Capati (chapati)
One serving: 1 piece (43 g)
Calories, Glycemic load (GL)
Blood sugar
Low impactGL 4 (range 3–5)
Blood sugar
Low impactGL 8 (range 7–10)
Blood sugar
Low to medium impactGL 12 (range 10–15)
Blood sugar
Medium to high impactGL 16 (range 14–20)
Can people with diabetes eat Capati (chapati)?
Yes, in a normal portion. Capati is a thin, plain flatbread. Lab studies of whole-wheat chapati measured a low to medium GI, and one piece is a low-impact portion. How many pieces you eat, and what you eat with them, matter more.
Numbers from Henry et al. 2021, USDA FoodData Central. Method and sources
| Portion | Calories (kcal) | GL | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| ½ serving22 g | 64 | 43–5 | Low impact |
| 1 serving43 g | 129 | 87–10 | Low impact |
| 1½ servings65 g | 193 | 1210–15 | Low to medium impact |
| 2 servings86 g | 257 | 1614–20 | Medium to high impact |
The range comes from the lowest and highest GI behind this number.
Nutrients
| Nutrient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 129 kcal |
| Protein | 3.4 g |
| Fat | 4.0 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 19.8 g |
| Fibre | 4.2 g |
| Available carbohydrate | 15.7 g |
| Sugars | 1.3 g |
| Sodium | 128 mg |
Glycemic index (GI)
Measured in 4 lab studies, glucose = 100. We show the median and the lowest to highest result.
Measurements
- GI 64 – Henry et al. 2021, Table 1, row 657: India, 'Wheat roti', GI 64 ± 9.24 (ref. 132, Prasad et al. 2015); test portion 119 g, 50 g available CHO, 10 healthy participants, glucose
- GI 48.37 – Henry et al. 2021, Table 1, row 673: India, 'Wheat chapatti', GI 48.37 ± 20.59 SD (ref. 137, Singh et al. 2016); 72.05 g wheat flour, 50 g available CHO, 10 healthy participants, glucose
- GI 54.43 – Henry et al. 2021, Table 1, row 691: India, 'Chapathi', GI 54.43 (ref. 142, Vijayakumar et al. 2017); test portion 110 g, 50 g available CHO, 11 healthy participants, glucose
- GI 44.6 – Henry et al. 2021, Table 1, row 711: India, 'Roti (whole-wheat flour)', GI 44.6 (ref. 148, Tomer et al. 2018); 55 g, 50 g available CHO, 30 healthy participants, dextrose
GI says how fast a food’s carbohydrate raises blood sugar. GL adds how much of it you eat, so it is the better guide for a real portion.
Tips at the stall
- Stop at one or two pieces. Every extra piece adds about the same amount again.
- Have it with dhal or a vegetable curry, and ask for the curry on the side (kuah asing) so you choose how much you take.
- Pair it with a drink without sugar, such as teh O kosong or plain water, instead of teh tarik.
Lower-impact swaps
No swaps listed yet for this dish.
Method and sources
Nutrients come from the closest USDA dish, Bread, chapati or roti, whole wheat, commercially prepared, frozen (FDC 174075), because no published Malaysian recipe or composition data could be used.
How the local dish differs: The USDA entry is a frozen chapati made in a US factory. A stall capati may use a different flour, and if it is brushed with ghee or oil it has more calories than shown here.
| USDA dish | Grams | Available carbs (g) | GI | Nutrient data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chapati, whole wheat (as sold) | 43 | 15.7 | – | FDC 174075 |
Sources
- Henry et al. 2021. Henry CJ, Quek RYC, Kaur B, Shyam S, Singh HKG. A glycaemic index compendium of non-western foods. Nutr Diabetes. 2021;11(1):2. doi:10.1038/s41387-020-00145-w. Licence: CC BY 4.0; .
GI values from Henry et al. 2021, licensed under CC BY 4.0. We rounded them and, where there are several, show the median and range.
- USDA FoodData Central. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov. fdc.nal.usda.gov. Licence: CC0 1.0; .
Medical disclaimer
Educational information only, not medical advice. The numbers are for a typical serving and vary with the recipe, the portion and the person. If you have diabetes or prediabetes, or take medicine for blood sugar, talk to your doctor or dietitian before changing what you eat.
Checked by Bruno Braga (editor) on . Not yet reviewed by a dietitian.