One number, per 100 grams, for over 170 foods most Indian kitchens actually use. Green means eat freely. Yellow means portion it. Red doesn't mean never — it means know what you're doing before you do it.
Most Indian diet charts still lean on GI alone. Here's the problem with that.
GI ranks how fast a food's carbohydrate turns into blood sugar, tested gram-for-gram against pure glucose. It says nothing about how much carbohydrate is actually in a normal serving of that food.
That's how watermelon and pumpkin — both mostly water — end up with GI scores in the same range as white bread, despite delivering a fraction of the carbs per bite.
GL multiplies that speed by how much carbohydrate you're actually eating. It's the number that predicts what happens to your blood sugar after a real meal, not a lab-standardized 50g dose of pure carb.
This is the whole reason this list exists as EGL, not GI — the color you see for every food here is based on load, because load is what your body actually experiences.
Carrots were flagged as a food to limit for years, based on early GI testing. Almost nobody eats 100g of pure carrot carbohydrate in one sitting — the real load per serving is tiny.
Both numbers look reasonable here — which is exactly the trap. Neither GI nor GL captures agave's very high fructose content. See the Sweetener Codex for that part of the story.
The 100g figure looks alarming on paper. Scale it to what a roti actually weighs and the real number drops by two-thirds — this is exactly why Rule 01 below matters.
Same three-color system as the original chart — just applied consistently this time, across every single row.
Low glycemic load per 100g. Most vegetables, whole fruit, dairy, meat, fish, eggs, nuts, and legumes live here. Build meals around this column.
Moderate load. Not a problem in a reasonable portion — starchy vegetables, some fruit, whole grains, a few traditional sweets fall here.
High load per 100g. Refined flour, sugar in any form, fried snacks, and most desserts. Doesn't mean forbidden — means eat less of it, less often.
Search by name, filter by category or color, or just scroll — everything's here.
| Food | Category | EGL / 100g | Band |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach | Vegetables | Green | |
| Cauliflower | Vegetables | Green | |
| Broccoli | Vegetables | Green | |
| Cabbage | Vegetables | Green | |
| Tomato | Vegetables | Green | |
| Cucumber | Vegetables | Green | |
| Capsicum (Bell Pepper) | Vegetables | Green | |
| Onion | Vegetables | Green | |
| Brinjal (Eggplant) | Vegetables | Green | |
| Okra (Lady Finger) | Vegetables | Green | |
| Bitter Gourd (Karela) | Vegetables | Green | |
| Bottle Gourd (Lauki) | Vegetables | Green | |
| Radish | Vegetables | Green | |
| Mushroom | Vegetables | Green | |
| Carrot (raw) | Vegetables | Green | |
| Green Peas (fresh) | Vegetables | Green | |
| Beetroot | Vegetables | Green | |
| Sweet Potato | Vegetables | Yellow | |
| Potato (boiled) | Vegetables | Yellow | |
| Sweetcorn | Vegetables | Green | |
| Watermelon | Fruits | Green | |
| Papaya | Fruits | Green | |
| Apple | Fruits | Green | |
| Orange | Fruits | Green | |
| Pear | Fruits | Green | |
| Guava | Fruits | Green | |
| Strawberry | Fruits | Green | |
| Peach | Fruits | Green | |
| Grapes | Fruits | Green | |
| Pineapple | Fruits | Green | |
| Banana (ripe) | Fruits | Yellow | |
| Mango | Fruits | Green | |
| Pomegranate | Fruits | Green | |
| Kiwi | Fruits | Green | |
| Lychee | Fruits | Green | |
| Custard Apple | Fruits | Yellow | |
| Jackfruit (ripe) | Fruits | Yellow | |
| Sapota (Chikoo) | Fruits | Yellow | |
| Cherry | Fruits | Green | |
| Avocado | Fruits | Green | |
| Blueberries | Fruits | Green | |
| Dried Dates | Fruits | Red | |
| Masoor Dal (Lentils, cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Chana / Chickpeas (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Rajma / Kidney Beans (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Urad Dal (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Moong Dal (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Toor / Arhar Dal (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Soybean (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Brown Rice (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Yellow | |
| White Rice (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Red | |
| Basmati Rice (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Yellow | |
| Quinoa (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Yellow | |
| Bajra / Pearl Millet (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Yellow | |
| Ragi / Finger Millet (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Yellow | |
| Jowar / Sorghum (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Yellow | |
| Barley (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Oats (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Buckwheat (cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Poha (flattened rice, cooked) | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Idli (steamed)ADDED | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Dosa (plain)ADDED | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Upma (semolina)ADDED | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Khichdi (rice + dal)ADDED | Cereals & Pulses | Green | |
| Roti / Chapati (plain, whole wheat) | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Paratha (whole wheat, pan-fried)ADDED | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Naan (refined flour)ADDED | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Puri (deep-fried)ADDED | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Multigrain Bread | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Whole Wheat Bread | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| White Bread | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Brown Bread | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Burger Bun | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Pizza Base | Breads & Rotis | Red | |
| Ghee | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Cooking Oil (any) | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Butter | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Paneer | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Curd / Yogurt (plain) | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Buttermilk / Chaas | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Cream | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Cottage Cheese | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Cheese (block/slice) | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Full Cream Milk | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Toned Milk | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Skimmed Milk | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Soy Milk (unsweetened) | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Milk Powder (Whole) | Dairy & Fats | Yellow | |
| Milk Powder (Skimmed) | Dairy & Fats | Yellow | |
| Khoya | Dairy & Fats | Green | |
| Stevia | Sweeteners & Sugars | Green | |
| Monk Fruit | Sweeteners & Sugars | Green | |
| Allulose | Sweeteners & Sugars | Green | |
| Erythritol | Sweeteners & Sugars | Green | |
| Xylitol | Sweeteners & Sugars | Green | |
| Sorbitol | Sweeteners & Sugars | Green | |
| Honey | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| Jaggery | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| Coconut Sugar | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| Maple Syrup | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| Agave Nectar | Sweeteners & Sugars | Yellow | |
| White Sugar (Sucrose) | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| High Fructose Corn Syrup | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| Maltodextrin | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| Glucose | Sweeteners & Sugars | Red | |
| Fructose (pure) | Sweeteners & Sugars | Yellow | |
| Almonds | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Walnuts | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Cashews | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Pistachios | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Peanuts | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Sunflower Seeds | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Pumpkin Seeds | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Chia Seeds | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Flax Seeds | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Sesame Seeds | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Coconut (fresh) | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Green | |
| Coconut (dried) | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Yellow | |
| Raisins | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Red | |
| Dried Apricot | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Yellow | |
| Dried Figs | Nuts & Dried Fruits | Red | |
| Turmeric | Spices | Green | |
| Cumin Seeds | Spices | Green | |
| Coriander Seeds | Spices | Green | |
| Black Pepper | Spices | Green | |
| Cinnamon | Spices | Green | |
| Clove | Spices | Green | |
| Cardamom | Spices | Green | |
| Fenugreek Seeds | Spices | Green | |
| Garlic | Spices | Green | |
| Ginger | Spices | Green | |
| Green Chilli | Spices | Green | |
| Red Chilli (Dry) | Spices | Green | |
| Mustard Seeds | Spices | Green | |
| Tamarind Pulp | Spices | Yellow | |
| Egg | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Chicken (plain) | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Fish (plain) | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Mutton / Lamb | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Prawns | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Turkey | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Duck | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Crab | Non-Veg & Protein | Green | |
| Chicken Nuggets | Snacks & Processed | Green | |
| Sausage | Snacks & Processed | Green | |
| Bacon | Snacks & Processed | Green | |
| Kabab | Snacks & Processed | Green | |
| SamosaADDED | Snacks & Processed | Yellow | |
| Pakora / BhajiyaADDED | Snacks & Processed | Yellow | |
| Potato ChipsADDED | Snacks & Processed | Red | |
| Namkeen / MixtureADDED | Snacks & Processed | Red | |
| Corn Nachos | Snacks & Processed | Red | |
| Soya Chips | Snacks & Processed | Yellow | |
| Digestive Biscuits | Biscuits & Bakery | Red | |
| Cream Biscuits | Biscuits & Bakery | Red | |
| Sweet Biscuits | Biscuits & Bakery | Red | |
| Salty Biscuits | Biscuits & Bakery | Red | |
| Rusk | Biscuits & Bakery | Red | |
| Sugar-Free Biscuits | Biscuits & Bakery | Red | |
| Ice Cream | Sweets & Desserts | Yellow | |
| Gulab Jamun | Sweets & Desserts | Red | |
| Rasgulla | Sweets & Desserts | Red | |
| Besan Ladoo | Sweets & Desserts | Red | |
| Atta Ladoo | Sweets & Desserts | Red | |
| JalebiADDED | Sweets & Desserts | Red | |
| KheerADDED | Sweets & Desserts | Yellow | |
| HalwaADDED | Sweets & Desserts | Red | |
| BarfiADDED | Sweets & Desserts | Red | |
| Coconut Water | Beverages | Green | |
| Black Coffee / Plain TeaADDED | Beverages | Green | |
| Masala Chai (with sugar) | Beverages | Green | |
| Fresh Fruit Juice (no added sugar)ADDED | Beverages | Green | |
| Flavoured Milk | Beverages | Green | |
| Soft Drink (per 100ml) | Beverages | Green | |
| Glucose Drink | Beverages | Red | |
| Protein Powder (sweetened) | Beverages | Yellow |
Important: every value is per 100 grams, not per typical serving. A single roti weighs closer to 30–35g, not 100g — scale the number down to your real portion before you judge a food by it.
These are per-100g figures. Weigh or eyeball your actual portion and scale the EGL down before deciding anything.
Jalebi at a wedding isn't the problem. Jalebi every evening is. Context and frequency matter more than a single color.
A red-band food eaten alongside fiber, protein, or fat digests slower and hits your blood sugar less hard than eaten alone.
Juicing strips the fiber that slows sugar absorption in the first place. The fruit and the glass of juice are not the same food.