Milk, yogurt & alternatives ¡ Glycemic index
Does soy milk spike blood sugar?
Not much. Soy milk has a low GI of 37, and a 243 g serving (1 cup) has a low glycemic load of 5. Soy milk has a low GI, similar to dairy milk, and a cup carries a low glycemic load.
Key numbers
- Glycemic index
- 37
- Low GI
- Glycemic load
- 5
- Low GL
- Available carbs
- 14 g
- 1.5 g fiber
- Serving
- 1 cup
- 243 g ¡ original, unfortified
GI vs GL for soy milk
The glycemic index (GI) compares how fast the carbohydrate in a food raises blood sugar against pure glucose (100), using a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load (GL) adds the other half of the story â how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI Ă available carbs á 100. For soy milk: 37 Ă 14 g á 100 â 5.
That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (âSoy milk full-fat, mean of five studiesâ). Reduced-fat soy milks averaged 31 across four studies. Sweetened and flavored soy milks contain more sugar than plain ones.
Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.
How to eat soy milk with less of a spike
- Check the label for added sugar and pick an unsweetened soy milk.
- Use it in coffee, oatmeal or smoothies in place of rice milk.
- Soy milk brings protein as well as carbohydrate, so a glass with a piece of fruit makes a balanced snack.
Other low-GI choices
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Frequently asked questions
What is the glycemic index of soy milk?
Soy milk has a glycemic index of 37, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (âSoy milk full-fat, mean of five studiesâ). A 243 g serving (1 cup) contains about 14 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 5 (low).
Is soy milk good for prediabetes?
Unsweetened soy milk is one of the better milk alternatives for prediabetes. Rice milk, by contrast, tested far higher.
Which plant milk is best for blood sugar?
Of the plant milks with published averages, soy milk does best: full-fat soy milk averaged 37 and reduced-fat soy milk 31 in the 2021 tables, while rice milk averaged 86 in the 2008 tables.
Sources
GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.
- Atkinson FS, Brand-Miller JC, Foster-Powell K, Buyken AE, Goletzke J. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;114(5):1625â1632, Supplemental Table 1
- USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 172446: Soymilk, original and vanilla, unfortified
Data last checked .