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    Rice & grains ¡ Glycemic index

    Does sweet corn spike blood sugar?

    Not much. Sweet corn has a low GI of 53, and a 103 g serving (1 medium ear) has a low glycemic load of 10. Sweet corn is a starchy vegetable with a low GI, and one medium ear carries a low glycemic load.

    Key numbers

    Glycemic index
    53
    Low GI
    Glycemic load
    10
    Low GL
    Available carbs
    19 g
    2.5 g fiber
    Serving
    1 medium ear
    103 g ¡ boiled

    GI vs GL for sweet corn

    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 — how much carbohydrate a normal serving actually contains: GI × available carbs ÷ 100. For sweet corn: 53 × 19 g ÷ 100 ≈ 10.

    That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Sweet corn, mean of two foods”). The two ISO-standard tests were close (51 and 55); in the older 2008 tables, five sweet corn studies averaged 52.

    Eating a different amount? Work out the glycemic load of your portion.

    How to eat sweet corn with less of a spike

    • Count corn as the starch on your plate, in place of bread, rice or potatoes rather than alongside them.
    • Stick to one ear or half a cup of kernels; the glycemic load climbs with every extra ear.
    • Pair it with grilled fish, chicken or beans and a salad.

    Other low-GI choices

    Compare with

    See all 67 foods in the glycemic index table

    Frequently asked questions

    What is the glycemic index of sweet corn?

    Sweet corn has a glycemic index of 53, which is low. That figure is an average reported in the 2021 international GI tables (“Sweet corn, mean of two foods”). A 103 g serving (1 medium ear) contains about 19 g of available carbohydrate, giving a glycemic load of 10 (low).

    Is sweet corn good for prediabetes?

    Sweet corn is a sensible starchy side. One ear is a reasonable portion; counting it as the carbohydrate part of the meal, rather than adding it on top of bread or potatoes, keeps the total in check.

    Is corn a vegetable or a grain for blood sugar purposes?

    Botanically it is a grain, and with about 21 g of carbohydrate per 100 g it eats like a starchy vegetable. The American Diabetes Association's Diabetes Plate puts starchy vegetables in the carbohydrate quarter of the plate, not in the non-starchy half.

    Sources

    GI values come from the international GI tables; carbohydrate and fiber per serving are calculated from USDA FoodData Central.

    1. 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):1625–1632, Supplemental Table 1
    2. USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169999: Corn, sweet, yellow, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
    3. Atkinson FS, Foster-Powell K, Brand-Miller JC. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008 — online appendix, Table A1
    4. American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Food Hub — Create-Your-Plate: Simplify Meal Planning with the Diabetes Plate

    Data last checked .

    Real meals aren’t single foods

    GI tables measure one food eaten on its own. Helsa’s photo and voice meal logging uses AI nutrition analysis to estimate how a whole meal — the rice with the curry, the toast with the eggs — is likely to affect your blood sugar, with no CGM needed. Helsa is free to download, with optional premium features.

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