Muscle for Life with Mike Matthews - Tom Brady’s Diet Is Healthy But Ridiculous. Should You Follow It?

Episode Date: September 25, 2019

Tom Brady’s diet has become something of an obsession for many Americans. Since the publication of his 2017 health and wellness book, The TB12 Method, “Touchdown Tom’s” eating habits have gone mainstream in a major way. Every major media outlet has weighed in multiple times and you can even find “I tried Tom Brady’s diet and here’s what happened” videos online. And unlike many fly-by-night celebrity diets, Brady’s has earned staying power. The main reason for this is obviously the halo effect. He’s indisputably one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes of all time, so anything he says and does is likely to be judged favorably. Moreover, Brady isn’t just a Hollywood hunk who got jacked for a superhero movie. Brady’s a world-class athlete who appears to be invincible by normal NFL standards, which many players joke stands for “Not for Long.” Due largely to the brutal nature of the game, the average NFL player lasts just 3.3 years, and many careers are cut short by torn ligaments, broken bones, severe concussions, and the like. Not Brady, though. He’s wrapping up his 19th year in the league with his 9th Super Bowl, and aside from a knee injury that sidelined him in 2008, he hasn’t suffered a major injury in his career. How has he managed to stay so healthy? Well, Brady says his unique diet has contributed to his robust health in a major way and enabled his body to endure and recover from levels of stress and punishment that would break the average person. Hence its popularity. So, what does the Tom Brady diet look like? Well, it mostly consists of plenty of fresh vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and a moderate amount of lean meats like salmon, turkey, and chicken. In other words, it sounds like your average “healthy diet” that many obesity and nutrition scientists have been advocating for the last several decades. It doesn’t stop with “eat a bunch of nutritious things,” however, which is where the controversy begins. Brady’s version of “clean eating” requires more or less only eating nutritious things and prescribes a menagerie of restrictions, including . . . - No gluten, bread, pasta, or white flour of any kind - No coffee or caffeine - No cooking oil - No potatoes, peppers, or mushrooms - No drinking water during or around meals - No eating within 3 hours of bedtime - No eating fruits with other foods In fact, once you’ve wound through all the twists and turns of Brady’s diet, as we’ll do in this podcast, you can’t help but wonder if there was any real method to the apparent madness. I mean, if you were to tear random pages out of the bestselling diet books of the last 20 years and follow whatever you found, you’d likely end up with something similar. Not only that, but thanks to the aggressive commercializing of the TB12 brand, the regimen also includes a number of Brady’s proprietary supplements and other products. All that doesn’t necessarily mean the Tom Brady diet deserves the scrapheap instead of the spotlight, though. As you’ll learn, Brady’s fastidious eating gets more right than wrong and is far superior to the average Western diet, but it’s not without major flaws and fallacies. 6:25 - What is the Tom Brady diet? 12:00 - Should I eat mostly anti-inflammatory foods? 19:16 - Should I eat mostly alkaline foods? 26:07 - Is it bad to combine food groups in one meal? 30:10 - Should I drink half of my body weight in ounces of water per day? 33:48 - Should I eat as little saturated fat and cooking oil as possible? 43:29 - Who is Alex Gurrero? 49:05 - How can I use food to optimize my body composition, well-being, and longevity?   Mentioned on The Show: Books by Mike Matthews: https://legionathletics.com/products/books/

Hey, Mike here. And if you like what I'm doing on the podcast and elsewhere, and if you want to help me help more people get into the best shape of their lives, please do consider picking up one of my bestselling health and fitness books, including Bigger, Leaner, Stronger for Men, Thinner, Leaner, Stronger for Women, my flexible dieting cookbook, The Shredded Chef, and my 100% practical and hands-on blueprint for personal transformation inside and outside of the gym, The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation. Now, these books have sold well over 1 million copies and have helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever. And you can find them on all major online retailers like Audible, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Google Play, as well as in select Barnes & Noble stores. Again, that's Bigger Leaner Stronger for Men, Thinner Leaner Stronger for Women, The Shredded Chef, and The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation. Oh, and I should also mention that you can get any of the audiobooks 100% free when you sign up for an Audible account, which is the perfect way to make those pockets of downtime,

like commuting, meal prepping, and cleaning, more interesting, entertaining, and productive. meal prepping, and cleaning more interesting, entertaining, and productive. So if you want to take Audible up on that offer, and if you want to get one of my audio books for free, go to www.legionathletics.com slash Audible. That's L-E-G-I-O-N athletics slash A-U-D-I-B-L-E, and sign up for your account. Hello, hello, and welcome to another episode of Muscle for Life. I am your host, Mike Matthews. And as football season is upon us yet again, I thought it would be a good time to talk about Tom Brady's diet, which in case you are not familiar with it,

it has become a bit of an obsession for many Americans. You see, Tom published a book back in 2017 called the TB12 Method. And since then, his eating habits have gone mainstream in a major way. Every major media outlet has weighed in multiple times on his dietary habits, and you can even find, I tried Tom Brady's diet and here's what happened, articles and videos online. And unlike many of these fly-by-night celebrity diets, Brady's has earned some staying power. And the main reason for this, of course, is the halo effect. He is one of the greatest and most accomplished athletes of all time. And so anything he says and does is likely to be judged favorably by many people. And Brady isn't just

some Hollywood hunk who got jacked for a superhero movie either. He is a world-class athlete who does appear to be invincible and immortal by normal NFL standards, which many people and many players joke stands for not for long, right? And really, it's pretty wild. I mean, the average NFL player lasts just over three years in the league, and many careers are cut short by torn ligaments, broken bones, severe concussions, and the like. But not Brady. This is his, what, 19th or 20th year in the league.

And aside from a knee injury back in 2008, he hasn't suffered any major injuries in his career. And one of the major reasons for this, according to him, is his unique diet. He says that it has contributed to his robust health in a major way, and it has enabled his body to endure and recover from levels of stress and punishment that would break the average person. And hence the popularity of Tom Brady's diet. Now, what does his diet look like? Well, it is mostly a lot of fresh vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and a moderate amount of lean meats like salmon, turkey, and chicken. And that sounds pretty reasonable, right? It just sounds like your average healthy diet that many obesity and nutrition scientists have been advocating for for the last several decades. However, Brady's diet does not stop with eat a bunch of nutritious

things. And that's where it starts to get controversial because Brady's version of clean eating requires eating more or less only nutritious things and prescribes a number of strange restrictions, including no gluten, bread, pasta, or white flour of any kind, no coffee or caffeine, no cooking oil, no potatoes, peppers, or mushrooms, no drinking water during or around meals, no eating within three hours of bedtime, and no eating fruits with other foods. And once you've wound through all the twists and turns of Brady's diet, which we're going to do in this podcast, you really can't help but wonder if there is any method to this apparent madness. I mean, if you were to tear random pages out of some of the best-selling diet books of the last

20 years and follow whatever you found, you would probably end up with something similar to Brady's diet. And not only that, thanks to the aggressive commercializing of the TB12 brand, Brady's regimen also includes a number of his proprietary supplements and other products, of course. Now, all that doesn't necessarily mean that the Tom Brady diet deserves the scrap heap instead of the spotlight. And as you'll learn in this podcast, Brady's fastidious eating habits get more right than wrong. And his diet is certainly far superior to the average Western diet, but it is not without major flaws and fallacies. Let's start with a more in-depth analysis of his diet. What is the Tom Brady diet? Well, let's start with a fun analogy. After Genghis Khan would conquer a new land, he would then temporarily worship their gods and perform their religious rituals. And this way,

he figured he could be in good standing with whatever deities may ultimately be waiting for him in the hereafter, you know, theological insurance. And Brady seems to be doing the same thing with diets. To concoct his style of eating, he has combined one part anti-inflammatory dieting, one part alkaline dieting, one part Mediterranean dieting, and one part food combining dieting, and then seasoned the dish with a hefty dollop of various rules and restrictions. In fact, it's easier to define Brady's diet by what you are not allowed to eat and drink instead of what you are. For example, according to Brady, you should not have any sugar, white flour, coffee, caffeine, cooking oil, even if it isn't cooked, except olive oil, that's okay,

gluten, breakfast cereal, bread, pasta, dairy, white potatoes, white rice, peppers, tomatoes, cereal, bread, pasta, dairy, white potatoes, white rice, peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, corn, mushrooms, GMO foods, non-organic foods, non-seasonal fruits or vegetables, grain-fed meat, farmed seafood, or processed foods. And we're not done. You're also supposed to avoid or eat as little as possible of strawberries, pineapple, oranges, beef, chickpeas, walnuts, yogurt, soybeans, added salt, iodized salt, saturated fat, trans fat, and alcohol. Oh, there's more actually. In addition to all that, you should also never eat protein with carbs like bread, potatoes, or rice. You should never drink water with a meal or more than an hour before or after a meal. You should never eat fruit with other foods and you should never eat within three hours of going to bed. Wow. So what do you get to eat and drink then? Well, that's a rather short list. You get to eat

organic, non-GMO, seasonal fruits and vegetables that are not prohibited. You get to eat wild-caught seafood. You get to eat organic hormone and antibiotic-free grass-fed meat. You get one half to one and a half gallons of water per day. You get tea and bone broth for quote unquote dessert. Not my idea of dessert exactly. You get tomato sauce and salsa. Yeah, those are fine, but for some reason, tomatoes are not. You get TB12 whey protein powder, of course, even though it's a dairy product. You get TB12 vegan protein bars. You get TB12 whey protein powder, of course, even though it's a dairy product. You get TB12 vegan protein bars. You get TB12 electrolyte mixes. You get TB12 nut mixes. And you get TB12 granola and anything else with TB12 stamped on it. Why? You are probably wondering by now why all these seemingly arbitrary restrictions like no strawberries, chickpeas, or mushrooms.

Well, Brady says it's because he wants to avoid quote-unquote acidic and quote-unquote inflammatory foods as much as possible. And even foods that are normally considered healthy can supposedly fall into those two categories. For example, despite being generally recognized as perfectly healthy to eat and nutritious foods, strawberries, oranges, and kiwis are apparently acidifying and thus should be shunned. And the same goes for tomatoes, potatoes, dairy, and mushrooms, which are all deemed inflammatory and therefore off-limits. Accordingly, most of the Brady approved foods are supposed to be alkalizing and anti-inflammatory, which are mostly meaningless buzzwords used to make nutritious foods sound more special than they really are, similar to the superfoods label, right? And why should you do all of this? Well, if you don't, Brady says,

you are going to be courting all kinds of disease and dysfunction. However, Brady's a generous god and understands that most of us mere mortals lack the discipline to deny our carnal urges and fully buy into his formula for physical purity. And that's why we only need to follow it most of the time. It's all about balance, Brady says. So to summarize, Tom Brady's diet is his take on a number of different, highly restrictive fad diets. And Brady's version boils down to a number of precepts we can call the Tom Brady diet rules. And they are one, eat mostly anti-inflammatory foods. Two, eat mostly alkaline foods. Three, never combine these food groups. Four, drink 12 to 25 glasses of water per day, ideally with TB12 electrolytes. And five, eat as little saturated fat and cooking oil as possible. All right, now let's review each of

these rules in more detail. Let's start with number one, which is eat mostly anti-inflammatory foods. Now for this one, we got to start with the dictionary. We got to start with a definition of inflammation, which according to the Oxford English Dictionary is a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection. So in other words, inflammation is a process the body uses to defend against and recover from illness and injury. Now, inflammation is also a complex, poorly understood phenomenon that is involved in many illnesses, adaptations,

and functions in the body. And it can have both positive and negative effects depending on the circumstances and how much, the degree, the severity. Because too much inflammation is often undesirable. And in some cases, too little inflammation is undesirable. Like in the case of muscle building, inflammation is part of the process that results in bigger and stronger muscles. So if you were to take drugs that reduce inflammation, like NSAIDs, for example, after lifting weights, research shows that you would gain less muscle and strength over time than if you did not take those drugs. Now, we also know that eating nutritious foods, exercising, and taking certain supplements all helps reduce inflammation in the

body, but exactly which protocols are best for this is still up in the air. That, of course, has not stopped health gurus from adopting and whoring out inflammation reduction as a panacea of sorts that is to be maximized through dubious pills, powders, and dietary and lifestyle choices. pills, powders, and dietary and lifestyle choices. And hence the anti-inflammatory diet, which is particularly popular among gullible celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Channing Tatum, Penelope Cruz, and yes, the man of the hour, Mr. Tom Brady. Now, according to some of the more popular proponents of this style of dieting, inflammation is the most common denominator of all disease and dysfunction. And our modern ways of living and eating has pushed systemic inflammation to dangerously high levels that they claim can lead to all kinds of ailments like cancer, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, and other maladies. And there's also a handful of studies that show that diet can indeed affect various blood markers and inflammation in the body, which lends just enough science-iness to the whole theory to help sell it to the masses. So, what foods are inflammatory? Well,

that depends on who you ask, of course, but the usual scapegoats are things like sugar, gluten, white flour, saturated fat, coffee and caffeine, red meat, processed meats, most grains, and cooking oils like canola, safflower, and peanut oil. And which foods are anti-inflammatory? Well, that list mostly boils down to most fruits and vegetables, olive oil, seafood, and more or less all of the other stuff that every diet book recommends. And so this presents a bit of a paradox because this quote-unquote anti-inflammatory approach to eating is actually fairly reasonable and rather healthy, but not for the reasons we are told. Here's why. One, there are many, many different kinds of inflammation in the body and they can be helpful or harmful. For instance, we know that inflammation is involved in the development of heart disease,

but certain kinds of inflammation also help you maintain healthy blood sugar levels and, as I mentioned earlier, help you build muscle. Two, there is some evidence that eating healthier can generally reduce inflammation in the body, but there's no evidence that you need to completely eliminate quote-unquote bad foods or mostly eat very specific foods to accomplish this. Instead, you just need to do what your mom probably always told you to do, and that is to eat plenty of plant-based foods and to limit your intake of highly processed junk. And the third reason why the anti-inflammatory style of eating is not a bad choice, but just not for the reasons that we're generally told, is that research shows one of the best ways to minimize harmful inflammation in the body is

to maintain a normal body weight. So any diet then that ensures you do not become overweight or obese is inherently anti-inflammatory, regardless of what you're eating. Managing your energy balance is an anti-inflammatory technique. And so when you look then at a lot of these anti-inflammatory dietary protocols, they really are just common sense guidelines for eating like a responsible adult, except they often take it too far and they make dieting far less flexible, adaptable, and enjoyable than it should be. And in the case of Brady's variation, it starts to get a bit absurd. For example, Brady claims that dairy is inflammatory because who knows, he actually doesn't give an explanation. And not only is his advice to avoid dairy

unnecessary and unsupported, it is also directly contradicted by his advice to drink his TB12 whey protein shakes. According to Brady, whey protein is inflammatory, but not his whey protein, of course, because it's whey protein isolate or who knows, I don't know. And yes, his is not inflammatory even when you are eating several scoops per day. Brady also fingers caffeine as pro-inflammatory without providing any explanation or evidence as to why this might be. And so if you go look for yourself in the caffeine literature, you find, for example, that moderate coffee intake is associated with a lower risk of cancer and mortality and is free of adverse effects such as

general toxicity, cardiovascular effects, effects on bone status and calcium balance, changes in adult behavior, increased incidence of cancer, and effects on male fertility. In other words, moderate coffee intake appears to be perfectly healthy. So the bottom line here is Tom Brady's version of the anti-inflammatory diet doesn't really offer any health benefits that you can't get from other more flexible, healthy ways of dieting. All right, let's move on to the Tom Brady diet rule number two that I shared earlier, and that is to eat mostly alkaline foods. So an anti-inflammatory diet is not enough. You also must follow an alkaline diet as well. That

is part of the Tom Brady protocol. And to understand what this is, you need to understand pH. So in chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity of a solution. And if a pH is less than 7, it is acidic. And a pH greater than 7 is alkaline. And the more acidic a substance is, the more it can react with other substances and cause various chemical changes. Now, the theory behind the alkaline diet goes like this. One, the body functions best when the pH in your blood stays within a narrow healthy range and disease and dysfunction result from allowing your blood pH to drop too low for too long. Two, some foods have a high pH, alkaline foods, and some foods have a low pH, acidic foods. And three, eating too many acidic foods lowers the blood's pH, making it more acidic

and causing all kinds of internal mayhem like bone and muscle loss, back pain, and decreased growth hormone production. Now, most alkaline dieters recommend that you limit your intake of all kinds of foods like meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, sugar, grains, and caffeine. And they say you should eat a lot of plant foods instead, like fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. In some cases, they also recommend that you consume only alkaline water, only water with a pH over seven. And, you know, the truth is you could do a lot worse than that in the kitchen. If you were to do exactly what I just said, it's not going to impair your health, but as in the case of the anti-inflammatory diet, not for the reasons you are being told.

Namely, research shows the foods you eat do not significantly impact the pH of your blood or any organ in your body. And that's a good thing because if they did, we would all be dead by now. You see, like body temperature, blood pH is tightly regulated to remain in the range of 7.36 to 7.44. And this is something that scientists have understood since the 1930s. You will find this in literature that is almost a hundred years old now. And to really move that blood pH needle, you need to go to extremes. I'm talking about developing diabetes, starving yourself for extended periods of time, overdosing on alcohol, stuff like that, not eating a few donuts or a bowl of broccoli. Now, Brady's version of alkaline

dieting is extreme. His twist banishes a bunch of foods that are normally allowed on alkaline friendly menus. For example, Brady recommends you limit your intake of strawberries, oranges, and kiwi, which are generally green-lighted by advocates of the alkaline diet. And Brady's reasoning for this is simply that those little guys are acidic. And I guess he's right in a way because strawberries, for example, do have a pH of around three to four, but that does not mean they are bad for you. You see, nearly every food you eat is acidic to some degree in that its pH is below seven. And this includes many Brady approved foods like blueberries, which have a pH of 3, grapes, 3.5 to 4.5 pH, and olives, around 3.6 pH. Even Brady's beloved staples like sweet potatoes, squash, and spinach have a pH of less than 7, which means they are all acidic to one degree or another. And this is exactly why research stretching back to the beginning of

nutrition science says the pH of the foods we eat does not matter in the least. They are all broken down in the acid pit that is the stomach and the body uses a variety of powerful mechanisms to regulate its pH levels. So in other words, worrying about the pH of the individual foods you eat is like worrying about the nitrogen content of the air you breathe. It is simply a non-issue. And a good recent example of this fact comes from a meta-analysis, which is a study of studies that was conducted by scientists at the University of Calgary. And these guys and gals analyzed the data from five studies where people ate different amounts of acidic foods and took various measures of bone health. And the researchers found there was no relationship between the amount of acidic food people ate

and the markers of bone degradation or calcium loss. Hence the following conclusion, quote, there is no evidence that increasing the diet acid load promotes skeletal bone mineral loss or osteoporosis. Promotion of the alkaline diet to prevent calcium loss is not justified. Oh, and while we are busy pillaging claims of alkalinity and health, let's meet the man who popularized the alkaline diet, one Robert Young. And Robert Young is a man who was convicted in 2016 of practicing medicine without a license, and then convicted in 2017 of defrauding his patients, including taking $77,000 from a woman who was dying from cancer to inject her with baking soda, which did nothing, of course,

and she died. Yeah. So the bottom line on this one is most types of alkaline diets are perfectly healthy ways to eat, but just not for the reasons given. The underpinnings of these diets are pseudoscience that has been debunked by many scientific studies over the past 100 years or so. Hey, quickly, before we carry on, if you are liking my podcast, would you please help spread the word about it? Because no amount of marketing or advertising gimmicks can match the power of word of mouth. So if you are enjoying this episode and you think of someone else who might enjoy it as well, please do tell them about it. It really helps me. And if you are going to post about it on social media, definitely tag me so I can say

thank you. You can find me on Instagram at muscle for lifeitness, Twitter at MuscleForLife, and Facebook at MuscleForLifeFitness. All right, let's move on to Tom Brady diet rule number three, never combine these food groups. This is another idea that has been around for a long time, that combining certain food groups is a bad idea. For example, the best-selling 1999 book Get Skinny on Fabulous Foods by Suzanne Summers claimed that protein and carbs require different digestive enzymes and so should be eaten separately to optimize digestion and absorption. Now, Brady's diet advice echoes this, but he had to take it further, of course, being the goat and all. And he demands that you never eat protein with carbs like bread or potatoes, and you never eat fruit with other food, and you

never drink water with meals. Why? Who knows? No explanation is given, actually. Now, as for number one, not eating protein with carbs like bread or potatoes. I'm not aware of any research on how eating protein with carbs might affect digestion, but I do know of a long list of studies showing that the body has no problem processing and absorbing both carbs and protein when they're eaten together. So it's a fair assumption that Radia is just wrong here. And in fact, one of these studies even found that eating carbs and protein after a workout improved insulin sensitivity by 44%, which is generally a sign of increased nutrient absorption because insulin shuttles nutrients into cells, of course.

There's also an interesting study that was conducted by scientists at University Hospital Geneva that helps shed some light on food combining. And in this case, researchers randomly assigned 54 obese men and women to two groups. The first group ate balanced meals throughout the day with equal ratios of carbs, protein, and fat. And the second group ate meals that contained protein, but were designed to never contain a large amount of carbs and fat. And the second group ate meals that contained protein, but were designed to never contain a large amount of carbs and fat together. Now, everyone in this study ate the same amount of calories, protein, carbs, and fat, and the same types of foods. And after six weeks, the first group lost slightly more weight and experienced a significantly greater drop in blood pressure

than the second group. And other than that, there were no differences between the groups, indicating that combining macronutrients has no significant impact on digestion or absorption. As far as Brady's recommendation to eat fruit in isolation, we have no idea where that came from because, again, he offers no explanation. And the whole no drinking water with or around meals thing, again, no rationale is given. But this one might be based on an old wives tale that drinking water dilutes your stomach acid and enzymes, and that then makes it more difficult to digest and absorb food.

And research shows this is false. The body just adjusts the production of stomach acid and enzymes based on how much fluid you consume. Mind blown. And that's why there is a large body of evidence that shows that the body has no trouble digesting nutrients when they are mixed with water. And let's not forget too, that Brady does recommend drinking his whey protein shakes, which I guess are not food mixed with water. It's one of those things that makes sense if you don't think about it, right? So the bottom line here is anybody who says that you should not combine certain foods is wrong. Unless combining certain foods upsets your stomach or makes you gassy or causes some

noticeable negative reaction, then sure, don't combine whatever those foods are. I can't say I've even come across anyone over the years who has that problem, but theoretically, maybe that could happen. For most of us though, how we combine foods and macros will not make any difference in our ability to digest and absorb and use nutrients. It won not make any difference in our ability to digest and absorb and use nutrients. It won't make any difference in our ability to gain or lose weight or improve our health or anything else. All right, let's move on to the fourth rule, Tom Brady diet rule number four, which is drink 12 to 25 glasses of water per day with TB12 electrolytes. Now in his book, Brady recommends drinking half of your body weight in

ounces of water per day. So for example, I'm 195 pounds. So 195 divided by two equals 98, 98 ounces of water, three quarters of a gallon of water per day. That said, Brady personally claims to drink up to 12 to 25 glasses of water per day, which works out to about 100 to 200 ounces or three quarters to one and a half gallons per day. Now, there's nothing necessarily wrong with drinking that much water, and especially if you're physically active and sweating and therefore needing to replace water. That said, you probably don't need to keep a close eye on your water intake. Most research shows you can maintain optimum hydration levels simply by drinking when you're thirsty. Now, Brady also

encourages his readers and fans to consume electrolytes throughout the day and preferably his TB12 brand of electrolyte powder. And what's so special about his? Well, nothing. To understand why, let's start here. So an electrolyte is a chemical that helps conduct electricity in the body with the main ones being sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Those are the main electrolytes in the body. And it is true that low levels of electrolytes can make it harder for the body to function, but you can get all the electrolytes you need from your diet. You do not need to supplement necessarily. Now, I add that qualification because potassium is a tricky one. It can be hard to get enough potassium through

your diet alone, but it can be done. So let's quickly just look at what's in Brady's TB12 electrolyte powder. Per serving, we have 125 milligrams of sodium, 130 milligrams of potassium, 45 milligrams of magnesium, 390 milligrams of chloride, and 20 milligrams of sulfate. So first off, 99% of Americans already meet the recommended daily intake of sodium. And those who do not can easily correct that by just sprinkling a little bit of salt on their food. Remember, table salt is very rich in sodium. I believe it's 2.3 grams per teaspoon. And it also has a lot of chloride. It's about 40% chloride. So that'll be covered as well. And for the other three minerals in the mix, a cup of chopped sweet potatoes has three times more potassium, has about 448 milligrams of potassium and almost as much magnesium, about 33 milligrams. And as for the sulfate, there's no evidence that does much of anything in the body. And it's typically just added to foods to increase shelf life. So really

what this comes down to is, would you rather spend a few hundred dollars per month on Brady's tasty water powder or 10 bucks on sweet potatoes and some table salt? And if you would choose the former, I would like to introduce you to my supplement company, Legion Athletics, which you can check out at legionathletics.com. We have better supplements than Tom Brady. So the bottom line here is that Brady's water regimen is not unhealthy, but it's not entirely necessary either. And his TB12 electrolyte mix is really just an overpriced combination of minerals that you can get very easily from any halfway healthy diet. All right, let's move on to the final Tom Brady diet rule. Number five, eat as little saturated fat as possible, as well as as little cooking oil as possible. So saturated fat has been demonized

for a very long time now, and not these days.. These days it is being hailed as a wonder food of sorts,, it's understandable why he still thinks that it should be completely avoided. Now, in case you're not familiar with saturated fat, it's simply a type of fat that's solid at room temperature and it's found in many animal and some plant foods, including meat, cream, cheese, butter, lard, coconut oil, cottonseed oil, and palm kernel oil. Now, why have we been told for so long to limit our intake of it? And why are many health professionals today still saying we should limit our intake of it? Not necessarily avoid it, but keep it at or below 10% of total daily calories per day. Well, in the case of Brady's TB12 take, he actually doesn't say why we shouldn't eat it, but it's fair to assume that it has to do with heart disease. And this advice isn't entirely

wrong-headed really, because research does show that saturated fat can increase the risk of heart disease, but only when consumed in large amounts over a long period of time. And even then the correlation isn't very strong. It seems to have these effects in some people and not others. And so what this means then is so long as you keep your saturated fat intake at a reasonable level, which I think most experts would agree is what I mentioned earlier, at or below 10% of total daily calories, then you have no reason to be worried about your ticker. That said, it is worth noting that some health agencies believe the relationship between saturated fat intake and

heart disease is so concrete that intake should be well beneath 10% of daily calories. But it's still a general rule of thumb that's supported by good evidence and is supported by a number of prominent cardiovascular scientists and experts. Now, some research also suggests that saturated fat may increase inflammation in the body, but as you learned earlier in this podcast, that doesn't automatically mean it's unhealthy. In fact, most long-term studies show that moderate saturated fat intake has no negative impact on heart health or longevity. Now, according to Brady, saturated fat is not the only greasy boogeyman. Cooking oil should be avoided as well, except olive oil, where you must. cooking oil could refer to just about any fat that people use to cook with, but typically it refers to oils with large amounts of polyunsaturated fats like canola oil, soybean oil, peanut oil,

sunflower oil, walnut oil, and safflower oil. And for a long time, government health agencies, diet experts, and doctors told people that they should replace their saturated fat with these types of oils, with polyunsaturated fat, in order to reduce the risk of disease. And several lines of evidence show this was probably a mistake. First, as you just learned, the evidence for saturated fat increasing the risk of heart disease is weak. And if you eat a sensible diet, then your saturated fat intake is probably well below 10% of your daily calories. If you start tinkering around in your meal planning spreadsheet, then you will see what

I'm talking about. It takes a concerted effort to break the 10% of daily calories limit for saturated fat. Furthermore, emerging evidence shows that some polyunsaturated fats may have negative effects in the body when consumed in large amounts, and particularly if they are cooked first. And this is why Brady recommends no cooking oils except olive oil, which should be used sparingly. Now, as Brady's personal chef says, 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. Now, there's actually a kernel of truth there, but it's mostly

irrelevant. You see, research shows that exposing fats like soybean, walnut, sunflower, canola, and olive oil to high heat can transform a small fraction of the fatty acids into trans fats, which are very harmful to the body. Except the small amounts of natural trans fats that are found in meat, for example. Those have a different effect in the body, but artificially produced trans fats are no good. Now, how small of a fraction of the fatty acids are we talking about here? How much transformation really occurs? Well, a study that was conducted by scientists at the University of Lethbridge provides an insight. So what the researchers did is they measured the amount of trans fat in canola oil before and after it was used to fry French

fries for seven hours per day for seven days. So 49 hours of frying. So after this, the scientists found that the healthy polyunsaturated fat content in the oil was cut in half and the amount of trans fat in the oil increased by 50%. Ooh, that sounds bad. That sounds scary. But when you look at the actual numbers, what that means is the canola oil went from about 2.5% trans fat by weight to about 3.3%. And that was after being subjected to far more heat and use than any oil of ours would ever receive. I mean, this was a week of nonstop frying. And so that means that yes, oils do contain trans fat naturally. But as I mentioned, this is not a cause for concern because research shows

that naturally occurring trans fats are not chemically equivalent to those produced artificially or through processing methods like heating. And this is probably why studies show that naturally occurring trans fats may actually have some health benefits, including those found in animal products. And what's more, research also shows that including polyunsaturated fats like canola oil in people's diets generally improves health and reduces the risk of heart disease, not the other way around. That said, it is probably a good idea not to superheat volatile oils like canola, soybean, and sunflower oil. And instead, you can use olive oil. Yes, contrary to what Brady says, olive oil is actually an ideal candidate for cooking because

it is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats that are highly resistant to burning, so much so that it barely converts into trans fat whatsoever during cooking. A good example of this can be found in a study that was conducted by scientists at Alexandria University. And in this case, the researchers fried eight batches of potatoes for 15 minutes each in olive oil that was heated up to 356 degrees Fahrenheit and then took samples of the oil after each bout of frying. And after analyzing the samples, the researchers found that the two hours of cooking increased the trans fat content of the oil from about 0.045% to about 0.082%. And yes, that is a vanishingly small amount of trans fat that would have no impact on your health and

well-being. And as we're talking about olive oil, you should know that you do not need to go in for the fancy gourmet stuff. Research shows that run-of-the-mill olive oil is just as stable. So the bottom line on this rule is you do not need to micromanage your dietary fat intake. All you need to do is eat a balanced diet that contains moderate amounts of saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated fat, and that does not include piles of fried food every day. All right, we have now covered the five primary directives of Tom Brady's diet. And a good way to summarize it is that it is a healthy diet, but it's just ridiculous. I mean, if you eat like Tom Brady, your body is going to do fine. It's going to get plenty of protein. It's going to get a lot

of nutritious carbs and healthy fats. It's going to stay hydrated and it's not going to be exposed to foods that can become harmful if overeaten. The problem, though, is you might not like it so much. You might not appreciate the arbitrary, unnecessary, and unscientific restrictions on what you can eat and what you can't eat and when you can eat and when you can drink. And it is going to mean giving up foods that you like, that's for sure. And there's another major problem with it. It doesn't make any mention of calories, energy balance, or macronutrients, which are fundamental principles that everyone who wants to stay fit and healthy should understand, not just bodybuilders, but everyone. And as far as Brady's supplements go, you may not want to buy them. I know they are promoted as part and parcel as a way of eating, but they are simply not necessary. has evolved based on his personal experiences and the advice of mentors and of one dude in

particular, Alex Guerrero. Who is this guy? Well, the New York Times said that Guerrero is Brady's spiritual guide, counselor, pal, nutrition advisor, trainer, massage therapist, and family member. He is the godfather of Brady's younger son, Ben. He accompanies Brady to almost every Patriots game, home and away. And Guerrero stands on the sidelines in those games. He works with Brady's chef to put together optimally healthful menus. He plans Brady's training schedule months in advance. And above all, during the football season, Guerrero works on Brady seven days a week, usually twice a day. Now, unsurprisingly, Guerrero is also Brady's business partner at TB12 Sports, which published Brady's book and produces all the supplements. Now,

all of that is interesting, but not nearly as interesting as what Alex Guerrero was up to before Brady. After graduating from the now defunct Samra University in Los Angeles in the mid-90s with a master's in traditional Chinese medicine, Guerrero went on to establish a rather impressive rap sheet. For example, he started his life of crime, I mean career, in 2003 by pretending to be a doctor on late-night infomercials to shill a supplement called Supreme Greens. And Guerrero claimed to have conducted a study on it with over 200 terminally ill cancer patients in which all but eight were cured after drinking the pond scum every day. Oh, and it gets better. Guerrero also lied that Supreme Greens could prevent and cure AIDS, MS, Parkinson's, as well as a number of other diseases. Now, the Federal Trade Commission didn't like that so much. They found Guerrero guilty of fraud and ordered him

to publicly admit he was not a doctor. And Supreme Greens had never undergone any scientific testing whatsoever, and they told Guerrero to never promote a similar product again. Now, apparently Guerrero don't learn too well, because in 2012, he reprised his role as a fake doctor in another infomercial to peddle another worthless supplement called NeuroSafe, which purported to prevent, treat, and cure concussions. And Guerrero claimed that NeuroSafe was like a seatbelt for your brain, and he tricked football players like Wes Welker and Tom Brady into taking it and providing glowing testimonials for it. So, in other words, Guerrero was daring the FTC to bash his skull in again, and they were happy to oblige. Investigators launched

another investigation, but he quickly closed shop and refunded customers before they filed any charges. What a guy. Changed his stripes. Another fun fact is a year before that, in 2011, Guerrero's former friend and super featherweight boxing champion, Gennaro Hernandez, accused Guerrero's former friend and super featherweight boxing champion, Gennaro Hernandez, accused Guerrero of bilking him of over $200,000 in a botched investment deal, and Guerrero never repaid the money. Patriots players to listen to him instead of the team doctors and trainers, despite having absolutely no bona fides. And Guerrero's meddling became such a nuisance that Belichick banned him from the sidelines and team planes and facilities. I also find it mildly interesting that Guerrero just happened to be working with Julian Edelman, another Patriots player, right around the time he was busted for PEDs. So when you consider Brady's diet in the light of Guerrero, it starts to make more sense. He is a grifter, he is a liar, he is a criminal, and he is adept at using bullshit to trick people into buying into his ideas and his products and services. And it would appear that the con he

has pulled on Brady is the absolute jewel in his crooked crown. How did he do it? Who knows? But it likely involved exploiting Brady's affinity for questioning conventions and seeking the paths less traveled for achieving unprecedented levels of success. And as Brady is one of the greatest athletes of all time, he has a knack for it. There's no doubt. That does not make him omniscient though. And it does not make him immune to chicanery either. And that unfortunately is a character flaw that has ruined many great men and women throughout history. I mean, take the peerless Civil War general Ulysses S. Grant, for example, who was repeatedly taken in by con artists, rent seekers, and pied pipers who dazzled him with all kinds of quick fix solutions and fantastical get-rich-quick schemes. And again and again, Grant defended

these people until the bitter end when the evidence of their treachery became so obvious and so overwhelming that no defense could even be attempted. So anyway, my point is this, we've all known likable liars and it would appear that Brady has entrusted his body with one of these people, that dude has created a diet in his own shifty image. Okay, so by now you have probably decided that Tom Brady's diet is not for you. And you might be wondering though, what should you do instead? How can you use food to optimize your body composition and your physical and psychological health and well-being, as well as your longevity? Well, it's pretty easy. I'll give you a couple guidelines. One is to eat mostly whole, minimally processed, nutritious foods. And this includes all kinds of goodies,

all kinds of fruits and vegetables and grains, and even animal products, even meat and dairy and other things that you like to eat. And know those foods do not have to be organic, seasonal, or non-GMO. And if you want to learn more about that, search Legion, how to eat healthy and enjoy it, or just Legion, how to eat healthy. And you'll find an article I wrote called How to Eat Healthy and Actually Enjoy It over at Legion Athletics. Another rule of thumb is to eat the right number of calories every day. And that means, of course, if you want to lose weight, you need to be eating fewer calories than you're burning. If you want to be gaining weight, you need to be

eating more calories than you're burning. And if you want to maintain your weight, you need to eat more or less the same number of calories that you burn over time. You could look at that on a daily timetable or a weekly timetable. Oftentimes people find the weekly a bit easier to work with because then it allows them more flexibility in their daily and it allows them to look at the bigger picture where, for example, let's say your maintenance calories are 15,000 per week. And therefore, if you eat too much one day, let's say you eat quite a bit more than you burned one day, you can just make sure that by the end of the week, you are right around where you need to be.

You can adjust your intake on the following days. Another good rule of thumb is to eat enough protein because a high protein diet benefits your body in many ways. It increases fullness, feelings of fullness, satiety. It helps you control your blood sugar levels. It helps reduce muscle loss and increase muscle gain. It helps increase fat loss and more. And the bottom line with this is really for most people under most circumstances, especially physically active people, a high protein diet is just superior to a low protein one in just about every way. All right. Well, that's everything that I wanted to cover regarding Tom Brady's diet. And to summarize, in case you haven't listened to the entire episode, I know this was a longer one. His diet's healthy enough. It includes a lot of

protein. It includes a lot of vegetables and whole grains and seafood. And it does exclude a number of foods that people tend to overeat, which becomes problematic like sugar, refined carbs, and fried goodies. The downside of Brady's diet, though, is it places you in a dietary straitjacket that you will eventually tire of, and especially when you realize that it's mostly comprised of pseudoscience and quackery. But that is not a slight on Brady per se, because he does not say that it's backed by science. He says it's just backed by his experience. It is what has worked for him.

He said it's just backed by his experience. It is what has worked for him. And it's really not his brainless child so much as his personal guru, Alex Guerrero's. And this dude is a bad hombre, as El Presidente likes to say. This guy is a convicted con man with a penchant for pretending to be a doctor to sell useless supplements on late night infomercials. Hashtag life goals. So anyway, if you want to eat a diet that's going to help you feel, perform, and look your best at any age, you don't need to go through all of Brady's hoops. Instead, you just can focus on eating mostly whole, minimally processed, nutritious foods, eating the right number of calories every day, eating enough protein. And I'll throw an extra tip, which is to exercise regularly. Three to five hours a week is a good place to start for everybody and spend most of that time training your muscles, not just grinding away on the cardio hamster wheels. All right, my friends, that's it for this episode. and fitness books, including Bigger Leaner Stronger for Men, Thinner Leaner Stronger for

Women, my flexible dieting cookbook, The Shredded Chef, and my 100% practical and hands-on blueprint for personal transformation inside and outside of the gym, The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation. Now, these books have sold well over 1 million copies and have helped thousands of people build their best bodies ever. And you can find them on all major online retailers like Audible, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, and Google Play, as well as in select Barnes & Noble stores. Again, that's Bigger Leaner Stronger for Men, Thinner Leaner Stronger for Women, The Shredded Chef,

and The Little Black Book of Workout Motivation. Oh, and I should also mention that you can get any of the audio books 100% free when you sign up for an Audible account, which is the perfect way to make those pockets of downtime, like commuting, meal prepping, and cleaning, more interesting, entertaining, and productive. So if you want to take Audible up on that offer, and if you want to get one of my audiobooks for free, go to www.legionathletics.com

slash audible. That's L-E-G-I-O-N athletics slash A-U-D-I-B-L-E and sign up for your account.