By Ricky Doyle
You don’t become a four-time Super Bowl champion by eating junk food.
Boston.com recently caught up with Tom Brady’s personal chef, Allen Campbell, who spilled the beans on what he typically cooks for the New England Patriots quarterback and his family. Campbell detailed an incredibly strict diet that includes a lot of vegetables and lean meats.
“So, 80 percent of what they eat is vegetables,” Campbell told Boston.com. “(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.”
Brady, his wife (Gisele Bundchen) and their children all typically eat the same things, according to Campbell, who said he’s all about serving meals in bowls. Campbell does all the shopping and generally makes a menu ahead of time so the Brady family can see what the chef is firing up for the week.
The real challenge presumably lies in working around the restrictions Brady and his chef have imposed. There are certain ingredients Campbell absolutely won’t use when feeding the Brady clan.
“No white sugar. No white flour. No MSG,” Campbell told Boston.com. “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.”
Don’t expect to see Brady consuming coffee, caffeine, fungus or dairy anytime soon. The Pats QB also doesn’t eat much fruit, according to Campbell, though he’ll occasionally break his fruit ban every now and then for a nice banana smoothie.
“If I was cooking for anyone else who didn’t respect and appreciate my food as much as they did, it wouldn’t be as gratifying for me,” said Campbell, who also described Brady and Co. as “laid back” in the Boston.com article. “I think that’s what makes me happy at the end of the day. I get to really do what I want, and they get to benefit.”
The entire Boston.com article, in which Campbell describes his typical workday and explains how he tackles his job when the family is away, is well worth your time.
But the overriding message? You better plan accordingly if Brady and his family are stopping by your house for a cookout.
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