Tom Brady eats like the rest of us humans for one day a year: Thanksgiving.
Brady interviewed Oprah Winfrey on his SiriusXM show, “Let’s Go” this week. Lo and behold, she turned the interview around him, and asked how he eats on the holiday.
“Just like everyone else,” Brady said. “That’s the one meal where I’m just like ‘Screw it, let’s go for it.’ We all get to enjoy it.”
These might be the only four hours a year Brady lets loose with his consumption. He has famously talked about avoiding caffeine, white flour, white sugar, dairy products, gluten, and vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and mushrooms that might cause inflammation.
About 80 percent of his proteins come from plants as opposed to animals — the strangest manifestation of this was when he revealed he eats avocado ice cream.
The interview with Oprah was possibly the first time Brady sounded like he is looking forward to retirement. He has consistently said he wants to play until he’s 45, but he’s 44 years old now and it would surprise nobody if he continues to play past next season in 2022 if he maintains a high level of play — his Tampa Bay Buccaneers are defending Super Bowl champions, and right now Brady is the favorite in betting odds for NFL MVP this season.
However, he did sound wistful about spending holidays with his family growing up, and getting the opportunity to have that time after retirement is appealing to him.
“Thanksgiving, there’s a lot to be thankful for, but you only get four hours to enjoy it,” he said. “Practice usually ends at about 1 or 2. You eat about 3:30, then you’re getting ready for next day of practice. Same with Christmas.
“I’m looking forward to the time when I’m done playing football, so I can have those more normal holidays that I had growing up that were important where the family’s all together.”