Vegetables are good for you, right? Not if you're Tom Brady. The Patriots quarterback has a list of foods he won't eat, according to his personal chef, and several vegetables are among the banned items.
According to a feature in The Boston Globe, Brady's choices aren't merely about being fussy: He's focused on eating the right nutrients, and avoiding anything that might hamper his football fitness. The entire Brady family, for example, eats a gluten-free diet.
That's not so strange. But the list of vegetables the quarterback won't eat is cause for a double-take.
"[Tom] doesn't eat nightshades, because they're not anti-inflammatory," says Allen Campbell, who currently works as the chef for the entire family. "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."
The Bradys also swear off cereal and soda. The chef only cooks with coconut oil, and avoids coffee, caffeine, fungus and dairy. And, for Brady himself, most fruits.
"The kids eat fruit. Tom, not so much. He will eat bananas in a smoothie. But otherwise, he prefers not to eat fruits."
I guess what Brady wants, Brady gets. It's a pretty limited diet, but when you've got a personal chef at your disposal, those limitations are pretty easy to work around.
So what does a meal at Brady's home look like?
"I'm all about serving meals in bowls," Campbell says. "I've just did this quinoa dish with wilted greens. 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."
