Gym gains are being seriously affected by way people cook eggs

Christmas is approaching fast, and after that comes every gym-goers worst nightmare: the get fit rush in January.

Gyms are more crowded than ever, and every other recipe on your FYP probably contains more cottage cheese or protein powder than you could ever want.

If you're putting away enough eggs to need a new mortgage to fund it all, the last thing you want is to sabotage your gym progress by preparing them incorrectly.

New research has found that cooking methods can impact our absorption of protein, and there's an optimum level to make the most out of your food.

After all, you want your effort to pay off, so you might want to think twice before you guzzle down a dozen raw eggs, despite it being a Hollywood mainstay for any workout montage.

If you're heading to the gym in January, your progress (and bank balance) will thank you if you step away from the raw eggs (Getty Stock Images)

The research was shared by Scott Carswell, of the Ice Maker Hub, and it revealed that only 51% of the protein is absorbed from raw eggs, versus 91% from cooked.

Beef is impacted too, as if you cook it too little (or not at all), your digestive enzymes can't break down the protein structure efficiently, and you could get sick.

However, if you get carried away and overcook it, the protein molecules become so tightly bound that enzymes can't access them as efficiently, meaning it's going to waste.

Scott said: “This brings clarity to why many people who train hard don’t see the gains they deserve despite eating enough protein. They're either following outdated 'Rocky-style advice' of eating raw eggs, or overcooking their meal prep chicken until it's dry and grey."

He added: "As is life, nothing is ever simple, and both ends of the spectrum are as bad as each other.”

You might think raw eggs are boosting your gains, but they're actually having the opposite result (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"People think they're being efficient by adding raw eggs to their shakes but they're actually wasting almost half their protein intake," he advised.

"It's like doing half a workout, you're putting in the effort and spending the money, but you're only getting 50% of the results," added the expert.

Overcooked ground beef only provides 27% protein digestibility versus 48% when cooked properly.

Raw soybeans only offer 57% digestibility, whereas processed tofu has 97%.

Scott added: "We see this every year, people invest in expensive gym memberships and protein supplements, but then sabotage themselves with basic preparation mistakes.

"The irony is that cooking eggs takes three minutes and dramatically improves both safety and protein availability." After all, nobody wants salmonella.

"Fitness is expensive enough without literally throwing away half of your protein intake. Cook your eggs, don't overcook your meat, and save the Hollywood dramatics for your workout playlist."

Now you know.