Glycemic load calculator
Enter the glycemic index of a food and how much carbohydrate your serving has, either directly or from the grams per 100 g and the portion weight. You get the glycemic load and whether it counts as low, medium or high. It is general nutrition information, not medical advice.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Enter the food’s glycemic index from a GI table (glucose = 100).
- Enter the carbohydrate in your serving, or switch to per 100 g and enter the figure from the label and the portion weight.
- Read the glycemic load and its rating.
Glycemic load = GI × carbohydrate in the serving (g) ÷ 100
When you start from the label, carbohydrate in the serving = carbohydrate per 100 g × portion weight ÷ 100.
| Glycemic load |
Rating |
| 10 or less |
Low |
| 11–19 |
Medium |
| 20 or more |
High |
Worked example
A portion of 200 g of a food with 25 g of carbohydrate per 100 g and a GI of 38: the portion holds 25 × 200 ÷ 100 = 50 g of carbohydrate, and the GL is 38 × 50 ÷ 100 = 19, medium.
Tips
- GI values vary with the variety, ripeness, cooking time and processing, so tables give averages. Treat the result as an estimate.
- Eating a carbohydrate food with protein, fat or fibre usually lowers its effect on blood sugar compared with the GI test, where it is eaten alone.
- Add up the GL of the foods in a meal for a rough total for the meal.
- General information only; people with diabetes should follow the advice of their care team.
Frequently asked questions
How is glycemic load calculated?
Glycemic load = glycemic index × grams of carbohydrate in the serving ÷ 100. A food with a GI of 72 in a serving with 30 g of carbohydrate has a GL of 72 × 30 ÷ 100 = 21.6.
What counts as a low glycemic load?
A GL of 10 or less per serving is usually called low, 11–19 medium and 20 or more high.
What is the difference between GI and GL?
The glycemic index ranks how quickly the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar compared with pure glucose, for the same amount of carbohydrate. Glycemic load also accounts for how much carbohydrate you actually eat, so a food with a high GI but little carbohydrate per portion can have a low GL.
Should I count fibre as carbohydrate?
Glycemic load uses available carbohydrate, which excludes fibre. US labels include fibre in total carbohydrate, so subtract it; EU and UK labels list carbohydrate without fibre, so use the number as it is.