Rice, pasta and bread: which has the lowest glycemic index?

Verified on 03/29/2024 by Alexane Flament, Editor

The glycemic index (GI) allows us to measure the impact of carbohydrates contained in a food on our blood sugar level (blood sugar level).

Rice, pasta and bread have one thing in common: they are rich in carbohydrates. But which one has the lowest impact on our blood sugar levels? Answer.

Low, medium, high GI: what are we talking about?

The glycemic index assigns a number to foods based on how quickly the carbohydrates they contain are digested and absorbed.

A glycemic index low is 55 or less.
A glycemic index average is between 56 and 69.
A glycemic index high is 70 or more.

The GI is an important index because it can be helpful for weight loss, for people with diabetes (whose pancreas no longer makes insulin to regulate blood sugar levels), and for those trying to maintain healthy blood sugar levels.

THE low GI foods are to be favored in our diet because they promote weight loss and preserve health by reducing hunger and the desire for sugary snacks between meals. Conversely, foods with a high GI should be consumed in moderation.

Pasta has a low GI

Contrary to what one might believe, pasta has a low glycemic index, equal to 50. They contain slow sugars, which provide energy to our body for several hours.

We distinguish slow sugars from fast sugars which are very quickly absorbed by the body and can therefore trigger blood sugar peaksfollowed by hypoglycemia.

Be careful, pasta has a low GI, provided it is al dente, that is to say lightly cooked (it almost crunches to the bite). In fact, the more you cook your pasta, the more you risk transforming the starch it contains into quick sugars.

If you don’t want to spike your blood sugar, avoid overly fatty sauces as an accompaniment and don’t be heavy-handed with gruyere or parmesan. Favor homemade tomato-based sauces.

Good to know : there are pasta with a lower GI: wholemeal and semi-complete pasta.

Bread, a variable GI depending on the recipe

The breaddepending on the ingredients that compose it, can have a low, medium or high GI.

White bread has the highest GI (95). It is prepared with white flour which has a high glycemic index.

If you want to eat medium or low GI bread, opt for wholemeal bread (40), rye bread (65), cereal bread (35) or even black bread (45).

Rice, a high GI food

The Standard white rice is a food with a glycemic index of 70. Long fragrant rice has a glycemic index of 60.

You can lower the glycemic index of your rice using some little tips:

Rinse it before cooking it in water. To do this, soak it in cold water to remove some of the starch (which raises blood sugar). Once the water is cloudy, change it. Repeat rinsing until the water runs clear.
Prefer fried rice to rice cooked in boiling water. By cooking your rice with protein and a little fat, you can lower its GI. Combining lipids and sugars at mealtime helps reduce the speed at which glucose passes into the blood.
Pour a littlecoconut oil in your cooking water and let your rice rest for 12 hours. This tip profoundly modifies the structure of the rice, which allows its GI to drop.