Tom Brady is a superstar quarterback with a fistful of Superbowl rings and an equally
famous supermodel wife, Gisele Bundchen.
And while you may think that Tom Brady's super-sized success is due to his hitting the DNA jackpot,
the truth is Tom follows a strict fitness regimen he's developed with his controversial
life and wellness coach Alex Guerrero.
Tom's even got a book about his lifestyle.
The TB12 Method details Tom's personal philosophies which he credits to his success on and off
the football field.
A major part of that is what he eats, so here's a look at what the dinner table looks like
in the Brady household.
The starting lineup
In addition to working in top restaurants and hotels in Boston and Miami, Tom's private
chef, Allen Campbell, studied plant-based nutrition and serves Tom and family an 80
percent plant-based diet, focused on vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
The remaining 20 percent is rounded out with small portions of lean meats like grass-fed
steak, duck, chicken, and wild-caught salmon.
Campbell told Boston.com:
"My philosophy is that a plant-based diet has the power to reverse and prevent disease.
[...] It was just such a great match between what they wanted and my philosophy."
But not just any old fruits, grains, and vegetables are going to do for the Brady clan.
They have their own garden for most fruits and vegetables.
Chef Campbell also makes sure everything he purchases comes from farmers markets or high-end
groceries, and that the products are organic and free of GMOs.
On the bench
As you might imagine with such a strict diet, there are a lot of things Tom, Gisele, and
the kids won't eat.
The first group on that long list is processed foods, particularly anything that's full of
added sugars, like soda.
"The fact that they can sell that, you know, to kids?
I mean, that's poison for kids, but they keep doing it."
And it's not just processed foods and added sugars that Tom avoids.
In fact, there are a number of seemingly healthy vegetables that Tom won't eat as well, like
eggplant, peppers, white potatoes, and even tomatoes.
He believes that anything in the nightshade family of plants will cause inflammation in
the body, though science disagrees.
He also won't eat any foods containing gluten.
So traditional breads, pastas, and muffins are off the table, except for special occasions.
Another food group that makes the naughty list in the Brady household?
Dairy products.
In his book, Brady writes that the milk industry relied on heavy advertising in the last few
decades to push its way into American households, and he even helped by appearing in a Got Milk?
Campaign ad from 2002.
Today, he contends that dairy isn't all it's cracked up to be, writing:
"Our belief at TB12 is that dairy products are high in calories and lower in nutritional
value than other foods."
In other words, he seems to believe it doesn't do a body good.
"Booyah."
Instead, he drinks dozens of cups of water a day with added electrolytes in each serving.
No wildcat formation
Tom's strict dietary regimen isn't just about eating one food and avoiding another.
Equally important to his nutrition philosophy is the idea that certain foods should not
be combined with others.
In Tom's world, meats and starchy carbs, like rice, should never be eaten together, but
instead both eaten when combined with vegetables.
And when it comes to fruits, Tom believes it's best to not combine them with anything
at all.
While he may sometimes blend some fruits with nuts or seeds in a pre-workout smoothie, he
believes it's best to eat fruits all by themselves.
He also champions the idea of eating a diet comprised of mostly "alkalizing" foods, which
Tom believes will positively affect the pH balance of his body.
That includes most fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, and veggies.
While some might consider Tom's diet rabbit-like, he manages to stay full by always eating within
20 minutes of a workout, and sneaking in some snacks between meals.
If he isn't munching on fruit, his snacks may include guacamole, hummus, and raw veggies.
If he gets a late-night hankering, he enjoys a cup of bone broth.
"But everything in balance, that's what I think."
Designed play
Brady's chef said he loves serving the Brady family meals in bowls, and described a quinoa
dish with wilted greens he'd served recently by saying:
"I use kale or Swiss chard or beet greens.
I add garlic, toasted in coconut oil.
And then some toasted almonds, or this cashew sauce with lime curry, lemongrass, and a little
bit of ginger.
That's just comfort food for them."
Also on the menu?
Vegetable maki with brown rice, lentil and buckwheat "footballs," and fruit and spirulina
roll-ups for the kids.
Chef Campbell does tend to steer away from MSG and olive oil, but he is okay with "raw
olive oil" once in a while.
Instead, he usually cooks with coconut oil and chooses Himalayan pink salt over iodized
salt, every time.
Tom knows that his diet may seem particularly limiting to some folks because most people
are accustomed to white or pale-looking foods that, quote, "don't exist in nature."
"I mean, I eat pretty well, and I think my kids do too.
We're fortunate to be able to do that."
But for himself and his family, and his personal chef on call, it just feels unnatural to eat
any other way.
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