Tom Brady's Diet Is So Strict That He Eats Avocado-Based Ice Cream As A Treat

Brady has a fitness company with Alex Guerrero, a 49-year-old trainer who's typically described as his best friend, business partner, and personal fitness guru.

Brady has said repeatedly over the last few months that he intends to play football as long as he possibly can. He has no real hobbies outside of football, so he's doing everything he can do to keep his body in playing shape at an age when most guys have long since retired.

He goes to sleep at 8:30 p.m. He avoids alcohol. He follows an all-year-round diet.

Brady told Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated that he eats different foods in the summer than he does in the winter in order to "maintain balance and harmony through my metabolic system."

His teammates call the food he eats "that birdseed s---."

From SI:

"Take that diet. It's seasonal, which means he eats certain things in the winter that are considered "hot property" foods, like red meat. In the summer, when it's time for "cold property" foods, his diet is mostly raw. He subscribes to the 80-20 theory -- but it's not 80 percent healthy food, 20 percent unhealthy. It's 80 percent alkaline, 20 percent acidic. The idea, he says, is 'to maintain balance and harmony through my metabolic system.' That's why teammates always see him with hummus, raw snack bars packed with nutrients and what one teammate calls 'that birdseed s---.'"

A recent New York Times profile by Mark Leibovich has a great anecdote about how disciplined Brady is with his eating habits.

Leibovich says that even on vacation Brady eats kale for breakfast, and his "desserts" consist of raw macaroons and avocado-based ice cream:

"After his vacation workouts, Brady joined his family for a late breakfast that - for him - consisted mainly of a protein shake that was also high in electrolytes and included greens like kale and collards. (Brady also likes to add blueberries to his concoctions, but some other berries are off limits because they are thought to promote inflammation.) I asked Guerrero at one point if Brady is ever allowed to eat a cheeseburger. 'Yes, we have treats,' he said. 'We make them.' Like what? 'Usually raw desserts, like raw macaroons.' Ice cream made from avocado is another favorite, Guerrero said."

Even the most ardent avocado fans have to admit that's not much of a treat.