Provisions for Peaking

by Eleanor Baker, MS, RD, CSSD

Should I Stop Eating Sugar??

This question that comes up extremely often with all kinds of clients I see. From volleyball players in college and long distance runners to active adults looking to lose weight. And the answer?

It depends... on when, how much and what your goals are.

I knowww, not the rigid, black and white, viral headline you were hoping for huh? Quite frankly, nutrition, especially when it comes to sport and human health, is often like that. Which is why nutrition can seem so messy and contradicting when you are trying to understand it.

What You Should Know About Sugar and Labs

Sugar, a form of carbohydrate that is broken down into glucose and released into your blood stream. We can do lab tests on your fasting blood glucose to see a snap shot of how much "sugar" or glucose is in your blood at a specific time.

For an understanding of your blood sugar regulation long term, we would look at your hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). This value assesses the amount of sugar attached to your red blood cells and is an indicator of your blood sugar fluctuations over a 2-3 month period. It is also used to understand if you are having poor blood sugar regulation, are at risk or or can be diagnosed with diabetes.

TECHNICALLY the recommended amount of added sugar for the average person to consume is less than 6% of total daily calories (typically 25 to 35 g for women and men, respectively).

How Blood Sugar Regulation Works

When we consume sugar on an empty stomach, we see that blood sugar spike that causes a release of insulin into your blood stream. The resulting spike of insulin pulls the sugar from your blood stream and transports it into your cells to be used as energy.

At a certain point, if your blood sugar gets too high, your body is not able to produce enough insulin to keep up with it. I like to think about your body like a factory and your blood is the conveyor belt. All the helpers (insulin) in the factory are removing the sugar from the conveyor belt and putting it into boxes (your cells).

If there is a surplus of sugar, the helpers are not able to keep up with the work load and the conveyor belt gets overloaded. Often times this excess blood sugar will be stored as glycogen into your liver or as adipose tissue (fat mass) for later. This extremely efficient system our bodies have developed to keep us alive during times of famine. Wonderful and extremely effective... unless you are living in today's land of abudance and low activity levels.

Blood Sugar's Role in Exercise

To exercise for any length of time, we need adequate energy. For those exercising for 90 minutes or longer, your metabolism will burn through the carbohydrate stores in your blood and turn to burning fat (in lipid form, NOT adipose tissue) as fuel instead.

Sounds great yeah?? Unless you have ever experienced what runners refer to as "bonking" or where your body runs out of carbohydrate or glycogen thus slowing down significantly in a egotistically painful and demoralizing showcase as your body scrambles for other fuel sources (i.e. fat and protein) to burn to support the exercise effort.

If you are looking to improve athletic performance in a workout, you need to ensure you are fueling for the work you are doing to maintain your energy levels. During exercise, we intentionally increase our blood sugar levels before or durning the workout to provide more energy to our cells to fuel the work at hand.

In addition to insulin spiking with the increase in blood sugar, exercise also helps to uptake excess blood sugar into the muscle cells. This, in turn, reduces the amount of sugar in your blood stream and keeps you moving forward and lasting longer in your effort.

How Much Should I Consume During Exercise?

For efforts lasting less than 60 minutes, a pre-workout snack or meal is enough to support your activity. At this point, you are not cracking the 90 minute threshold of sustained effort where the body might shift gears when it runs out of carbohydrates to burn for energy.

1-2 hours of continuous exercise, we are looking at 30 g of carbohydrates per hour (i.e. glucose or fructose). Commonly consumed as a sports drink, gel, dates, etc.

2-3 hours of exercise calls for 60-90 g of carbohydrates per hour - often a mix of forms.

3+ hours of exercise.... 80 to even 120+g of multiple transportable carbohydrates per hour. Yes, this is a lot of carbohydrates and it is needed to support the high energy output your are exerting. Often, athletes will need to train their gut to tolerate these higher intakes during movement. You will also need to be more strategic about the types of carbohydrate you are taking in to maximize your absorption and keep your energy levels HIGH during long duration sustained efforts.

Signs you are under fueling during your workout (and your blood sugar levels are dipping too low) includes: fatigue, irritability, decreases in coordination and reaction times, poor recovery, and more.

Excess Sugar and Inflammation

Even though athletes typically burn more energy than the average person, excess added sugar can still create problems—especially outside of your training window. When you regularly consume large amounts of sugar (especially from low-quality, ultra-processed sources) and your blood glucose rises above ~180 mg/dL after meals, your body responds with a surge in insulin. Over time, this repeated pattern can contribute to insulin resistance, fat gain, and systemic inflammation—all of which make it harder to recover, build lean mass, and sustain performance.

Even for athletes, research shows that excess sugar intake can impair metabolic flexibility, blunt fat adaptation, and increase visceral fat—a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Certain sweetened beverages and convenience foods marketed to athletes may provide quick fuel, but if you're not burning it off or timing it around workouts, it can work against you.

The takeaway? Sugar isn’t evil, but when and how you use it matters. Timing carbs around workouts can support performance and recovery, but daily overconsumption—especially from nutrient-poor sources—can sabotage your long-term goals, no matter how fit you are.

Improving Your Performance with Blood Sugar Strategies

Depending on your personal goals, you maybe wanting to play around with your blood sugar. Understanding further how leveraging your nutrition can help increase your energy during exercise or even reduce your body fat percentage while supporting increases in strength and endurance.

For more personalized information and guidance based on your medical history and fitness goals, feel free to set up a complimentary discovery call with me where you can pick my brain and find the answers you need to help you take the next step in your health and performance journey.

Sports and Performance Nutrition Consulting Whether you're chasing a personal best, recovering from injury, or optimizing your health from the inside out, Eleanor Baker, MS, RD, CSSD combines advanced sports nutrition strategies with medical nutrition therapy to help you perform at your best. ​ As a Board-Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics, Eleanor offers data-driven, personalized coaching designed for athletes who want to feel stronger, recover faster, and stay active for life. ​ ​Achieve lasting performance, resilience, and well-being—with elite-level support tailored just for you. Book a Call

A personal note... Lately, I've been fully embracing remote work and time offline when I can. You might have noticed my zoom background over the past few weeks has been of my camper van or various locations. Yes, I'm living on the road for a stretch as I train at altitude and camp on BLM land between Flagstaff and the Sierras. Its beautiful, wonderful and a sustainable way to travel affordably for longer stints. During this time, I'm also starting to work on writing a cookbook. I have a small kitchen set up which includes a gas burner, so the recipes have been simple yet are incredibly effective. I'm looking forward to fine tuning them and sharing these delicious recipes that have fueled my longer efforts in the mountains with you all soon! About Eleanor

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​ ​ Have a rad day! Eleanor Baker MS, RD, CSSD ​ Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics Sports Nutrition Consultant at UC Santa Barbara Owner of Elevated Nutrition and Wellness​

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