Chapati is the most common food in India, whether it is consumed as roti, with ghee or oil as plain paratha, or mixed with any other vegetable. Obviously, a common inquiry that we see is what is the glycemic index and load of chapati. Though it is very common to get the GI of raw wheat, yet it becomes difficult to assess the values for a cooked dish like chapati.
In this article, we have brought you a way to decode the glycemic index as well as the glycemic load for chapati in all its varieties like whole wheat and multigrain atta.
Suggested: What Foods Have a Zero Glycemic Index?
Glycemic Index and Load of Whole Wheat Chapati
Whole wheat has a moderate glycemic index of 50-55. We are calling it moderate as per our own classification.
A roti made from only whole-grain wheat flour, salt, and water has a glycemic index of 62.
The glycemic load for the dish is = 62(its GI) x 37g(carbs in 50 grams) / 100 = 22. Hence, the glycemic load of 3-4 thin whole wheat chapati is 22.
Glycemic Index and Load of Multigrain Chapati
If you eat a good multigrain atta (50% wheat+10% water chestnut+10% psyllium husk+25% gram/chickpea flour+5% soybean flour), you must be getting around 17 grams of carbs in one serving of 3 to 4 thin rotis. The same flour has a glycemic index of 25.
GL of Multigrain Atta = 25 (GI of Multigrain Atta) x 17 /100 = 4.25.
Therefore, the glycemic load of one meal of 3-4 thin chapatis made from multigrain flour is 4.25.
Chapati vs Rice Debate
Both dishes have high glycemic index values(i.e., >55), but chapati is preferable due to its comparatively lower GI. Being diabetic I personally do not prefer having more than one meal per day with roti or rice.
White rice, the most commonly consumed form of rice has a very high glycemic index of 90. If you are a diabetic, you should not rely on white rice as a stable diet. For me, even when I want to have some white rice, I do not consume more than 100 grams of boiled white rice. And I always pair this with some high-fiber food like Salad.
Whole grain chapati on the other hand has a glycemic index value of 55. This makes it a good choice over rice but I still prefer the low-carb (GI 25) multigrain chapati (50% wheat+10% water chestnut+10% water psyllium husk+25% gram/chickpea flour+5% soybean flour) which has a GL of 4.25 per serving.
