Walking the Walk - The Verdict

It's time to decide -- is this a healthy habit that can be realistically worked into day-to-day life?

• Piece of cake! I can definitely work this into my daily routine.
• Not my cup of tea. This is harder than I imagined. Still, I plan to stick with it and do my best.
• Nuts! This seems nearly impossible to keep up. But I'll definitely do it whenever possible.

Truth be told, I didn't make it all seven days on the low GI plan. I had to give up too many things -- relatively healthy things -- that I loved. My favorite salad dressing, for instance, ranks pretty high. But I only eat a tablespoon of it every day, on top of a heaping bowl of greens, veggies and nuts.

That said, most of the low GI eating suggestions are very sound -- eat three servings of fruit (but not watermelon! I'm still annoyed about that) and five servings of veggies every day, watch portion sizes closely and choose whole grains over processed versions.

While focusing on eating low GI foods might help someone with blood sugar issues, I think that, for me, it's more important to focus on healthy eating principles -- eat fruits and veggies, lean meats, whole grains and not too much of anything -- rather than trying to follow lists of low and high GI foods.