Fifteen non-insulin dependent diabetic volunteers, aged 51 +/- 3.9 years, were studied over a two month period to determine their glycaemic responses to various local foods. They were all on chlorpropamide and one subject was removed from analysis due to concurrent use of insulin. They received on separate occasions two servings of white bread, one serving of: brown bread, white lice, English potatoes, maize meal, millet and cassava each. Each meal contained 50 g of carbohydrate. A total of 107 glucose tolerance tests (GTTs) were performed and the glycaemic index (GI) for each food calculated. The mean blood sugars at 0,60 and 120 minutes were comparable for each food, and the peak rise occurred at 60 minutes. The highest rise (4.0 mmol/I) was seen with millet porridge. The highest GI was seen with white rice and the lowest with English potatoes (159.9 and 34.3 respectively). Overall, the cereals conferred higher GIs than the root vegetables. The GIs of English potatoes, maize meal, millet and cassava significantly differed from that of white bread. It is concluded that, using GIs, dietary guidelines comprising locally available and affordable foods can be made.