Blood Sugar Levels & Performance: Myths, Facts, and Fueling Strategies

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In Episode 109 of the Eat for Endurance podcast, Hayden James, RDN CSSD CDCES of Satiate Nutrition joins me for a deep dive into blood sugar levels and athletic performance.

Hayden is a sports dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, and the conference director for the inaugural 2025 Fuel Fest, an endurance and mountain sports nutrition conference for healthcare professionals. She's also an avid trail runner, climber, skier, and lifter based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Hayden and I discuss everything you should know about blood sugar levels as an athlete. We also aim to clear up the confusion on this topic to encourage athletes to stop fearing and/or limiting carbs in their diet.

Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:

• Which foods and other factors cause blood sugar levels to increase

• The role of insulin in the body

• Why maintaining "normal" blood sugar levels is important to overall health

• Acute versus chronic glucose elevations

• Why a blood sugar spike in itself isn’t a bad thing

• How to tell if you truly have low blood sugar levels, or if you're just hungry

• Signs of reactive hypoglycemia

• Why simple sugars found in sports nutrition products are helpful

• Different forms of simple sugars that you can use during exercise

• Carb needs for high volume vs lower volume athletes

• The importance of adequate carb intake for bone health and iron status

• What might be causing your afternoon slump (hint - it's not the carbs)

• Why you should stop blaming carbs for all of your problems, including weight gain

• The use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in non-diabetic athletes

• Why athletes should use caution with CGMs, and perhaps even avoid them

We recorded this episode a few months ago, and I’m really excited to finally share it! And I hope that learning about blood sugar levels helps you include more carbs in your diet as an active person.

Links & Resources:

• Follow Hayden on Instagram

• Join my new monthly membership service, Fuel for Life Crew, for just $39/month

• Check out my free nutrition downloads

• Fill out a new client inquiry form if you’re interested in 1:1 nutrition coaching

• Support the podcast with my Skratch Labs affiliate code EATFORENDURANCE20

• Join my Patreon community

Disclaimer – all information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is in no way meant to replace individual medical and nutrition recommendations