If you have type 2 diabetes, you know the importance of counting carbohydrates for blood sugar control. But it’s not just the number of carbs in a given food that determines how that food will affect your blood sugar levels.“While all carb-rich foods convert to sugar in our body, a food’s fiber, protein, and fat content all influence the impact of that food on blood sugar levels,” says Vandana Sheth, RDN, CDCES, who’s based in Los Angeles. All these factors play a role in setting a food’s glycemic index (GI), a ranking of how drastically it raises blood sugar levels compared to straight glucose, which has a GI of 100. Low-GI foods score 55 or lower, while anything 70 and up is considered a high GI food, per the Mayo Clinic.“While GI offers an idea of how a food impacts the body, it’s not the whole story, which is where glycemic load (GL) comes in,” says Sara Thomas, PhD, RDN, a research scientist and dietitian specializing in diabetes at the healthcare company Abbott. “GL is an equation that considers the portion size of a food, as well as the GI. A food’s GL equals its GI value divided by 100 and multiplied by the total grams of carbohydrate,” a definition supported by researchers at the University of Sydney, who pioneered research on GL.RELATED: 8 Healthy Carbohydrate Sources for People With Type 2 DiabetesFortunately, if you have type 2 diabetes, you don’t need to whip out a calculator or start searching the internet for the glycemic load of every food out there.Simply understanding the concept of glycemic load is incredibly useful when approaching foods that do tend to raise blood sugar levels. “Glycemic load shows that all foods can truly fit within a diet when you’re keeping an eye toward moderation and portion size,” Dr. Thomas says. Plus, as she explains, most foods aren’t eaten in isolation, so even if you have a high GL food on your hands, eating it alongside foods that contain plenty of healthful fats, fiber, and lean protein can dramatically lessen any potential blood sugar swings.Here, experts share six foods that tend to spike blood sugar levels — and how to moderate your approach to them for more stable blood sugar levels.