What does it take to get the picture-perfect physique of top-earning supermodel Gisele Bundchen and her NFL quarterback hubby Tom Brady? For starters: a lot of greens.
“Eighty per cent of what they eat is vegetables,” their personal chef Allen Campbell revealed to Boston.com this week. “My philosophy is that a plant-based diet has the power to reverse and prevent disease.”
And only the freshest organic veggies will do.
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Hold the tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and eggplant, though. The chef is of the belief those cause inflammation.
He also believes carbs and sugar make your body acidic.
Other ingredients not on the menu: sugar (“the death of people,” according to Campbell), white flour, MSG, canola oil (because it “turns into trans fats”) or olive oil, iodized salt, coffee, caffeine, fungus or dairy.
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Brady is apparently not a fan of fruit either.
“He will eat bananas in a smoothie. But otherwise, he prefers not to eat fruits,” Campbell said.
The couple’s two kids do get to eat fruit — either fresh or in fruit rolls (made from bananas, pineapple and dehydrated spirulina). One of their favourite meals is homemade veggie sushi.
The family eats a ton of of whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, millet, and beans, as well.
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“The other 20 per cent is lean meats: grass-fed organic steak, duck every now and then, and chicken. As for fish, I mostly cook wild salmon.”
“Comfort food” for the power couple can be a quinoa dish with wilted greens, some toasted garlic and almonds, according to Campbell.
And if you think the diet must surely change to fuel Brady on game days, you’d be wrong.
“It’s never dictating what I would cook,” Campbell maintains.
Despite their seemingly extreme diet, Campbell insists the pair is really laid-back.
What do registered dietitians make of the meal plan?
Registered dietitians aren’t sold on the diet.
“It’s obviously got some draw-backs — the biggest being that most people don’t have a personal chef who can shop twice per day for them!” exclaimed registered dietitian and sports nutritionist Jennifer Sygo of Cleveland Clinic Canada.
She and Dietitians of Canada spokesperson Kate Comeau both agree the chef is mistaken on a few fronts.
READ MORE: Do fad diets followed by celebrities work?
Sygo explains the evidence on tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and eggplant (collectively known as “nightshades”) being inflammatory is “shaky.”
“Likewise, there is mounting evidence that high-quality, full-fat dairy foods could actually be good for you,” she said. “So, in other words, a person who follows this diet might be excluding foods unnecessarily.”
READ MORE: Reality Check: Superfoods, organic food, paleo and gluten-free diets
Comeau also disagrees with the claim that canola oil turns into trans fat.
Both registered dietitians admit there are some upsides to the family’s diet — namely the focus on whole foods and veggies.
However, Sygo cautions that setting hard and fast rules of foods to avoid can often backfire.
READ MORE: 6 misconceptions about nutrition and healthy eating
“Unless you have an allergy or medical condition that requires you avoid a certain food, leave some flexibility for the occasional coffee if that’s something you enjoy.”
And hate to break it to you, but:
“Adopting this diet plan will not make you a supermodel or a NFL football player,” Comeau said.
With a healthy, balanced diet and a rigorous workout regime (Bundchen supposedly swears by kung fu, yoga and aerobics), though, you can at least try to emulate their tight and toned bodies.
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