Tom Brady is one of the most famous American football players. He is also the quarterback with the most Superbowl wins, with a total of 7 with the New England Patriots. Brady is also known for having an exceptionally long career for a professional athlete — well into his 40s — which he attributes to taking very good care of himself through healthy eating and exercise.
In 2017, Brady published a book called: The TB12 Method: How to Achieve Peak Performance That Can Be Sustained for a LifetimeThis included his methodology that allowed him to maintain peak athletic performance for many years.
The book covers Brady’s 12 performance principles, which include training principles and a healthy living philosophy such as sleep and cognitive fitness, as well as a diet with nutritional guides and recipes.
Read on to find out exactly what Tom Brady eats.
What do you eat on the TB12 diet?
The Tom Brady diet, known as TB12, is based on a mostly plant-based diet that Brady has been following for years. He does not adhere to a vegan or vegetarian diet, but follows a plan that is approximately 80% plant-based foods and 20% animal foods. In addition to balanced meals with plenty of vegetables, Tom also includes a few pea protein-based smoothies from the brand TB12 in his day.
However, powder is not the only way for athletes to achieve their protein goals.
One ingredient mentioned several times in recipes on the TB12 website is almond butter. Almond butter is a delicious and nutrient-dense ingredient, providing 5 to 7 grams of protein per 2-tablespoon serving. And the website notes that Tom eats “nuts and seeds for snacking.”
Eggs are also an excellent and budget-friendly source of protein. And indeed, the TB12 diet includes eggs in its recommended recipes and foods to eat list, not only for their protein content but also for their immune-supporting nutrients like vitamin D. The website recommends adding eggs to your daily scrambled eggs, as a snack, or on top of Brussels sprouts and potatoes.
Pizza may seem like a no-go for Tom, but if you make it with a cauliflower crust, you can enjoy it on TB12. The website offers a recipe for a crust made with fresh cauliflower, Parmesan cheese, and an egg. It also suggests topping it with vegetables like peppers, onions, spinach, and broccoli, which sounds pretty good to this dietitian.
What can’t you eat on the TB12 diet?
The TB12 website offers ways to “nourish your body like Tom Brady.” This includes eating only real, whole foods and avoiding processed foods like white bread, chips, and foods with added sugar that come in boxes or bags. Foods that contain any amount of trans fat, such as deep-fried foods, are also skipped.
Dieters are also advised to choose sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, red peppers instead of green peppers, carrots and dried apricots instead of processed snacks, cashews and walnuts instead of almonds (although many smoothies use almond butter), and oranges and strawberries instead of apples. The reason for these specific recommendations is because they contain higher levels of immune-supporting nutrients like beta-carotene and vitamin C.
Although alcohol and caffeinated beverages are not explicitly mentioned as substances to be completely avoided, they are stated to be substances that cause thirst, and a link is established between thirst and inflammation.
Is TB12 anti-inflammatory?
TB12 emphasizes that by focusing on eating more plants and limiting animal foods to just 20% of your diet, you will “ensure that you reduce unnecessary inflammation, giving you the energy to recover faster and perform better.”
The TB12 site also has articles explaining what chronic inflammation is and why it’s linked to many health problems, including diabetes and heart disease. TB12 advocates regular exercise as a way to protect against inflammation.
Sample shopping list
The TB12 website doesn’t include a sample diet plan, but it does share general nutrition guidance, recipes (mostly smoothies), and a printable shopping list.
The list includes:
- Fruits
- Courgette
- Sweet Potatoes
- Brown Rice
- Green pepper
- Cabbage
- Hazelnut
- Bean
- Salmon
- Avocados
Pros of the TB12 diet
A big tenet of Tom’s nutrition plan is hydration. As soon as he wakes up at 6 a.m., he starts drinking 20 ounces of water with his signature electrolyte blend. Brady recommends hydration during workouts and stresses the importance of electrolytes. He advocates drinking half your body weight in ounces of water every day.
I love that TB12 advocates for getting enough fiber in your diet, eating a balanced diet, and emphasizes regular exercise.
Another selling point of TB12 is its emphasis on creating healthy lifestyle habits that you can implement daily, including meditation and foam rolling. And unlike many fad diets that promote rapid weight loss, the focus here is on health and performance, not on achieving the ideal body.
Cons of the TB12 diet
Your wallet will likely be a lot lighter after following this diet. Plant-based protein powder costs $54 for 30 servings, and since the diet recommends drinking lots of smoothies, one box may not last you a month.
There’s also an online quiz that helps you identify areas where you might need help, like sleep, inflammation, immune health, and focus. I took the quiz and was given a list of three supplements (protein powder, electrolytes, and Recover supplement for joints) for a total of $146, and was also offered to purchase a Vibrating Flexibility Sphere for $119, a Nutrition Sample Pack that I couldn’t find on the site, and a shaker bottle for making smoothies ($30).
The diet can be followed without purchasing special TB12 supplements and protein powders, but other than the shopping list and recipes, there is no specific diet plan to follow and almost no guides on portion sizes are given, so it can be difficult to create a plan for yourself.
Is the TB12 diet healthy?
With an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, TB12 forms the basis of a healthy eating plan. If you incorporate the recommended foods into your daily life, you will be on a high-fiber, high-protein diet that will help reduce the amount of saturated fat you consume, which can help reduce your risk of long-term diseases like heart disease.
Why is TB12 controversial?
Critics of TB12 cite the cost of ingredients and supplements, and its restrictions on nightshade plants, such as eggplants, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. This contradicts the recommendation on its website to eat red peppers. Other concerns include the lack of scientific evidence to support its health claims and the difficulty of following a diet that includes no processed foods.
Bottom Line: The TB12 Diet may offer some health benefits, but it can be expensive and laborious to follow, and it doesn’t guarantee results.