Tom Brady: Tomatoes Bad, Water Prevents Sunburns

Quarterback's new book has some iffy health claims
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 22, 2017 7:14 PM CDT
Tom Brady: Tomatoes Bad, Water Prevents Sunburns
New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady takes questions from reporters following NFL football practice, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017, in Foxborough, Mass.   (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Tom Brady released his first book this week. It's ... interesting. Sports Illustrated reports The TB12 Method: How to Achieve a Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance contains "some extremely questionable scientific claims and some excellent photos of Tom Brady." That questionable science starts with "pliable" muscles, which the Patriots quarterback credits for his longevity in football, according to the New York Times. Brady claims running and weight-lifting lead to dense, easily injured muscles. Pliable muscles—a non-scientific term that one expert calls "balderdash"—apparently absorb stress to decrease the likelihood of injury. Brady says you can get pliable muscles through "targeted, deep-force muscle work" and "the daily acts of living that complement my off-field life."

Brady's advice on nutrition starts well enough (avoid sugary foods and processed carbs) before warning of foods like strawberries, tomatoes, and salmon. It's unclear why. The book comes with a number of recipes, and Sports Illustrated tried a few out, quickly becoming exasperated with Brady's inexact instructions (soak tomatoes* for "2-6 hours"). But perhaps the most eye-popping claim in the book: Water can prevent sunburns. Deadspin reports Brady claims to drink about 2.5 gallons of water per day and credits that for not getting sunburns like he did when he was a kid. He then goes on to highlight the benefits and drawbacks of various types of water, from tap to mineral to carbonated. But in the end, as the Times puts it, Brady's book is, if nothing else, "large and handsome" like the quarterback himself.

*Ed. Note: Weren't we supposed to avoid these? (More Tom Brady stories.)

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