My son has taken a recent interest in my workout DVDs. Usually we do them together, but the other night I was working while he was exercising. I heard him pause the DVD and I thought he went to get a drink of water. Instead, I looked over and saw him eating pudding while working out. I had to laugh. While it was incredibly counterproductive, I'll admit that I was a little impressed with his coordination!

Obviously snacking while working out doesn't make much sense, but research now says that a snack after working out doesn't do much good either (unless you're an elite athlete). During a recent study, participants walked on a treadmill for an hour (burning an average of 500 calories). Half of the group was given a high-calorie carbohydrate drink immediately after exercise; the other half had nothing. Those who had nothing had a 40% increase in insulin efficiency post-exercise. The benefit was completely wiped out in those who had the high-carb drink. Researchers saw similar results in a follow-up test using high and low-carb foods instead of drinks.

Your best bet after exercising is to just have a glass of water. Unless you've just participated in really intense, prolonged exercise, there's no need for sports drinks. And hold off on snacks unless you're feeling really hungry or weak.

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Trying to cut back on carbs for weight loss? Try some of these creative and delicious substitutes.

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When performing a resistance training workout, your body is stretching and tearing muscle fibers. This may seem like a bad thing, but make no mistake, it's the process by which your muscles initiate hypertrophy (growth). One of the most vital steps involved in making this happen is feeding your muscles what they need right after your workout. And by right after, I mean RIGHT after.

For the most part, you have a window of about 30 minutes after your weightlifting workout to eat your post-workout meal, or else your body may become catabolic (a situation where you actually lose muscle).

Does what you eat matter? Absolutely. Unlike any other part of the day, you need some simple, fast-digesting carbs right after a resistance training routine. Think white bread with a Tbsp of jelly or a bottle of Gatorade. This is because your body requires immediate sustenance in order to begin rebuilding. Also, it is equally important that you consume an adequate amount of protein right after a weight workout -- preferably whey, as it digests faster than casein protein. As a matter of fact, a great post-workout drink is low-fat chocolate milk, for it contains a good amount of protein, high amounts of simple sugar, and only a minimal amount of fat.

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Raisins are the perfect pre-workout snack, reports a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. They taste better than commercial sports gels and have the same effect on performance. Raisins also help athletes meet their daily needs for vitamins, minerals, and fiber, says lead researcher Mark Kern, Ph.D. of San Diego State University.

Kern's research, gathered from a group of male and female cyclists, was designed to examine potential differences in metabolism and cycling performance after consumption of moderate glycemic raisins vs. a high glycemic sports gel. Through blood samples taken before and after exercise, performance was deemed no different between the raisin and gel trials. Minor differences in metabolism were detected.

The bottom line: Raisins appear to be a cost-effective source of carbohydrate for pre-exercise snacking in comparison to sports gels for short-term exercise sessions.

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Carb-starve diets have fortunately fallen out of fashion, replaced by a more sensible approach to their consumption. Not only are carbs -- especially slow-digesting carbs -- essential for proper muscle function, growth, and repair, but they may also play a role in your willpower.

British researchers found that drinking a carbohydrate-rich beverage during prolonged, high-intensity exercise reduced the perception of effort being put forth. By comparison, exercisers who drank artificially sweetened beverages claimed to experience no such reduction.

In addition, the exercisers who consumed the carb-rich beverage during exercise demonstrated an increased focus and level of persistence. Again, this experience was not claimed by those who drank artificially sweetened beverages.

One thing to bear in mind, though -- all carbs are not created equal. Fast-digesting, high-GI carbs may provide you with a temporary sugar boost, but you will experience a precipitous drop in energy shortly thereafter. Slow-digesting, low-GI carbs, by contrast, will provide you with sustained energy throughout their slow digestion.

Remember the old food pyramid? You know, the one suggesting 11 daily servings of breads and cereals? The food guide that conveniently was created by the US Department of Agriculture (oooh, how I love a good conspiracy)? Well, by now people are hip to the fact that the old pyramid wasn't exactly structurally sound. Among its most obvious flaws were its failure to separate good (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fats and bad (saturated and trans) fats. In addition, it failed to stress the importance of lean sources of protein to ensure a healthy diet.

Most recently, Danish scientists (scientists from Denmark, not Danish pastries who work in laboratories) reported their findings from a 5-year study on the effects of eating lean protein sources, such as steak, fish, and chicken. After reviewing the health of over 42,000 participants in the study, the researchers found that those who consumed the most animal protein experienced the least increase in waist circumference over the 5-year span.

Because high-protein foods typically take longer to digest than do carb-loaded foods, they take longer to digest -- boosting your metabolism in the process. In addition, because high-protein foods take longer to process, you feel full for a longer period of time, making unhealthy snacking less common.

This is probably why the Department of Agriculture went back to the proverbial drawing board and came up with some some ideas for structural renovations. The end result was the New Food Pyramid -- or, as the Dept. of Agriculture is calling it, My Pyramid. This time around they are making the diets very customizable, with a One Size Does Not Fit All tag line. Probably a wise move, considering that when the old food pyramid was torn down it was almost replaced by a steakhouse.

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One of the latest diets to gain increasing popularity is the GI or Glycemic Index Diet. There has been lots of talk about the craze here at That's Fit and blogs have included Rigel Gregg's post on whether or not the diet actually works and Martha Edwards' discussion on GI Diet-worthy snacks.

So you've probably heard about the Glycemic Index by now but have you ever wondered what exactly it is? I knew that it had something to do with blood sugar levels but that was about it. Apparently the index ranks different carbohydrates based on the effect that they have on glucose levels in our blood. Foods with a low GI (bran cereal, and whole wheat and pumpernickel bread, for example) cause glucose levels to remain at a fairly constant level, which means that they give you energy steadily over a longer period of time.

High GI foods (such as white rice and breads, and sugary cereals) cause blood sugar to spike quickly and then fall, meaning you'll get a quick burst of energy but then end up feeling sleepy. Medium GI foods fall somewhere in the middle. Those who favor a diet of low GI foods say that, not only does it help with weight loss but that it decreases the risk of diabetes and heart disease. For more information on the Glycemic Index, take a look here.

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