Stomachs don’t come more cast iron than mine. At Brighton Marathon 2012, SportyGirl marvelled at my ability to ingest every sugary drink, energy gel and jelly bean handed to me (including those that were being given out by grubby-handed kids) without feeling any ill effects other than hyperactivity. But this isn’t the case for everyone and recently there’s been a trend towards more natural forms of sports nutrition.

Those who’ve read the seminal running book ‘Born to Run‘ will no doubt have pondered whether Chia seeds are the elixir of speedy running and ultra endurance that they’re described as. Until recently Chia seeds haven’t been available to buy in the UK but you can now get them and make up your own Tarahumara-style energy source. The sprinkle I’ve been adding to my porridge every morning for the past month may be behind the recent burst of speed in my legs – but it could equally be down to running a bit more. The jury is still out on that one.

Scott Jurek, ultra running extraordinaire and the man who holds the world record for the furthest distance run in 24 hours, says his vegan diet is key to his success. He uses only natural, non-animal foods and runs like a demon. His forthcoming book ‘Eat and Run‘ will share his story, his thoughts on running and eating, and his own recipes. It’s already on my wishlist.

Coconut water, not just something that’s bottled purely so that celebs can be papped holding it coming out of the gym, is another natural product on the running nutrition market. If you drink an electrolyte replacement drink such as Powerade Zero or Nuun after your run, coconut water is the natural alternative. I’ve been testing ZICO coconut water for a while now and it’s pretty comparable. One running friend who had been getting headaches after her long runs now swears by this as part of her rehydration routine.

As I had a case of it I handed a few bottles around and got a few “urgh, tastes like coconuts” responses. So if you don’t like coconuts and are slightly smarter than my colleagues you should probably not buy it. But if you do like coconut this could be what you need. To me it tasted like it should have a shot of rum in it – but then I’m a big fan of one particular natural drink after my runs: beer.