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Glycemic Load — the real blood sugar impact of what you eat.

GL goes beyond the glycemic index by combining GI with actual serving size. See whether a food truly spikes blood sugar — or is harmless in a normal portion.

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Glycemic Load Calculator
GL = (GI × net carbs) ÷ 100 — real blood sugar impact per serving
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Food data

GI
g
g

Quick reference — 20 common foods

Click a row to auto-fill the fields above. The GI column is the median of every measurement for that food in the open University of Sydney database — the range next to it is how much those measurements actually differ, and how many there were. Variety, country, processing and cooking all move the number.

FoodGI (median)Range across studiesCarbs (g)Serving (g)GL
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Glycemic load result

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0Low <10Med 10–19High ≥2040+
Enter food data or pick from the table
Food entered label—
Glycemic Index—
Net carbs per serving—
Glycemic Load—
Classification—
Daily GL budget context (target <100/day)
This serving = —% of your daily GL target

How it's calculated

GL: the full picture of carbohydrate quality and quantity

Glycemic load (GL) quantifies how much a real serving of food raises blood glucose, by multiplying a food's glycemic index (GI) by the net carbohydrates in that serving and dividing by 100. A GL under 10 is low, 10–19 medium, and 20 or above is high. For example, watermelon has a GI of 76 but only 6 g of net carbs per 120 g serving, giving a GL of just 4.6 — low impact despite a high GI.

The Glycemic Index ranks foods from 0 to 100 based on how quickly 50 g of available carbohydrate raises blood glucose relative to pure glucose. However, GI alone can be misleading: a food may have a high GI but be eaten in such a small portion that it barely affects blood sugar. Glycemic Load fixes this by multiplying GI by the actual grams of net carbohydrates in a typical serving.

GL = (GI × net carbs in grams) ÷ 100

Low: GL < 10  |  Medium: GL 10–19  |  High: GL ≥ 20
  1. 1
    Identify the GI of the food (from validated tables)
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  2. 2
    Measure the net carbohydrates in your serving (total carbs − dietary fiber)
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  3. 3
    Apply the formula: GL = (GI × net carbs) ÷ 100
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  4. 4
    Classify the result and put it in daily budget context
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Understand the terms

Glycemic Index (GI)
A score from 0–100 ranking how fast carbohydrate in a food raises blood glucose, measured against 50 g of pure glucose (GI = 100). GI under 55 = low; 56–69 = medium; 70+ = high.
Glycemic Load (GL)
GI adjusted for the actual amount of carbohydrate in a serving. GL = (GI × net carbs) ÷ 100. Reflects the true blood sugar impact of a realistic portion.
Net carbohydrates
Total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber. Fiber does not raise blood glucose, so it is subtracted to get the carbohydrates that actually affect blood sugar.
Insulin response
After blood glucose rises, the pancreas secretes insulin to move glucose into cells. High-GL foods cause sharper, faster insulin spikes — associated with hunger cycles and metabolic strain.
Blood glucose
Glucose dissolved in blood plasma, measured in mg/dL or mmol/L. Normal fasting range: 70–99 mg/dL. Repeated high-GL eating can elevate post-meal peaks over time.
See the full glossary →

🔢 Worked example

A slice of bread (GI 70, 15 g of carbs): glycemic load = 70 × 15 ÷ 100 ≈ 10.5 — a medium load per serving.

Disclaimer: estimation tool for informational and planning purposes, using GI values from peer-reviewed tables (Atkinson et al., 2008; Harvard Health). Actual blood glucose response varies by individual, food preparation, meal composition and gut microbiome. GL values are estimates and do not substitute personalised advice from a registered dietitian or physician.

Frequently asked questions — Glycemic Load

What is glycemic load (GL)?
Glycemic load (GL) is a measure of how much a specific serving of food raises blood glucose. It multiplies the food's glycemic index by the actual grams of net carbohydrates in a serving, then divides by 100. This makes it more practical than GI alone, which is based on a fixed 50 g of carbohydrate rather than a real portion.
How is glycemic load calculated?
GL = (GI × grams of net carbohydrates per serving) ÷ 100. For example, watermelon has a GI of 76, but a 120 g serving contains only 6 g of net carbs: GL = (76 × 6) ÷ 100 = 4.6. That's a low GL despite a high GI — because the serving is mostly water.
What are the glycemic load categories?
Per-serving GL is classified as: Low (GL under 10), Medium (GL 10–19), or High (GL 20 or above). For daily totals, a GL under 80 is considered low-impact, 80–120 moderate, and above 120 high. Most nutrition researchers suggest targeting under 100 per day for good blood glucose management.
Why is glycemic load better than glycemic index alone?
The glycemic index ranks foods by how quickly 50 g of carbohydrate — a laboratory reference dose, not a real meal — raises blood sugar. A food can have a high GI but such a small amount of carbohydrate per serving that its blood sugar impact is negligible. Glycemic load corrects for this by accounting for actual carbohydrate content in the portion you eat.
What is a healthy daily glycemic load target?
Most nutrition guidelines suggest targeting a daily glycemic load under 100. The Harvard School of Public Health uses 80 as the threshold for a low-GL diet. Staying under 100/day is associated with better blood glucose control and reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. This calculator shows each serving as a percentage of a 100 GL daily budget to help you track context.
Are my results saved? Do I need an account?
No account or sign-up needed. Every calculation is saved automatically in your own browser, and you can also pin a result with the save button. Nothing is sent to any server: the data stays on your device and can be erased at any time with the clear button.
How do I track my progress over time?
From the fourth entry onward a “View comparison chart” button appears, opening a line chart with every entry in time order plus an indicator panel: total change, average per entry, lowest and highest value and the period covered. You can also export the history as CSV.

📚 Learn more — official sources

🏛️ Organization University of Sydney — open GI database (searchable) The source of every GI value on this page. Free and searchable, with more than 4,000 measured foods. Each number here is the median of the matching entries, and the range shown next to it is the actual spread of those measurements. You can look up any food yourself. Search the database → 🔬 Study Atkinson et al. (2021) — International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load The peer-reviewed systematic review behind the database above, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It is the paper that points to the University of Sydney database as its open-access source. See the study → 🏛️ Organization WHO — Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases World Health Organization technical report on dietary carbohydrates, glycemic response, and their relationship to chronic disease prevention. See official source → 🏛️ Organization Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health — Carbohydrates and blood sugar Evidence-based guide explaining how different carbohydrates affect blood sugar, insulin, and long-term metabolic health, including the role of GL in diet planning. See official source →

🔄 Page last reviewed: July 2026. Laws and standards cited keep their original publication year; the date above is when the content and the calculation were reviewed.

About the Glycemic Load Calculator

The Glycemic Load concept was developed as a refinement of the Glycemic Index to account for real-world eating. While GI ranks foods based on a fixed 50 g carbohydrate dose, GL adjusts that score for the actual carbohydrate content of a typical serving — making it far more practical for meal planning and blood sugar management.

This calculator lets you look up any of 20 common foods instantly or enter your own GI and carbohydrate data. The result shows GL classification, a visual bar, and how this serving fits into a daily GL budget of 100 — consistent with recommendations from Harvard School of Public Health and major diabetes organisations.

By Vinicius Fonseca · Formulas checked against scientific sources · Updated Jul 2026 · How we calculate →