Jermaine Jenas’ perfect breakfast

“Breakfast is very important, especially when the weather is colder, because your body needs to be ready to play in tough conditions and it also helps your immune system fight off colds.

I’m the sort of player who is always starving when I first wake up, and one of the first things I’ll do is eat a banana or an apple, then usually throw another banana or another apple in the blender and make up a shake.

I don’t know why I have got into the habit of eating a piece of fruit first thing every morning, but I guess it’s not a bad thing to eat.Then I’ll normally jump in the shower, and after that I’ll finish off making the shake.

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I’ll add Maxi-Milk, which helps my muscle growth and recovery, and I’ll add berries and nuts. I tend to stay away from the more citrus-based fruits because I prefer a sweeter taste.

I’ll probably drink the shake in the car on the way down to training and finish my breakfast down at the training ground.

I always like to have my food at least an hour before training and the type of breakfast I eat will change depending on the time of the week.

On a Monday or Tuesday I’ll go for more protein-based foods, which help the muscles recover on a day-to-day basis, so I’ll often eat poached eggs on toast.

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Later in the week I go for a more carbohydrate-based diet to help store energy in the muscles, so I reach my peak level of fitness for the weekend.

I’ll have porridge. I always eat porridge with milk: I’m lucky in that I don’t have a problem with my weight, so I can eat it with milk, always milk, and never water.

I also add a few raisins and strawberries and nuts with it to give it a little bit of flavour. Over the last couple of years I’ve taken my nutrition a lot more seriously and I feel a lot better for it. I believe it has helped improve my stamina.

My immune system is also far stronger and I’m not as prone to picking up colds and flus.”