice	40-55	Green-Yellow
Canned fruit in syrup	60-75	Yellow-Red

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Dairy and Refrigerated Section

Item	GI	Status
Eggs	0	Green
Plain Greek yogurt	14	Green
Milk (whole)	27	Green
Milk (skim)	32	Green
Cheddar cheese	0	Green
Cottage cheese	10	Green
Butter	0	Green
Cream cheese	0	Green
Plain yogurt	33	Green
Flavored yogurt (sweetened)	33-48	Green-Yellow
Oat milk (unsweetened)	55	Yellow
Rice milk	86	Red

Best picks: Greek yogurt (highest protein), eggs, and cheese are all extremely low GI and high in protein. Avoid sweetened yogurts and rice milk.

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Meat, Poultry, and Fish

All plain meats, poultry, and fish have a GI of 0. They contain no carbohydrates and do not raise blood sugar. Buy whatever fits your budget and preference.

Stock up on:

• Chicken breast and thighs
• Ground turkey
• Salmon and other fatty fish (omega-3 benefits)
• Lean ground beef
• Pork tenderloin
• Shrimp
• Canned tuna and salmon
• Eggs (listed in dairy but belong here too)

Watch out for:

• Breaded or battered fish/chicken (coating adds carbs, GI 60-80)
• Pre-marinated meats with sugar-based sauces
• Processed deli meats with added sugars

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Nuts, Seeds, and Oils

Item	GI	Status
Almonds	15	Green
Walnuts	15	Green
Pecans	15	Green
Cashews	22	Green
Peanuts	14	Green
Pumpkin seeds	10	Green
Chia seeds	1	Green
Flaxseed	0	Green
Sunflower seeds	20	Green
Peanut butter (natural)	14	Green
Almond butter	15	Green
Olive oil	0	Green
Avocado oil	0	Green
Coconut oil	0	Green

All nuts, seeds, and oils are green. They are excellent additions to meals to lower the overall glycemic impact. Buy natural nut butters without added sugar.

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Cereal and Breakfast Aisle

Cereal	GI	Status
Steel-cut oats	42	Green
Rolled oats	55	Yellow
All-Bran	42	Green
Muesli (natural, no sugar)	49	Green
Granola (low sugar)	50	Green
Instant oatmeal (plain)	66	Yellow
Instant oatmeal (flavored)	79	Red
Corn flakes	81	Red
Rice Krispies	82	Red
Puffed rice	88	Red
Cheerios	74	Red

Best picks: Steel-cut oats and natural muesli. Avoid any cereal with more than 8g sugar per serving.

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Condiment and Pantry Staples

Item	GI	Notes
Apple cider vinegar	0	Reduces meal GI by 20-30%
Mustard	0	Great low-GI condiment
Hot sauce	0	Zero carbs
Soy sauce	0	Watch sodium
Olive oil	0	GI-lowering when added to meals
Lemon juice	0	Acid lowers meal GI
Salsa	10	Low GI, high flavor
Hummus	6	Excellent dip or spread
Honey	58	Yellow — use sparingly
Maple syrup	54	Green — better than sugar
White sugar	65	Yellow
Ketchup	55	Yellow — sugar content varies
BBQ sauce	60-70	Yellow-Red — high sugar

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Why This Approach Works

Shopping with a GI-aware grocery list removes decision fatigue. When you stock your kitchen with green-list foods, every meal you make from those ingredients will be blood-sugar-friendly by default. You do not need willpower at every meal if your pantry is already optimized.

The biggest wins come from the carb swaps: basmati rice instead of jasmine, sourdough instead of white bread, steel-cut oats instead of instant. These swaps cost the same, taste similar, and reduce glycemic impact by 20-40%.

Shopping Tips

1. Shop the perimeter first — Produce, meat, dairy, and eggs are almost all low GI
2. Read ingredient lists on bread — “Whole wheat flour” as the first ingredient in fluffy bread is still high GI. Look for dense, heavy loaves
3. Avoid the cereal aisle — Almost everything there is high GI. Buy oats from the baking aisle instead
4. Stock up on canned beans — Cheapest low-GI carb source available. Rinse to reduce sodium by 40%
5. Buy nuts in bulk — They are expensive per unit but last weeks and serve as the ultimate low-GI snack

Everyone’s glucose response is different. What spikes one person may be fine for another. Glycemic Snap uses AI to analyze photos of your meals and predict your glucose response, including a blood sugar curve prediction and personalized swap suggestions. Download for iOS or Android to discover your personal glycemic profile.

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Looking for more strategies to manage blood sugar through food choices? Visit our Blood Sugar Management hub for guides, recipes, and science-backed tips.