No coffee, dairy, white sugar, tomatoes...
By Bari Lieberman, SELF
Photo: Steve Eichner/WWD
The private chef that cooks for Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady recently shared exactly what the duo -- and their kids -- eat and don't eat. The list is fascinating, as you might expect.
The guy behind their meals: Allen Campbell
His philosophy: "I make conscious decisions to buy local and organic, and to stay away from GMOs, and to think about the future of the planet and the future of humans," he tells the Boston Globe. "My philosophy is that a plant-based diet has the power to reverse and prevent disease." Another choice quote from Campbell that might help explain a few things: "Sugar is the death of people." (Noted, but... one cookie isn't going to kill anyone.)
The food: Here's where things get complicated. This diet is exceptionally strict and extremely personalized for Gisele and Tom's careers, goals, and performance needs -- it's not meant to be a sweeping generalization of what you should and shouldn't consume. That being said...
Campbell tells the Boston Globe that their diet is 80 percent vegetables. Organic vegetables to be specific, but not nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and eggplants because "they're not anti-inflammatory."
The other 20 percent is made up of lean meats including chicken and grass-fed organic steak. They also eat wild salmon, too.
The list of what they don't eat is extensive: white sugar, white flour, MSG, coffee, caffeine, fungus, dairy, and fruit. Campbell notes that the kids do eat fruit but Tom prefers to avoid the category besides having a banana in his smoothie.
To prepare the food Campbell cooks only with coconut oil and uses "Himalayan pink salt as the sodium."
The menu: Despite the long "do not" list, the menu sounds like it has the potential of being delicious -- especially when you have someone else shop, prep, and cook it for you. Campbell says he's a fan of serving bowl-based meals, and recently served the family a quinoa dish with wilted greens, topped with toasted almonds, a cashew sauce with lime curry, lemongrass, and a little bit of ginger.
The takeaway: This diet isn't for everyone, and it's not meant to be -- most people aren't supermodels or NFL quarterbacks for a living, after all. But it is weirdly comforting to know that in addition to their workouts and exceptionally amazing genes, Gisele and Tom are also really strict about what they eat. Meaning, they put in a LOT of work to look and perform the way they do. And while I can appreciate their dedication, I'm going to keep enjoying my coffee... and cupcakes.