Olive Garden

We scored all 29 entree-style items on Olive Garden's menu for how well they fit a diabetes-friendly meal -- glycemic index, carb and calorie load against a standard 60g-carb / 600-calorie budget, and how processed the item is.

Best choices

Ranked by GlucoBeacon's own scoring formula -- glycemic index, carbs and calories against a standard 60g-carb / 600-calorie per-meal budget, and how processed the item is -- highest score first.

Item	Category	Carbs	Calories	Est. GI	Score
Shrimp	Entrees	0g	45	0	88
House Salad	Salads	10g	150	40	86
Grilled Chicken	Entrees	1g	130	0	85
Minestrone Soup	Soups	18g	110	48	77
Zuppa Toscana Soup	Soups	14g	220	50	76
Chicken & Gnocchi Soup	Soups	22g	230	45	72
Herb-Grilled Salmon Coho	Entrees	9g	510	20	72
Herb-Grilled Salmon	Entrees	9g	610	20	69

Approach with caution

These score lowest -- typically a mix of high carbs, high calories, high glycemic index, or heavy processing. Not "never eat," just items to pair with extra protein/fiber or eat in a smaller portion.

Item	Category	Carbs	Calories	Est. GI	Score
Fettuccine Alfredo - Lunch-Sized Entrées	Pasta	58g	920	60	27
Fettuccine Alfredo	Pasta	91g	1200	65	26
Ravioli Carbonara	Pasta	63g	1390	60	26
Toasted Ravioli	Pasta	69g	650	60	26

How we score it

Each item gets up to 30 points for glycemic index (lower is better), 30 points for staying under a 60g carb budget, 15 points for staying under a 600-calorie budget, and 25 points for being minimally processed -- the same formula GlucoBeacon's in-app Restaurant Advisor uses, just run here against a generic budget instead of your own goals. A higher score means an easier fit into most diabetes meal plans; it isn't a guarantee for any individual, since real blood sugar response depends on portion size, what else you eat with it, and your own physiology.