Blood Sugar and Performance: Myths, Facts, and Fueling Strategies with Hayden James

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 & 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, including:

• Which foods and other factors cause blood sugar levels to increase
• The role of insulin in the body
• Acute vs chronic glucose elevations
• Why maintaining "normal" blood sugar levels is important to overall health
• Why a blood sugar spike in itself isn’t a bad thing
• How to tell if you truly have low blood sugar, or if you're just hungry
• Why simple sugars found in sports nutrition products are helpful
• Different forms of simple sugars that you can use during exercise
• 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)
• The use of continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) in non-diabetic athletes
• Why athletes should use caution with CGMs, and perhaps even avoid them

We also aim to clear up some of the confusion on this topic to encourage athletes to stop fearing and/or limiting carbs in their diet.

Links & Announcements:

• Follow Hayden on Instagram
• Watch this episode on YouTube
• Join my new monthly membership service, Fuel for Life Crew, for just $30/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 
• Get in touch at claire@eatforendurance.com

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

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