Today, August 3rd is Tom Brady’s 40th brthday. As probably the best quarterback ever to play in the National Football League, it is quite rare to see a quarterback playing at his level, and never at his age. This past year both Brady and his chef opened up about how he stays in shape and what he eats. It seems for Brady and supermodel wife and children, a very clean diet is the order of every day.
Their personal chef, provides the details:
“80 percent of what they eat is vegetables,” Campbell said. “[I buy] the freshest vegetables. If it’s not organic, I don’t use it. And whole grains: brown rice, quinoa, millet, beans. The other 20 percent is lean meats: grass-fed organic steak, duck every now and then, and chicken. As for fish, I mostly cook wild salmon. …
“No white sugar. No white flour. No MSG. I’ll use raw olive oil, but I never cook with olive oil. I only cook with coconut oil. Fats like canola oil turn into trans fats. … I use Himalayan pink salt as the sodium. I never use iodized salt.
“[Tom] doesn’t eat nightshades, because they’re not anti-inflammatory. So no tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, or eggplants. Tomatoes trickle in every now and then, but just maybe once a month. I’m very cautious about tomatoes. They cause inflammation.
What else? No coffee. No caffeine. No fungus. No dairy.”
“The kids eat fruit. Tom, not so much. He will eat bananas in a smoothie. But otherwise, he prefers not to eat fruits.””
Visualize that dinner plate for a moment: overflowing with fresh organic vegetables, a serving of organic whole grains like quinoa, and a small portion of salmon, grass fed beef or occasional duck. Now visualize the results: a lean body that is not injury prone despite all the physical contact Brady has almost every day.
We Are Not Tom Brady
No we’re not. So for the rest of us to stay well, we don’t have to be quite so regimented. If you make your plate look like Tom’s and balance it out with occasional treats, you’ll be doing great.
I use the 90/10 formula when I work with someone looking to eat better: 90% high quality, 10% slacking off. It doesn’t matter if you are looking to improve your weight, or heal from an illness, or support your lifelong wellness. We’re not meant to be too rigid in our diet. There should be some flow to it. If most of what you eat is high quality, an occasional indulgence won’t hurt you.
Your thoughts?
What do you think of Tom Brady’s eating plan? Is this something you would want, or how would you tweak it? Start the conversation in the comments section below.