Every now and then I get a craving to keep hens in the back garden but I’ve always chickened out (excuse the pun, I will now try to refrain from any further egg puns although so eggstremely tempting). Lucky for me, my lovely friend Jane Evans of Birdcombe Court Farm keeps me supplied with delicious freshly-laid beauties.

So as athletes, why should we eat eggs? Well,  they are the ultimate convenience food; cheap and packed with nutrition including protein and a heap of essential vitamins, minerals and omega 3 fats. Fantastic to keep us strong, healthy and in prime training form.

It is of course  important for athletes to consume enough protein to keep muscles healthy and to repair muscle trauma after long runs. Eggs are perfect for this; a fabulous source of natural high-quality protein, providing 6.3 grams of protein, that’s 13% of our daily requirement in one egg. So much better, and tastier, I feel, than whey powder and such products  used to boost protein in commercial recovery shakes and bars. And at only 68 calories per egg, a great way to get protein inside you during training without piling on the pounds.

Eggs not only make a delicious meal or snack on their own but are an essential ingredient in thousands of sweet and savoury recipes. What puzzles me is whoever discovered that they were so versatile? What clever person figured out that if you emulsify egg yolks and oil you get mayonnaise, or if you combine eggs with sugar, fat and flour you get cake mixture…and , the cleverest of all, that if you beat egg white together into a white froth you can make meringues, mouses, soufflees etc etc. Very clever indeed, that person was…

Get yourself a copy of Go Faster Food which is packed with delicious recipes to keep you in good training form:

Or try these for a taster:

Go Faster Recovery Shake Hot Oatcakes with Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs