You likely know people who engage in strenuous exercise—a marathon, triathlon, long-distance biking, even just day-to-day exercise—or perhaps you do so yourself. In anticipation of the need for a great deal of energy to engage in such an effort and to increase endurance and performance, many people follow a practice called carb loading. While there are number of protocols for doing so, for most people carb loading typically consists of a large serving of pasta consumed the day before, followed by liberal consumption of sugary soft drinks and sugary energy bars, all designed to maximize liver and muscle glycogen stores that can be burned for energy. Is carb loading safe? Is it necessary? In this episode of Defiant Health, let’s discuss how and why carb loading is an unhealthy process with some effects that are irreversible. I’ll also discuss how you can maintain or increase performance without relying on this unhealthy practice.I also want you to consider supporting the sponsors of this Defiant Health podcast, Paleovalley and BiotiQuest. Choosing high-quality products to support your health journey is important. This is why Paleovalley is a supporter of my Defiant Health podcast. Their grass-fed pasture-raised beef sticks, for instance, are fermented, unlike nearly all other beef sticks. If you haven’t tried their pasture-raised pork sticks, you are in for a real treat, as they are irresistibly delicious. And BiotiQuest, also a sponsor of this podcast, provide unique probiotic products that, in my experience and the experience of the followers of my program, are unlike all other probiotics, as they are crafted using the scientific insights of academic microbiologist, Dr. Raul Cano, an innnovator in the concept of collaborative effects among microbes.  _____________________________________________________________________________For BiotiQuest probiotics including Sugar Shift, go here.A 15% discount is available for Defiant Health podcast listeners by entering discount code UNDOC15 (case-sensitive) at checkout.*_________________________________________________________________________________Get your 15% Paleovalley discount on fermented grass-fed beef sticks, Bone Broth Collagen, low-carb snack bars and other high-quality organic foods here.* For 12% off every order of grass-fed and pasture-raised meats from Wild Pastures, go here.*Dr. Davis and his staff are financially compensated for promoting BiotiQuest and Paleovalley products.Support the showBooks: Super Gut: The 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight and Find Your Path Back to Health; revised & expanded ed