What is the GI of each food?

More important than the GI number: what you eat it with

The glycemic index is measured in a lab by feeding a food on its own — on an empty stomach, without dal, without sabzi, without curd. That is how white rice ends up with a GI of 73. But you never eat rice on its own. You eat it with dal, rajma, sabzi, curd or chicken curry — and the real blood-sugar response of that plate comes down quite a bit.

What happens is that protein, fat and fibre slow down how quickly food leaves your stomach, so glucose reaches your blood gradually. The protein in dal, the fibre in sabzi, the fat in curd and a little ghee — together they turn a "high GI" plate into a practically medium one. The reverse is true as well: poha on its own, or just chai and biscuits, produces a sharper response than the table would suggest.

So use the table to choose — leaning towards bajra roti or parboiled rice, roasted chana instead of murmura — but do not stop your decision at the number. How big the portion is, whether there is protein and sabzi on the plate, and a 10-minute walk after the meal: these three things matter more than GI. Anyone who has worn a CGM figures this out first.