How to Carb Load with Sports Dietitian Meghann Featherstun

Oct 26, 2023

Sports dietitian and runner Meghann Featherstun discusses the importance of carb loading for endurance athletes, covering topics such as when to carb load, why it's beneficial, and common challenges. Personal stories of marathon experiences and nutrition insights are shared, highlighting the role of carbohydrates in optimizing performance. Strategies for effective carb intake, hydration practices, and balancing nutrition with personal life are also discussed.

Ask episode

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Marathon Experiences and Nutrition Insights

01:40 • 16min

Optimizing Endurance Performance Through Carb Loading

17:16 • 21min

Optimizing Nutrition for Endurance Athletes

37:58 • 15min

Strategies for Carb Intake and Personal Life Balance

53:07 • 7min

Exploring Food Preferences and Post-Race Eats

01:00:11 • 5min

Exploring Sweat Rate and Hydration Needs During Exercise

01:05:33 • 2min

Personalized Hydration Strategies for Athletes

01:07:10 • 2min

Want to get in touch? Send Claire a message!

Welcome to Episode 76 of the Eat for Endurance Podcast, featuring fellow sports dietitian and runner Meghann Featherstun (MS RD CSSD) of Featherstone Nutrition.

I’ve had carb loading on my list of topics for awhile now, and I couldn’t think of a better dietitian to tackle this one with me than Meghann. She is known for her love of graham crackers, and she literally sells a shirt hat says “carb monster” on it, so I knew she would be down to chat about carbs with me!

We touch on Meghann’s background as a clinical turned sports dietitian, as well as her journey to becoming a 2:49 marathoner (we recorded the week after she clocked her PR in Berlin!). Then we dive into ALL things carb loading.

This episode will teach you WHY carb loading is beneficial, WHEN carb loading is appropriate (SPOILER - for any race over 90 minutes!), and HOW to do it properly. We will also address many of the common issues that we see as Sports RDs and questions that we frequently get from our athletes.

I hope you enjoy this one and find it useful as you prep for the NYC Marathon, or any other endurance events you have coming up in the future!

Links & Resources:

Meghann’s Website (including her carb loading calculator): https://www.featherstonenutrition.com
Follow Meghann on Instagram (@featherstonenutrition)

Announcements:

Have nutrition questions, a guest or topic request, or any other feedback? Email me - claire@eatforendurance.com.
Please show your support by subscribing to the show, giving it a 5 star rating and review, and sharing it with your friends!
If you can afford to support the show financially, please visit my Patreon page to make a donation
You can also shop my Amazon storefront or use this affiliate homepage link to do your usual Amazon shopping
Music Credit: Joseph McDade
Disclaimer – all information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is in no way meant to replace individual medical and nutrition recommendations

Support the show

Thanks for listening! Follow me on Instagram and Facebook (@eatforendurance).