Tom Brady has rejected the narrative that he lives by an ironclad set of food rules, insisting he is much more flexible than people give him credit for and admitting he makes Nutella pancakes for his children.
talking to CNBC In an interview shared Tuesday to mark his partnership with chocolate brand Ferrero, the seven-time Super Bowl champion, 48, addressed the scrutiny his diet has attracted over the years.
“I think it’s moderation in all things,” he said. “People have gone a little overboard with the rigidity of my lifestyle or my diet.”
I really wanted to paint a picture of a fairly normal family life.
“I have kids, I have Halloweens and birthday parties and we’re like a normal family, so I try to make really healthy choices as often as possible. But when you watch football games and you’re at games and you travel and you’re in airports, I also understand the reality of life.”
He also revealed that a trip to Milan for the Olympics involved eating Nutella pizzas, something that presumably didn’t figure into his peak NFL nutrition plan.
In his playing days, Brady was famous for avoiding white sugar, white flour, dairy, iodized salt, caffeine and a long list of other foods, including nightshades and popular fruits like strawberries.
The TB12 Method, as it became known, received wide coverage and attracted as much admiration as derision.
Since retiring from the NFL in 2022, he has relaxed, although he is quick to emphasize that he compensates for the change with plenty of exercise and water.
Her workout routine, which she shared in detail on Instagram in 2024, involves a demanding combination of swimming and weight training.
He attributed his more relaxed physical state in part to losing the stress of professional sports.
“I’ve lost about 10 pounds, but I’m actually very fit now,” he said in the Come on podcast in 2023. “I haven’t had the stress I had while playing, so that’s allowed me to focus a little more on my physical health.”
Brady shares children Jack, 18, Benjamin, 16, and Vivian, 13.
