Glycaemic Index of Indian Packaged Foods: A Guide

The following GI values are drawn from published glycaemic index databases (Atkinson et al. 2021, University of Sydney GI database, Gopalan 2010) and specific Indian food testing studies. Values are approximate — food preparation method, serving temperature, ripeness, and individual metabolic variation affect actual postprandial responses.

Very High GI (>85) — Spike blood sugar rapidly: White bread (Indian commercial, ~95), cornflakes (~93), glucose-based energy drinks (~95), white rice (long grain, overcooked, ~87), instant rice (microwaveable pouches, ~90), puffed rice (murmura, ~87). High GI (70–85) — Use sparingly: White rice (medium grain, standard cook, ~72), idli from refined rice-urad dal (~86), plain dosa from refined rice-urad batter (~77), packaged white bread (~75), instant oats (~79), rice flakes/poha (~82), packaged mango juice (~65, but very high GL due to portion size). Medium GI (55–69) — Moderate use: Basmati white rice (~58), packaged whole wheat bread (~71), packaged plain oats rolled (~55), packaged pasta (white, al dente, ~54), packaged full-fat milk (~41), packaged plain yogurt (~36), packaged sweet corn (~52). Low GI (<55) — Preferred choices: Whole masoor dal (~30), whole moong dal (~38), chickpea (~33), black-eyed peas (~33), packaged whole oat groats (~55), packaged full-fat plain yogurt (~36), packaged unsweetened soy milk (~44), packaged frozen legumes (~35), packaged walnuts (~15), packaged almonds (~0–10).

AaharIQ's quick-reference summary of the GI values listed above:

Several packaged foods marketed as healthy in India have surprisingly high glycaemic indices that consumers may not expect:

Instant oats (flavoured sachets): Plain rolled oats have GI ~55. Instant oats processed to very thin flakes for rapid cooking have GI ~70–80. Flavoured instant oat sachets with added sugar have an even higher effective GI from combined sugar and rapid-cooking oat starch. The 'healthy oats' marketing conceals significant GI variation between plain rolled and instant flavoured. White rice in idli/dosa: Traditional South Indian idli and dosa are often perceived as light, healthy food. But fermented white rice-based batters have high GI (~77–86). The fermentation reduces GI somewhat compared to plain cooked rice but does not create a low-GI product. Adding vegetables to the idli/dosa (mixed vegetables, onion, tomato) and eating with sambar and coconut chutney (which contain fibre and fat) lowers the effective glycaemic response. Multigrain 'health' biscuits: Many marketed-as-healthy Indian multigrain biscuits are primarily refined maida with small quantities of millets or oats added for marketing purposes. The GI remains near white bread (~75) because the maida base dominates. Packaged fruit juices: Fruit juices — even 100% pure fruit juice — have high GI (~60–75) and high GL because they lack the fibre that moderates blood glucose response from whole fruit. A 200ml packaged mango juice providing 25g of carbohydrate at GI 65 has a GL of approximately 16 — as high as a medium slice of white bread. Rice vermicelli (seviyan): Rice-based noodles made from refined rice flour have GI ~58–65 — similar to or higher than pasta. Widely consumed at breakfast as upma base, often without protein or fat to moderate glucose response.