Glycemic Index Food List for Gout Sufferers

Glycemic index is not a term you typically encounter in gout dietary guides, though our purine database includes it alongside purine and fructose data. Most resources focus exclusively on purines, occasionally mentioning alcohol and fructose. But there is a well-established metabolic pathway connecting high glycemic foods to elevated uric acid, and understanding it adds an important dimension to gout management.

The connection runs through insulin resistance. High glycemic foods trigger large insulin responses. Over time, this contributes to insulin resistance, which directly impairs the kidneys’ ability to excrete uric acid. For the roughly 90% of gout patients who are under-excreters, anything that further reduces excretion capacity matters.

How Glycemic Index Connects to Uric Acid

The glycemic index (GI) ranks foods from 0 to 100 based on how quickly they raise blood glucose levels compared to pure glucose (GI = 100). Foods are categorized as:

• Low GI: 55 or below
• Medium GI: 56 to 69
• High GI: 70 or above

When you eat high GI foods, blood sugar rises rapidly, triggering a large insulin release. The link to uric acid works through several mechanisms:

Mechanism	How It Affects Uric Acid
Insulin stimulates URAT1	Increases uric acid reabsorption in kidneys
Insulin reduces ABCG2 activity	Decreases uric acid secretion in gut
Chronic hyperinsulinemia	Promotes sodium and urate retention
Insulin resistance promotes visceral fat	Increases purine turnover from cell metabolism
Metabolic syndrome cluster	Hypertension, dyslipidemia further impair excretion

Research published in the American Journal of Medicine has found that higher insulin levels are independently associated with higher serum uric acid, even after controlling for kidney function, BMI, and dietary factors. A 2016 meta-analysis in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases confirmed that insulin resistance is an independent risk factor for hyperuricemia.

Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load

Before looking at the food tables, it is important to understand glycemic load (GL), which is often more useful than GI alone.

Glycemic Load = (GI x grams of carbohydrate per serving) / 100

Category	GI	GL per serving
Low	55 or below	10 or below
Medium	56-69	11-19
High	70+	20+

Watermelon has a high GI (76) but a low GL (4) because a serving contains only about 6g of carbohydrate. Conversely, a large serving of pasta may have a moderate GI but a high GL because of the large amount of carbohydrate consumed. GL better represents the real-world metabolic impact.

Grains and Bread

Food	GI	GL per Serving	Serving Size	Notes
Baguette (white)	95	15	1 slice (30g)	Very high GI
White rice (short grain)	89	31	1 cup cooked	High GI and GL
White bread	75	11	1 slice	High GI
Bagel (white)	72	25	1 bagel	High GI and GL
White rice (long grain)	73	23	1 cup cooked	High GI
Cornflakes	81	21	1 cup	Very high GI
Instant oatmeal	79	21	1 packet	High GI when processed
Brown rice	68	20	1 cup cooked	Medium GI
Whole wheat bread	69	9	1 slice	Medium GI, lower GL
Couscous	65	23	1 cup cooked	Medium GI
Basmati rice	58	22	1 cup cooked	Medium GI
Quinoa	53	13	1 cup cooked	Low GI
Oatmeal (steel-cut)	55	13	1 cup cooked	Low GI
Pumpernickel bread	50	6	1 slice	Low GI
Pasta (al dente)	50	18	1 cup cooked	Low GI, moderate GL
Barley	28	12	1 cup cooked	Very low GI

The difference between processed and whole grain versions of the same food is striking. Steel-cut oatmeal (GI 55) versus instant oatmeal (GI 79). White rice (GI 73-89) versus barley (GI 28). These differences translate to significantly different insulin responses.

Potatoes and Starchy Vegetables

Food	GI	GL per Serving	Serving Size	Notes
Baked potato (russet)	85	26	1 medium	Very high GI and GL
Instant mashed potato	87	17	3/4 cup	Very high GI
French fries	75	22	Medium serving	High GI
Boiled potato (white)	78	15	1 medium	High GI
Mashed potato	83	17	3/4 cup	High GI
Sweet potato (baked)	70	12	1 medium	Medium-high GI
Taro	55	4	1/2 cup	Low GI
Sweet potato (boiled)	63	11	1 medium	Medium GI
Corn	52	9	1 ear	Low GI
Yam	51	13	1 cup	Low GI
Peas (green)	48	3	1/2 cup	Low GI
Carrots (cooked)	39	2	1/2 cup	Low GI

Potatoes are one of the highest GI foods in the typical diet. Cooking method matters: baked and mashed potatoes have higher GI than boiled. Sweet potatoes are somewhat lower, especially when boiled rather than baked.

Legumes

Legumes are consistently among the lowest GI foods. This is one reason they are favorable for gout despite moderate purine content.

Food	GI	GL per Serving	Serving Size	Purine (mg/100g)
Lentils	32	5	3/4 cup	75
Chickpeas	28	8	3/4 cup	55
Kidney beans	24	7	3/4 cup	50
Black beans	30	7	3/4 cup	55
Navy beans	31	9	3/4 cup	50
Lima beans	32	7	3/4 cup	50
Split peas	32	6	3/4 cup	60
Soybeans	18	1	3/4 cup	70
Peanuts	14	1	1 oz	55

The inclusion of the purine column highlights an important point: legumes have moderate purines but very low glycemic impact. When you consider both factors, legumes look favorable for gout management because their low GI supports insulin sensitivity and uric acid excretion.

Fruits

Food	GI	GL per Serving	Serving Size	Fructose (g/serving)
Watermelon	76	4	1 cup	5.2
Pineapple	59	7	1 cup	3.5
Banana (ripe)	62	14	1 medium	5.7
Grapes	59	11	1 cup	12.3
Mango	56	8	1 cup	7.7
Banana (unripe)	42	9	1 medium	3.2
Orange	43	5	1 medium	4.4
Apple	36	5	1 medium	10.7
Pear	38	4	1 medium	11.4
Peach	42	5	1 medium	2.3
Strawberries	40	1	1 cup	3.6
Plum	39	2	1 medium	2.0
Cherries	22	3	1 cup	5.3
Grapefruit	25	3	1/2 fruit	3.5

Cherries are notable for having both a very low GI (22) and potential anti-gout properties through anthocyanin content. The fructose column shows that GI and fructose content do not always correlate. Apples and pears have low GI but higher fructose.

Breakfast Cereals

Food	GI	GL per Serving	Serving Size	Notes
Rice Krispies	82	22	1 cup	Very high
Cornflakes	81	21	1 cup	Very high
Puffed rice	78	17	1 cup	Very high
Cheerios	74	15	1 cup	High
Instant oatmeal (flavored)	83	24	1 packet	Very high
Grape-Nuts	67	16	1/2 cup	Medium
Bran flakes	65	13	3/4 cup	Medium
Muesli (no added sugar)	57	11	1/2 cup	Medium
Steel-cut oats	55	13	1 cup	Low
All-Bran	42	9	1/2 cup	Low

Breakfast cereals show some of the widest GI ranges of any food category. Highly processed puffed and flaked cereals are among the highest GI foods in the diet, while intact-grain options like steel-cut oats are much lower.

Snacks and Sweets

Food	GI	GL per Serving	Serving Size	Notes
Rice cakes	82	17	2 cakes	Very high GI
Pretzels	83	16	1 oz	Very high GI
Jelly beans	78	22	1 oz	Very high
Popcorn	65	7	2 cups	Medium GI, low GL
Potato chips	56	12	1 oz	Fat slows absorption
Chocolate (milk)	43	12	40g	Fat lowers GI
Chocolate (dark, 70%+)	23	4	30g	Low GI
Mixed nuts	15	1	1 oz	Very low

Beverages

Beverage	GI	GL per Serving	Notes
Glucose drink	100	25+	Reference standard
Sports drinks	78	12	Sugar-based
Regular soda	63	16	HFCS-based
Orange juice	50	12	Medium GI
Apple juice	41	12	Lower GI but high fructose
Milk (skim)	37	4	Low GI
Milk (whole)	31	3	Fat lowers GI

Best and Worst GI Choices for Gout: A Summary

Best Choices (Low GI)	GI	Worst Choices (High GI)	GI
Barley	28	Baked potato	85
Lentils	32	Instant mashed potato	87
Kidney beans	24	White rice (short grain)	89
Cherries	22	Baguette	95
Steel-cut oats	55	Cornflakes	81
Quinoa	53	Rice cakes	82
Pasta (al dente)	50	Pretzels	83
Sweet potato (boiled)	63	Instant oatmeal (flavored)	83
Most vegetables	<50	French fries	75
Nuts	<20	White bread	75

Practical Strategies for Lower Glycemic Eating

Swap refined grains for whole grains. Brown rice or barley instead of white rice. Steel-cut oats instead of instant. Whole grain bread instead of white. These swaps reduce GI while adding fiber.

Add protein or fat to high GI foods. Eating protein or fat alongside carbohydrates lowers the glycemic response. Cheese with crackers, nut butter with toast, or chicken with rice all produce lower glucose spikes than the carbohydrate alone.

Cook pasta al dente. Pasta cooked to al dente has a lower GI than fully cooked pasta because the more intact starch structure is digested more slowly.

Choose vinegar-based dressings. Research shows that acetic acid (vinegar) can lower the glycemic response to a meal by 20 to 30 percent.

Eat legumes frequently. Legumes have the lowest GI of any starchy food and provide protein and fiber. Despite moderate purine content, they are not associated with gout risk.

The Integrated Picture

For gout management, glycemic index works alongside purine content (see the glycemic index and gout overview), fructose intake, and hydration as interconnected factors that all influence uric acid levels. A meal of white rice (high GI, low purine) with sugary soda (high fructose, zero purine) and no water may affect your uric acid more than a moderate serving of chicken (moderate purine, zero GI impact) with vegetables and water.

Urica tracks these multiple dimensions together, recognizing that gout is a metabolic condition influenced by many dietary and lifestyle factors beyond purines alone. By monitoring glycemic patterns alongside purine intake, fructose consumption, and flare data, you get a more complete picture of what drives your individual uric acid levels and flare risk.

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or rheumatologist about managing gout, especially regarding medication and treatment plans.