We scored all 8 entree-style items on Papa John'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Poppers 8pc | Other | 18g | 270 | 48 | 70 |
| Thin Crust Pepperoni (1 slice, Large) | Pizza | 20g | 220 | 58 | 53 |
| Original Cheese (1 slice, Large) | Other | 30g | 250 | 62 | 50 |
| Original Pepperoni (1 slice, Large) | Other | 30g | 290 | 62 | 49 |
| The Works (1 slice, Large) | Other | 30g | 300 | 62 | 49 |
| Cheesesticks 4pc | Other | 36g | 340 | 65 | 45 |
| Stuffed Crust Pepperoni (1 slice, Large) | Pizza | 37g | 370 | 65 | 41 |
| Cinnamon Pull Aparts | Other | 72g | 620 | 65 | 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.
The full Papa John's menu -- all 9 items -- is searchable in the GlucoBeacon app's Restaurant Advisor, scored live against your own carb and calorie goals instead of a generic budget, with one-tap logging straight to your blood sugar history. Download GlucoBeacon on Google Play →