New England Patriot Tom Brady has embraced a highly restrictive, plant-based diet that centers on "anti-inflammatory" foods, according to his personal chef Allen Campbell. But is he really getting anything from the diet to improve his game and off-field health?

In a new report on the Brady diet, Vox concludes there’s not much special about what the NFL star is eating.
“There's some evidence that following an anti-inflammatory diet can have benefits,” the report observes. “But there's little reason to think you have to get anywhere near as specific or restrictive as Brady does. Cutting out junk food tends to be enough to do the trick.”

According to Campbell, Brady eats a largely vegetarian diet, but avoids or limits foods with sugar, white flour, MSG, and so-called “nightshades — including tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, or eggplants — because they have no anti-inflammatory properties. He also steers clear of caffeine, mushrooms, and dairy products.

“I’ll use raw olive oil, but I never cook with olive oil. I only cook with coconut oil,” Campbell tells Vox. “Fats like canola oil turn into trans fats.... I use Himalayan pink salt as the sodium. I never use iodized salt.

Health experts note that scientific research shows diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and non-processed foods are nutrient-rich and reduce the risk for disease and obesity. But eliminating specific foods to “reduce inflammation” can cut out healthy items from a diet (like tomatoes, peppers, and healthy dairy products like yogurt), specialists say.

They add that exercise, weight management, and medications can all help control inflammation.
Many popular diets — Mediterranean, low-carb, low-fat — help reduce inflammation, explains Harvard cardiologist Christopher Cannon.

"In any of these diets, people are cutting out saturated fat, doughnuts, French fries, all the bad things that promote inflammation. So that helps reduce inflammation very quickly," he says. But eliminating nightshade vegetables "goes beyond what would likely have a big influence," he adds.
In his book, “The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Anti-Inflammation Diet,” Cannon advises:

1. Eat a well¬-balanced variety of wholesome foods.
2. Eat only unsaturated fats.
3. Eat one good source of omega¬-3 fatty acids every day.
4. Eat a lot of whole grains.
5. Eat lean sources of protein.
6. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
7. Eliminate processed and refined foods as much as possible.