Foodstruct Nutrition Search | Diet Analysis | Food Comparison | Glycemic Index Chart | Insulin Index Chart | Blog | Subscribe | Sign Up

Insulin index chart of 140+ foods - complete list with sources

Article author photo Victoria Mazmanyan by Victoria Mazmanyan | Last updated: September 20, 2021
Education: General Medicine at YSMU

The insulin index of foods demonstrates how much a food increases the insulin level in the blood, in the first two-hour period after consumption. The insulin index is measured by using a portion of the given food, along with a reference food, containing equal amounts of calories, usually 250 calories or 1000kJ (1). 

Prolonged high levels of insulin in the blood can be a risk factor for various diseases. Therefore, food’s ability to induce insulin secretion after consumption can play an important role in the prevention and management of metabolic syndromes, such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (2).

Whilst the well-studied glycemic index of foods provides an idea of how the given food affects the body, it often falls short when giving information about foods with low carbohydrate content, such as lean meats, certain vegetables, or dairy products. For this reason, the insulin index can be a more useful tool when measuring the body’s response to food.

The dietary insulin index depends not only on carbohydrate content but also quantity and quality of protein, fat, and their interactions (2).

The higher the insulin index of the food, the more insulin the body produces as a response. Foods with lower insulinemic indices are recommended as part of a healthy diet, to help reduce risk of developing metabolic syndromes. The insulin index of pure glucose, for example, is 100, while avocados have an insulin index of 6.

Using all reliable and accessible, scientifically-backed information we have collected a complete list of the insulin indices of over 100 foods. This list will grow as more studies are carried out about the insulin index of other foods.

Sources.

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128132784000099
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4955203/

Insulin index table

Image Name Insulin index Source
Brie 7
Cheddar Cheese 45
Cottage cheese 40
II for reduced-fat cottage cheese https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/11945
II for low-fat cottage cheese is 52 https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/11945
Cream cheese 18
Milk 34
Chocolate milk 46
Egg 23
Butter 2
Powdered milk 75-95
Soft serve 89
Ice cream sandwich N/A
II for vanilla ice cream is 89.
American cheese 42
Yogurt 46
115 for strawberry fruit yogurt https://clinicaltrials.gov/ProvidedDocs/93/NCT03387293/Prot_SAP_000.pdf II for low fat strawberry yogurt is 84 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ProvidedDocs/93/NCT03387293/Prot_SAP_000.pdf 64 for peach-mango frozen yogurt https:/
Vinegar N/A
Baby food N/A
Olive oil 3
Sunflower oil N/A
Chicken meat 23
Barbecue chicken 23
Lentil soup N/A
Broth N/A
The II of white rice with chicken broth is 87 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270676832
Chicken soup N/A
Fish soup N/A
Fish sauce N/A
Tomato soup N/A
Bologna sausage 11
Hot dog 16
Porridge 40
Oatmeal 40
Cereal 75
Apple 59
Dried fruit N/A
Avocado 6
Banana 81
Dates 64
Figs N/A
Grape 82
Mango 112
Melon 127
Orange 60
Orange juice 55
Mandarin orange 60
Papaya 129
Peach 39
Pear 45
Persimmon 47
Raisin 42
Watermelon 84
Clementine N/A
Pork 19
Pork chop 19
Pork Meat 19
Ham 19
Broccoli 29
Carrot 42
Cassava N/A
II for cassava dough, cassava chips and cassava flakes https://www.ffhdj.com/index.php/ffhd/article/view/772/1371
Cauliflower 48
Corn 53
Pea 37
Gratin N/A
The II for boiled potatoes is 121.
Pumpkin 77
Spinach N/A
Sweet potato 96
II fot steamed orange sweet potato https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/11945
Taro 73
Yam 64
Potato 121
Mexican tea N/A
The II for the Mexican herb nopal is 36 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264868472
Walnut 7
Beefsteak 51
Beef tenderloin 51
Flank steak 51
Beer 20
White wine 3
Tea N/A
Coca-Cola 60
Distilled beverage 1
Cod 59
Haddock 59
Alaska pollock 59
Swordfish 59
Bass 59
Halibut 59
Tuna 22
II for tuna in oil is 16. II for tuna in water is 26 https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/11945
Baked beans 88
II for canned navy beans in tomato sauce is 120https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/66/5/1264/4655967
Kidney beans 69
Navy beans 120
II for canned navy beans in tomato sauce https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/66/5/1264/4655967
Chickpeas N/A
The II for hummus is 52 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4730744/ The II for chickpeas with Lebanese bread is 243 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/19880445
Lentil 58
II for lentils served in tomato sauce https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/66/5/1264/4655967
Cellophane noodles 38
Peanut 20
Soy milk 10
The II of white bread with soy milk is 111 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6608811
Hummus 52
Peanut butter 15
Tofu 21
Lamb 21
Biscuit 48
Wheat Bread 100
II for fresh white bread from wheat flour https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/66/5/1264/4655967
II for whole-meal bread is 96, and II for grain bread is 56.
White Bread 100
II for fresh white bread from wheat flour https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/66/5/1264/4655967
Chocolate cake 82
Gingerbread 73
Pound cake N/A
Chocolate brownie 60
Butter cookie N/A
Cracker 87
Croissant 79
French toast 79
Muffin 69
Pancake 58
Sweet roll 42
Baker's yeast N/A
The II for Einkorn yeast bread is 98 https://www.nature.com/articles/1601680.pdf?origin=ppub
Chocolate chip cookie 92
Apple pie 47
Saltine cracker 87
Pretzel 102
White chocolate 63
Ice cream 89
65 here https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/handle/2123/11945 69 for vanilla ice cream
Sherbet 89
Jelly bean 160
Candy bar 37
Cocoa bean N/A
Custard 57
Pudding 80
Rice pudding 62
Chocolate ice cream 71
Mars 122
Honey 62
Fruit preserves 85
Molasses N/A
Brown sugar 83
Corn syrup N/A
The II for high-fructose corn syrup is 65 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267871575
Snickers 37
Potato chips 61
Chocolate 34
Sugar substitute 35
Cornmeal N/A
Couscous 84
Millet 104
Bran 51
The II value for an oat product containing 45g of oat bran https://www.nature.com/articles/1602561/tables/2
Brown rice 62
Oat 75
The II value for an oat product containing 6g of oat starch https://www.nature.com/articles/1602561/tables/2
Rice 79
IIs for Basmati and Jasmine rice are 57 and 76 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25789978/
Rye N/A
Tagliatelle 42
Pasta 40
Noodles 22
Spaghetti 46
The II for semolina spaghetti https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/2/451
Semolina N/A
The II for semolina spaghetti is 53 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/2/451/pdf
Taco 24
Coleslaw 20
French fries 74
Mashed potato 118
Pizza 64
Chicken fingers 41
Lasagne 34
Fettuccine N/A
Penne N/A
Rib eye steak 51
Steak 51
Beef 51
Tortilla 36
Rose hip N/A
Juice 55
Vermicelli N/A
Tomato sauce 41
Bean 34
Vegetable oil 3
Article author photo Victoria Mazmanyan
Collected & medically reviewed by: Victoria Mazmanyan
Education: General Medicine at YSMU
Last updated: September 20, 2021