Celebrated as one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of American football, Tom Brady’s storied career spans over two decades in the NFL. Brady rewrote the books, securing six Super Bowl victories with the New England Patriots and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A true unicorn, Brady, now a football commentator for Fox, set a new standard for longevity in one of the most physically demanding sports, continuing to play competitively well into his 40s, defying expectations for how long an athlete can play at a professional level.
Pivotal to Brady’s success is his unwavering commitment to maintaining his physical and mental health with his own philosophy of wellness and performance known as the TB12 Method. This approach emphasizes pliability training (a term used by Brady, but not accepted by most in the exercise science community), a plant-forward, anti-inflammatory diet, functional workouts, mindfulness, hydration and sleep. His plan isn’t just for athletes, he says, but for anyone who wants to support their longevity and feel great as they age. It’s something that appeals to many of us in middle age–feeling and performing our best for as long as we possibly can.
Though some of the ideas in Brady’s methodology have come under scrutiny, like his avoidance of foods in the nightshade category of plants and claims that hydration prevents sunburn, several of his ideas have gained traction in the wellness community, like his focus on the importance of recovery and the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Let’s take a look at Brady’s TB12 diet to see what components you might want to steal for yourself.
What Do You Eat on the TB12 Diet?
Brady lays out his plant-based diet in his 2017 book, “The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance.”
It is a mostly plant-based eating pattern that Brady has been following for years. He doesn’t ascribe to a vegan or vegetarian diet, but follows a plan that includes about 80 percent plant-based foods and 20 percent animal-based foods. In addition to balanced meals with lots of vegetables, Tom also incorporates several smoothies into his day made with pea protein-based from the TB12 brand.
But powder isn’t the only way the athlete meets his protein goals.
One ingredient that is mentioned several times in the recipes on the TB12 website is almond butter. Almond butter is a delicious and nutrient-dense ingredient, providing 5 to 7g of protein per 2 tablespoon serving. And the website notes that Tom eats “nuts and seeds as a snack.”
Eggs are also an excellent and budget-friendly source of protein. And sure enough, the TB12 diet includes eggs in its recommended recipes and in a list of foods to eat, not only for their protein content but also for their immune supporting nutrients, like vitamin D. The website recommends eating them daily as scrambled eggs, snacks or to top a hash of Brussels sprouts and potatoes.
While pizza may seem like a forbidden food for Tom, if you make it with a cauliflower crust, it’s yours to enjoy on TB12. The website offers a recipe for a crust made with fresh cauliflower, Parmesan cheese and an egg. It recommends topping it with vegetables like peppers, onion, spinach and broccoli, which sounds pretty great to this dietitian.
What Can’t You Eat on the TB12 Diet?
The TB12 website provides ways that you can “Fuel your body like Tom Brady.” This includes eating only real, whole foods and eschewing processed foods, including white bread, chips and foods with added sugar that come in boxes or bags. Foods with any amount of trans fat, such as deep fried foods, are also omitted.
Dieters are also advised to choose sweet potatoes over white potatoes, red peppers over green ones, carrots and dried apricots over processed snacks, cashews and walnuts instead of almonds (though almond butter is used in many smoothies), and oranges and berries over apples. The reasoning for these specific recommendations is due to higher levels of immune supporting nutrients like beta-carotene and vitamin C.
While alcohol and caffeinated beverages aren’t explicitly called out as items to avoid completely, they are mentioned culprits of dehydration and a link is made between dehydration and inflammation.
Is TB12 Anti-Inflammatory?
TB12 emphasizes that by focusing on eating more plants and limiting animal-based foods to only 20% of your diet you’ll “help insure you are reducing any unnecessary inflammation, giving you the energy to recover faster and perform better.”
There are also articles on the TB12 site that explain what chronic inflammation is and why it’s linked to many health issues, including diabetes and heart disease. TB12 advocates for regular exercise as a way of protecting against inflammation.
Sample Shopping List
The TB12 website does not include a sample diet plan, but it does share general nutrition guidance, recipes (mostly smoothies) and a printable shopping list.
The list includes:
BerriesZucchiniSweet potatoesBrown riceBell peppersKaleNutsBeansSalmon AvocadosPros of the TB12 diet
One of the things to like about the diet is that it emphasizes whole, nutrient-rich foods like lean protein, fruits and veggies, nuts, seeds and whole grains. These are foods that should create the base of any healthy diet.
TB12 is also low in sugar and processed foods, which helps lower inflammation and helps decrease the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Cutting down on these foods may also help you reach and maintain a healthy weight.
Many of the foods that are included in the diet, like berries, salmon, avocados, sweet potatoes and kale, are also part of healthy eating patterns like the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet.
Cons of the TB12 diet
If you’ve been trying to tighten up your food costs in light of inflation, TB12 probably won’t fit your budget. The plant-based protein powder sold on the TB12 website costs $60 ($54 with autoship) for a 30-day supply. And with plenty of smoothies in the meal plan, those scoops add up fast.
More dings on the diet include lack of strong scientific evidence for certain claims, like avoiding plants in the nightshade family (tomatoes, eggplants and peppers), and avoiding of caffeine, dairy, gluten, soy, corn and sugar. Also, while hydration is key to health, this diet supports excessive hydration and claims that it helps prevent sunburn, which is not backed by science.
In addition, avoiding dairy foods may lead you to miss out on important nutrients, like calcium, potassium and vitamin D. And unnecessarily skipping foods that contain gluten might mean you won’t be getting enough fiber and vital minerals in your diet.
Is the TB12 Diet Healthy?
With its emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, TB12 provides the foundation for a healthy eating plan. If you include the recommended foods into your daily life, you’ll be following a high fiber, high protein diet that will also help you reduce the amount of saturated fat you consume, which may help cut your risk of long-term illnesses like heart disease.
Why Is TB12 Controversial?
Critics of TB12 cite the expense of the ingredients and supplements and its restrictions on nightshade plants like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. This conflicts with the recommendation on the website to eat red peppers. Other concerns include the lack of scientific evidence to back up health claims and the difficulty of following a diet that doesn’t include any convenience foods.
The bottom line: The TB12 Diet may offer some health benefits, but it can be expensive and inconvenient to follow and does not guarantee results.