The Billion-Dollar Carbohydrate Scam
Why endurance athletes should rethink carb-loading and embrace fat, salt, and protein instead
For decades, athletes have been told that the secret to marathon success is a pre-race pasta party. Sports marketing, supplement industries, and even academic voices pushed the idea that glycogen—the body’s short-term sugar storage—is the ultimate endurance fuel.
But glycogen burns out halfway through a race, leaving runners to “hit the wall” while their fat reserves—literally tens of thousands of calories—sit locked away, unused.
When I first read The Complete Guide to Intermittent Fasting by Jason Fung, it flipped my assumptions about fueling and recovery. Later, as I was writing Get Healthy or Get Dead, I devoted a section to explaining fasting in practical terms for everyday people. In my conversation with Dr. Angela Stanton, neuroscientist and migraine researcher, I realized that athletes have been sold the wrong map to performance.
Why Carb-Loading Fails
“Unless you run a marathon or worse, there’s no chance you’ll run out of glycogen anytime soon. And if you do, halfway through the race you’re left bonking—because your body isn’t trained to burn fat.” — Angela Stanton
The problem isn’t lack of fuel. The problem is access. Even lean athletes carry tens of thousands of calories in stored fat. But if your metabolism is locked into glucose-burning, those reserves stay sealed away while you’re left pounding gels and Gatorade.
Becoming Metabolically Flexible
The real advantage comes when the body can effortlessly switch between glucose and fat depending on demand. This is called metabolic flexibility. Instead of being trapped in sugar-burning mode, you teach your cells to pull from fat for steady, long-burning energy while reserving glucose for sprints or emergencies.
“When you’re using fat for fuel all the way through, instead of glucose, you don’t get muscle aches either.” — Angela Stanton
Training this flexibility can involve intermittent fasting, fasted workouts, or low-carb days mixed with higher protein. Over time, the body adapts to move seamlessly between fuels, avoiding the crash that carb-dependent athletes face.
The Women’s Factor
Fasting and fueling cannot be a one-size-fits-all. For women—especially in peri menopause and menopause—hormonal fluctuations affect energy, hydration, and recovery. Extended fasts or pushing workouts while under-fueled can disrupt hormonal balance.
Hydration is also critical. With declining estrogen and progesterone, both men and women over 40 are at higher risk of dehydration-related injuries. Proper hydration strategies protect joints, muscles, and tendons. Stretching and recovery practices are not optional add-ons; they are essential to sustainable performance.
Salt, Potassium, and the Swelling Myth
Angela’s research into migraines uncovered something endurance athletes often miss: swelling fingers during a run are not caused by “too much water” but by too little sodium. When sodium levels drop, the body can’t balance water inside and outside the cells, leading to puffiness, cramps, and even dizziness.
“The more you reduce the salt, the higher the blood pressure is going to go. It’s exactly the opposite of what people think.” — Angela Stanton
Athletes lose enormous amounts of sodium through sweat, and replacing only water without salt makes the problem worse. Potassium plays a complementary role, but Angela cautioned strongly against supplementation:
“You don’t want potassium in your blood—you want it in your food.” — Angela Stanton
The best sources are whole foods like avocados, salmon, beef, and fruits. A single serving of salmon, for example, can provide more potassium than an avocado—without the risks of synthetic supplements.
Hydration Done Right
Angela often says she could do an entire event with only salt pills and minimal water. That works for her, but my plan—especially living in a hot, humid climate—leans into liquid hydration with strategic electrolytes.
I would not grab a Liquid I.V. packet or another shelf-stable sports drink. Instead, I’d use salt directly in my water, mixing in organic unsweetened coconut water for natural potassium replacement. Coconut water’s electrolyte profile per cup (240 ml) is approximately 600 mg potassium, 250 mg sodium, 60 mg magnesium, and 60 mg calcium.
That balance supports endurance without the blood sugar spikes of commercial products. For activities longer than four hours, I’d customize with Infinit Nutrition—a mix tailored to salt, carbohydrate, and amino acid needs—rather than rely on industry-standard gels and mixes.
The Sprint Exception: Choose Carbs Wisely
“A sprint requires anaerobic bursts. When you’re in an anaerobic state, you can’t burn anything other than glucose—it’s fermentation.” — Angela Stanton
That means carbs absolutely matter for short, high-intensity events. But here’s the key: don’t reach for candy, gels, or processed junk. The quality of the carbohydrate is what matters. A ripe banana paired with almond butter, for example, gives quick-digesting glucose along with fiber, fat, and micronutrients to balance the energy surge.
Sprint fueling isn’t about loading—it’s about timing and choosing whole foods your body actually knows how to process.
Breaking Free from the Myth
Carb-loading was never science—it was marketing. It worked for the food industry, for sports drink companies, and for the ritual of pre-race bonding. But it doesn’t work for performance. Angela’s advice, combined with fasting strategies I learned from Jason Fung, reveals a better path: use fat as your endurance fuel, salt as your stabilizer, and hydration as your safeguard. Train your metabolism to be flexible, protect your hormones, and rethink what “fueling” really means.
The Complete Guide to Intermittent Fasting by Jason Fung — the book that first reframed my understanding of fueling
Get Healthy or Get Dead — my book with clear, direct strategies for fasting and smarter health choices
Where to find Dr. Angela Stanton: Clueless Doctors | Facebook Migraine Sufferers group | Fighting the Migraine Epidemic and more.
If you want to avoid the health landmines of bad nutrition advice, grab a copy of Get Healthy or Get Dead. It’s a fast, straightforward read designed for real people—not lab rats or marketing copywriters.
And don’t miss the full conversation with Dr. Angela Stanton—watch it now on my YouTube channel: Watch the video here.