Tom Brady, the player with the most Super Bowl rings in history, is heading back to New England this weekend as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer to face his old team, the Patriots. What will he eat before the big game? Most likely a salad. That’s right, Brady eats a plant-based diet to stay super fit and healthy. The 44-year-old credits his success to what he puts on his plate, says Alex Guerrero, the NFL quarterback’s longtime personal trainer.

According to AARP, Guerrero stresses,  “As you age, the more whole foods you eat, the better.” 

Brady eats mostly plant-based foods that are anti-inflammatory and alkalizing, says Verywell Fit. He tries to obtain them from locally sourced, organic producers. When he does eat animal products, it’s usually fish, lean beef, or chicken. The Tom Brady diet—also called the TB12 diet—is a high-protein, plant-based diet that shuns gluten, dairy, corn, soy, MSG, coffee, alcohol, GMOs, sugar, trans fats and overly processed foods.

The athlete, who has seven Super Bowl wins under his lean belt, stops eating at 7 p.m. and rarely eats dessert. The Brady kitchen is free of boxes, cans, and bags, says AARP. While he and his supermodel wife, Gisele Bündchen, have chefs to cook for them, you can emulate his winning diet plan at home.

A typical day’s menu consists of:

•Breakfast. At 7 a.m., a smoothie blended with almond milk, almond butter, banana, Brazil nuts, hemp and chia seed, blueberries, and organic plain yogurt.

•Lunch. 1-1:30 p.m. A plant-based meal consisting of vegetables and salmon or cod.

•Dinner. In the evening, Brady eats another plant-based, high-protein meal such as quinoa tabbouleh salad or a fish taco bowl. Twice a week the athlete indulges in a salad topped with sliced steak tips or chicken.

Snacks are usually a protein bar and desserts could include a small portion of a dark chocolate bar or a chocolate-dipped cookie.

Dr. Gabe Mirkin, a leading authority on diet and fitness, says that more than 40% of North Americans are trying to reduce their consumption of meat and to increase their intake of plant-based foods. He notes that plant-based meat substitutes have arrived on the scene, including the “Impossible Burger” that is now available in 7,000 restaurants.

According to Mirkin, many of the ersatz meat and poultry products have more saturated fats and salt than the real thing, especially the plant-based “chicken” nuggets available at McDonald’s. And they make no sense at all if you eat them with a side of fries and a sugar-filled soda.

Mirkin, who still bikes 200 miles a week in his 80’s, recommends eating lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts and other seeds and avoiding processed meats, fried foods, sugar-added foods, and all drinks with sugar in them, including fruit juices.