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How high is the GI?

Time to play your carbs right, as we learn about the glycemic index and how some foods make energy quicker than others.
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Masking tape

Before you begin

  • The person leading the activity should mark out a playing area for this activity. The area should consist of five squares in a row, each one large enough for a small group to stand in.

Guess the GI

  1. The person leading the activity should ask if anyone knows what GI means. The glycaemic index (GI) of a food measures how quickly carbohydrates in foods are digested into glucose. Foods with a higher GI are broken down more quickly. Foods with more protein, fibre, or fat tend to have lower GIs because they’re broken down more slowly.
  1. The person leading the activity should explain that foods aren’t usually eaten on their own – for example, adding tuna, salad, and mayo to jacket potato would give you a meal with a low to medium GI, even though the potato on its own would have a high GI.
  2. Everyone should get into small groups. The person leading the activity should choose a group to go first and that group should stand in the first square of the playing area.
  3. The person leading the activity should read out a food and its GI value from the GI values below. Tell the group that this is the first food.
  4. Now the person leading the activity should read out another food from the sheet, but not the GI value. The group standing in the square must guess whether the second food has a higher or lower GI to the first food. If they guess correctly, they can move to the second square and guess the next GI. If they guess incorrectly, they must stay where they are. After three incorrect guesses, that group is out and another one may step into the first square to have a go. If they reach the fifth square and guess correctly again, they have won the game.
  1. Everyone should think about how their new knowledge would help them plan a tasty menu. What could they pair with jelly babies so their snack keeps them fuller and energised for longer? What would be the perfect accompaniment for some tasty oven chips?

Food name

GI value

Houmous

6

Peanuts

14

Soya beans

18

Cherries

22

Peanut butter

23

Brazil nuts

24

Hazelnuts

24

Almonds

24

Lentils

26

Low fat fruit yogurt

32

Chocolate spread

33

Cottage cheese

34

Fruit Sorbet

34

Cauliflower cheese

34

Semi-skimmed milk

34

Chocolate fudge cake

38

Apples

38

Fish fingers

38

Clementines

42

Custard

43

Chocolate milk

43

Dairy Milk chocolate

43

Steak and kidney pie

45

Chicken wings

45

Lettuce

45

Pepperoni pizza

51

Chicken korma

53

Lemonade

63

Flapjacks

63

Wholemeal pitta bread

63

White pitta bread

67

Honeydew melon

72

Oven chips

75

Jam doughnuts

76

Jelly babies

78

Rice krispies

81

Fish cakes

85

Lucozade

95

Parsnip

97

Reflection

The group have tried to figure out which foods have higher GI and which have lower. Did you notice any patterns with the foods that had a certain GI value? If you’d tried one of the foods before, did you have a better idea of how high the value might’ve been? Why might it be useful to know how quickly something you’re eating is going to release its energy? What activities might benefit from slow-release and fast-release energy?

There was some communication necessary among the groups and from the rest of the players. Was it helpful to have help from the rest of the group, or did it distract you as you were trying to think among yourselves in your group? Who did best; the people who listened to the audience or the people who went their own way?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

Making the course longer will make it more difficult to complete. It’s easy to find new foods and their GI values online if you wish to play this game again.

Make sure the squares are large enough that everyone is comfortable moving between them and standing/sitting within them. The squares could be represented on paper and the group represented by a counter if this is easier to set up.

There are lots of reasons people might find talking about food tricky, including eating disorders, disordered eating, sensory sensitivities, and a lack of access to food or cooking facilities. Be sensitive in how you approach this activity – some people may appreciate knowing you’ll cover the topic in advance, you might need to take extra care to avoid talking too negatively about food (including food higher in sugar or fat), or you may want to keep it general and avoid asking people about their personal experiences, for example.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Explorers Chef Activity Badge

Think about how being active or moving around more makes your bodies feel. Has anyone ever noticed that while they’re on an expedition, or if they’ve been really busy, they’re hungrier? When we move more, our body needs extra energy from food to keep going, and hunger’s its way of letting us know. Sounds like it’s time for a snack!

Let the group guess at the higher or lower GI values and choose whether to listen to the other players’ advice.