Vegetables

• One food group that has an extremely low GI rating is vegetables. For example, onions, green beans, red peppers, lettuce, chilies, mushrooms, tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, broccoli, and raw carrots all have GI ratings below 16, according to The GI Diet. Diabetics can eat vegetable salads with a little bit of dressing for lunch or dinner. Consuming foods, such as vegetables, that are high in fiber also results in more filling meals. Vegetables should be included in every diabetic diet because they have low GI ratings and high quantities of fiber. However, there are two vegetables that have abnormally high GI ratings and should be avoided by diabetics: Pumpkins with a GI rating of 75 and parsnips with a GI rating of 97.
  
  

Fruits

• Fruits are a type of food that a person with diabetes can eat, but only certain types of fruit. Some fruits have relatively low GI ratings while others have astronomically high GI ratings. For example, prunes, oranges, strawberries, coconut milk, kiwi fruit, dried apricots, grapes, pears, peaches, apples, plums, cherry, and grapefruit all have GI ratings of under 48. Combining these fruits into a fruit salad would make a perfect meal for a person with diabetes. Two fruits that should be avoided by diabetics include watermelons and dates because they have GI ratings of over 79.
  
  

Dairy Products

• The majority of dairy products have relatively low GI ratings and high levels of protein, which make them good choices for people with diabetes. For example, soy milk, whole milk, sweetened yogurt, artificially sweetened yogurt, custard, chocolate milk, and skimmed milk all have GI levels of below 45. Ice cream, on the other hand, has a GI level of 62 and should be either avoided or eaten with caution, occasionally, in small amounts by diabetics.