The New York Post recently published an article that heavily scrutinized Brady's diet. You see, in 2014, Brady committed the faux pas of explaining his diet to Sports Illustrated and attributing the way he eats to his success and longevity in football. The 39-year-old currently boasts one of the longest and most successful careers in the NFL; it is no surprise that the man reports nutrition is one of the keys to his accomplishments.
But in the fast food nation, nutrition is a four-letter word.
Brady gets bashed for following healthy diet
When describing his diet to Sports Illustrated, Brady said it was "80 percent alkaline and 20 percent acidic," and noted that this combination helped to "maintain balance and harmony through [his] metabolic system.”
Brady's personal chef, Allen Campbell, has described the diet in greater detail, noting that he only uses organic ingredients. Campbell says Brady doesn't touch white sugar, white flour, or nightshade vegetables -- which means no tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and even some berries. Brady also abstains from other ingredients like MSG, iodized salt, coffee, fungi, and dairy products. He uses olive oil for cold foods, and cooks with coconut oil.
It's a pretty intense diet, but then again, Brady is an intense athlete. As the football star has said, "I don’t believe you could be a 39-year-old quarterback in the NFL and eat cheeseburgers every day."
The Post however seems to think that Brady's diet couldn't possibly be as healthy as he claims. They claim that his adherence to an alkaline diet is "baffling." They spoke with a New York-based registered dietitian named Lauren Harris-Pincus who also said that the science behind his diet was "sketchy." Other professionals claim that his diet is based on "half-truths" and "myths," but who is really perpetuating falsehoods, here? [RELATED: Learn more about propaganda in science at FakeScience.news]
Science is actually on Brady's side
Interestingly enough, there is actually quite a bit of evidence to suggest that yes, eating an alkaline diet and abstaining from toxic ingredients or nightshade vegetables can provide health benefits.
For example, nightshade veggies contain solanine -- which has been shown to increase joint swelling and inflammation -- something you definitely don't want to have as a professional athlete. In animal models, increased solanine consumption resulted in higher levels of arthritic biomarkers and pain, and caused joint swelling. Other research also notes that nightshade vegetables contain other cholinesterase-inhibiting glycoalkaloids and steroids. Solanine is one of these compounds, as is the tomatine in tomatoes.
The researchers state, "When these inhibitors accumulate in the body, alone or with other cholinesterase inhibitors such as caffeine or food impurities containing systemic cholinesterase inhibiting pesticides, the result may be a paralytic-like muscle spasm, aches, pains, tenderness, inflammation, and stiff body movements."
Nightshades do not have negative effects on everyone, but in some people, they do seem to create problems relating to pain and inflammation. It stands to reason that someone who is sensitive to nightshades would abstain from them, given their potential to cause these issues. [RELATED: Keep up with the latest food and diet headlines at Fresh.news]
As for the alkaline diet, well there's some good research on that, too. In 2012, researchers found that following an alkaline diet was associated with a greater index of skeletal muscle mass in women. It is quite possible that the same holds true for men.
More recently, a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism found that "a more alkaline dietary pattern may be beneficial for overall health, as dietary induced acidosis has been associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease and bone disease." The research was conducted by the Nutrition and Foods division of the School of Family and Consumer Sciences at Texas State University.
And of course, MSG is known to cause a number of adverse health effects like migraines and upset stomachs; it's also proven to cause muscle tightness in sensitive people. Sugar fares no better; it's been linked to a myriad of health conditions and is a known contributor to a variety of diseases. No wonder Brady abstains from these toxic ingredients.
To put it simply, Brady follows an extremely healthy diet to maximize his performance and longevity -- and its a diet that is based on real science.
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