When you think of a professional football player’s diet, you probably picture loaded hamburgers and carbs as far as the eye can see. For some of these players, that is exactly right, but others prefer lean meats and veggies to get them through the season. Find out what your favorite player eats, because it might surprise you.
Tom Brady
With four Super Bowl rings and a supermodel model wife by his side, it’s safe to say that Tom Brady has a crazy life, and his diet matches. This quarterback cuts out all white flour and sugar, caffeine, dairy, MSG, iodized salt, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, eggplants, and even fruit. That mouthful of a sentence is famously known to describe The Tom Brady diet. He and Gisele have been criticized by many for being too strict and many wonder ‘What can he eat?’. 80% of his diet consists of vegetables and whole grains, while the rest 20% consists of lean meats.
Peyton Manning
Although they both play the same position, Manning’s diet is polar opposite from Brady’s. This Broncos quarterback prefers to fuel up on game day with a heaping plate of carbs and lean protein. This plate consists of grilled chicken, potatoes, pasta with marinara, and some broccoli. We all wish we could carbo-load as much as Manning and look as good.
J.J. Watts
For Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watts, the eating never ends. When your job consists of lunging at the quarterback, it can be assumed you will need to have some meat on you. Watts eats a whopping 9,000 calories a day, which can sometimes consist of 50 slices of bacon, 20 chicken breasts, and 13 avocados. He has said that sometimes he has to force himself to eat because he needs to stay on his diet. Poor J.J., it must be so hard being able to eat whatever you want all day.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham has come out recently admitting his love and commitment to EXOS (an athlete supplement company). The Giants wide receiver says he fights fatigue and fuels his body by religiously taking EXOS’ fish oil supplements and AM and PM multivitamins. On top of his love for natural supplements, he also has a food delivery service that provides him with nutritional food.
Steve Weatherford
Currently a free agent, this former Giants punter is has been referred to as the strongest player pound-for-pound on the whole team, an unbelievable comment considering his position. The way he keeps up this image is by eating 200 grams of protein a day (50 grams is the normal amount for a 2,000 calorie diet). Not only is he consuming four times the amount a normal person does, he restricts his diet to mainly plant-based protein and raves about his love for quinoa. He has said his favorite meal is a black bean quinoa burger.
Marshawn Lynch
Candy-lovers will appreciate former Seattle Seahawks running back’s celebratory snack. After each touchdown, Marshawn rewards himself with a pack of skittles. In high school, his mother would give him skittles before every game and this tradition has carried on to the NFL. Skittles even offered him a two-year supply with a customized dispenser to keep in his locker.