I’ve come to the realization that Tom Brady isn’t too bright. Maybe he knows a lot about football (does he?), but he doesn’t know much about anything else. His thoughts on politics are… confusing. And his thoughts on food are even more confusing. If you hate soda and any kind of sugary cereal, for sure, that’s your right and God bless. But would you name-check and criticize a corporation that paid you millions of dollars to promote one of their products? Because that’s what Tom Brady did in a radio interview on Monday. This is what he said to WEEI about how food & beverage companies lie to people:
“I think we’ve been lied to by a lot of food companies over the years, by a lot of beverage companies over the years. But we still [believe] it. That’s just America, and that’s what we’ve been conditioned… We believe that Frosted Flakes is a food… of course they taste very good. And of course all those companies make lots of money selling those things. They have lots of money to advertise… That’s the education that we get. That’s what we get brainwashed to believe, that all these things are just normal food groups, and this is what you should eat.”
“I disagree with a lot of things that people tell you to do,” the dad of three told the radio show. “You’ll probably go out and drink Coca-Cola and think, ‘Oh yeah, that’s no problem.’ Why? Because they pay lots of money for advertisements to think that you should drink Coca-Cola for a living? No, I totally disagree with that. And when people do that, I think that’s quackery. And the fact that they can sell that to kids? I mean, that’s poison for kids. But they keep doing it.”
Two things to remember. One, Brady was saying this as part of his defense of his “personal training guru” Alex Guerrero, who was recently fined thousands of dollars by the FDA after falsely claiming to be a doctor and selling a “miracle cure” for terminal illnesses. Brady’s response – to defend his friend and business partner – was to go after the FDA and how they let corporations get away with selling soda. The second thing to remember is that Coca-Cola owns the SmartWater brand and Brady was one of the spokespeople for SmartWater for several years.
Anyway, Brady is getting backlash for his statements. Kellogg’s spokesperson said: “Cereal is a delicious and nutritious breakfast. Numerous studies show that a cereal breakfast is associated with lower BMIs (body mass index) in both children and adults. As a matter of fact, a serving of Frosted Flakes with skim milk has just 150 calories and delivers valuable nutrients including calcium, B vitamins, and iron.” Coca-Cola’s spokesperson said: “All of our beverages are safe and can be enjoyed as part of a balanced lifestyle. We offer more than 200 low- and no-calorie beverages in the U.S. and Canada and a wide variety of smaller portion sizes of our regular drinks. As a responsible beverage company and marketer, we prominently provide calorie and sugar information for our beverages so people can choose what makes sense for them and their families.”
While I side-eye the actions of corporations for the most part as well, I also think it’s absolutely stupid to criticize a corporation like Coca-Cola while simultaneously shilling for a guy who literally faked being a doctor to sell a snake oil potion/miracle cure.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN, Fame/Flynet.
This sounds like the rant of someone standing on the corner asking if you have accepted God in your life because the little green people are coming for you. In other words, shut the hell up Tom.
Good one.
If Giselle drinks a glass of water, can Tom still talk?
It’s like he’s stuck in the early 90s. Pretty sure nobody thinks soda is a food group. Pretty sure everyone’s caught onto the sugar content of breakfast cereals–apparently this is brand new information to him and his health-obsessed wife who was a smoker until she started dating him (and thinks nothing of placing silicone implants in her body but apparently sunscreen is poison)
Look, everyone knows that sugars is in everything. Doctors and nutitionist have been telling the public this for years. Or you can read the sugar content on the item purchased.
It’s called free will. If a person prefers a sugar free diet and decide to drink water only they do so. The rest of the public knows what has sugar in it and continues to drink coke they will continue to do so. The end.
I think some gov’t intervention is needed–everyone is not equally nutritionally literate, particularly within the populations that are most affected by the availability of these kinds of food choices (at the cost of others).
But come on. Your average minivan majority mom has caught on. He’s not telling anyone in the audience anything they don’t already know. Like “did you know companies exploit women to sell products?” Yes. Yes, we do. Welcome to 1975.
The statements were made on a daily radio sports talk show aimed at men. Dennis & Callahan don’t tend to draw the most brilliant of listeners and I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of those listeners give little thought to the sugar content of food until their doctors tell them they’re diabetic.
Thank you! As someone who gets occasionally lectured by know it all strangers on the evils of drinking coke, I say hear, hear. I know how much sugar content is in everything I drink or eat from a package because I can read thank you very much and the ingredients, amt of calorie content, sugar, sodium etc., is listed.
I’m all for food regulations and keeping corporations in check but let people make their own choices about what to consume or not consume. He needs to take several seats.
The thing is, sometimes that’s not the end. You have to consider long term consequences. A lot of people go overboard with the sugary food, develop health issues they can’t afford to treat, and then we all get screwed economically. Just something to think about.
I could see Tom being clueless that Smart Water isn’t from the same company as Coke LOL, what an idiot.
yeah, I’m betting he didn’t make the connection.
like Kaiser wrote, the dude knows a LOT about football, and not much else. he’s a great player, but a man of little brain.
Haha, yes! PBD (Pretty but dumb)
Also, kale has heavy metals (Mother Jones) too. Should we not eat kale? It’s so annoying because what about poor people? FOod banks take that stuff because not all of us can afford sushi, grass fed beef, and personal quacks for our diet. If a kid is starving and their food bank has frosted flakes and milk, give them the frosted flakes!
Yes. Thank you. Eating healthy is VERY expensive
@mp — the heavy metals like cadmium and lead in kale and other plants are poorly absorbed due to the phytates and fiber in plants. So even though people who eat a plant-based diet have higher heavy metal intake, they have lower heavy metal levels. One study also showed heavy metal levels (as measured by hair analysis) dropped switching from an omnivorous diet to a plant-based diet.
Conventionally grown kale is actually pretty cheap (~79 cents for a big bunch where I live in smalltown Midwest) in grocery stores. Other conventionally grown vegetables are dirt cheap as well when compared to packaged foods like Coke and Frosted Flakes.
I don’t think it matters who owns the water brand. I can’t keep up with all the brand shifting today, everybody is buying everybody else out along with the huge variety of brands for very different products owned by the same company. If he didn’t shill for coca cola, he’s not being inconsistent by pointing out that coke is not really a good drink for kids. Even if kids manage to run off the calories, all the soda they drink is pushing out other food from their diets that they really do need for growth and development. Some people know this and restrict such zero-nutrition items if they can for their kids. But many don’t know and the health costs are real. It’s a good thing to have someone like him saying this. Honestly, some people put such stuff in baby bottles…. It may be free will for the parents, but not for the kids. Not a bad idea at all to have famous people pointing out the differences.
Oh Tom. When will you learn to just stand there and just look pretty. Let other people write those big ,difficult, smart sounding word for you on a cue card. Well all know that while you were on the football field at school that you would get your girlfriends to do your homework like any good jock would do.
No time for all that fancy book learning,let’s win the big game!
Oh, funcakes, you make me laugh.
Yes, he seems a bit dim. But he’s not wrong. Sugary cereals and soft drinks aren’t good for you. He’s just said so in a way that makes him sound like a zealot.
Absolutely agree – and the companies’ responses are a joke.
Coke is osteoporosis in a can – don’t get me started on the sugar. And Frosted Flakes? 35grams of sugar per 100grams, according to the label. What planet are these companies living on when they say products like these are part of a balanced lifestyle? A man is supposed to get a max. of 35.9 grams of sugar PER DAY.
Are you talking about added sugar? A man on a 2000 calorie diet should get 200-300 grams of carbohydrates per day.
@Jay – yes, added sugar. 🙂
Coca-cola and frosted flakes are not foods, period. But corporations have managed to convince Americans that these substances are not only food, but food that you should give to your children!! Not only is Coke osteoporosis in a can, it is diabetes in a can. And Frosted Flakes is childhood obesity in a box.
If these items were advertised as the bad-for-you treats that they are, I don’t think people would be giving them to their children every day – which here in the Deep South, they absolutely do. The health messages about avoiding sugar have not gotten across to the general population around here.
At least drinking SmartWater isn’t going to give you porous bones and high blood sugar.
What really gets on my last nerve is the way these companies defend themselves/deflect criticism — we are just giving people “choices”. people are making “choices”, there’s room for our cr*p as part of a balanced diet. utter bs
Exactly. While I know nobody thinks they’re a health food, a lot of people don’t realize just how bad they are for you. The statement that a processed sugar and starch product is somehow a part of a healthy meal is misleading at best and an outright lie (but a legal one) at worst. I hate how we’ve let companies use lobbying and advertising to shape American nutrition. It’s terrible, and our health is suffering.
The way he worded it though…………. sigh. He sounds nuts and like he’s desperately trying to regurgitate an argument he heard from someone else against eating sugary cereals and sodas and mangling it in the process. I’ve never thought this guy was all that bright, but then again I never expected him to be either.
If all that sugar in cereals was good for kids, why are companies emblazoning their boxes with “LESS SUGAR!” today? Grocery stores here are starting to put rating labels on the shelves as a guide. The problem isn’t the bare cereal but rather the heaps of sugar embedded in it, and Kellogg’s knows very well that their founder would never have approved. That also results in kids and adults wanting more and more sugar on other foods, in order to “taste right” to them. We’re built to zoom in on a sweet taste, but actually to go for ripe fruit and not sugar frosted sugar bombs.
I didn’t understand the part about people drinking Coke for a living. But I do agree (I think, if I understood him) that soda, real and diet, is pretty much poison and Americans drink way too much of it. I don’t drink it. But I agree with Kaiser that his friend sounds like a total fraud, and Brady might not be the brightest bulb on the tree.
I agree with the part about Brady not being the brightest and it does seem ill-advised to speak negatively about a company he took money from, but his remarks with regard to these products are spot on. The part about advertising to and manipulating children really sucks.
It is the first time that I agree with Brady. (Feeling the beginning of a headache just writing that.)
He may not have been framing his statement very well, but yes he is right. Sugar laden cereal and pop are bad for you. Period. Sure, if you only have a bit of it occasionally it is not as bad as having these items daily, but they are still bad for you.
And I am SO tired of the argument that bad food is cheap therefore it makes sense for poor people to have it… Listen, water is free! Coke and other pop is cheap, but not free. Cereal is cheap, but so is a multigrain loaf you can toast and have with honey or apple butter – way healthier. There are choices, always, at every price point.
What people lack is education, not only about what is bad for them but also how to choose alternatives and simply how to cook. But because that would be a simple solution and companies can make a lot more money selling canned, boxed, frozen, powdered stuff masquerading for food, they inundate the market with their message and repeat it so often that people believe it.
+1000000
Cereal is cheap? I’m sure you don’t live in NY. (Every now and then you get a good sale on the small boxes if you buy it from a pharmacy such as CVS).
But I don’t agree that people lack education about what is bad for them; some people just don’t give two cents about it. People know smoking is a health hazard but they choose to smoke anyways while knowing the risk. It is a choice for some and unfortunately a lot of poor people make that choice because of what is available. Here in NY people who are on food stamps are going to go to their local supermarkets such as Shop Rite, Pathmark, A&P (which is going out of business or CTown. They’re not going to Whole Foods or D’ Agostinos which may or may not accept EBT cards because they are a bit pricier. People on food stamps shop for bargains because they are on a budget. They want to stretch that monthly allowance as far as they can. And while I’m sure they can find some items that are a bit healthier to prepare at their local chain they most likely will not take the time to search for it. I can tell you now you will not find apple butter at CTown. Another reason some people don’t shop at the better supermarkets is because of location. You will not find a D’ Agostinos in the lower income areas. A lot of lower income people do not have cars and they are not going to pay 30 to 40 dollars round trip for a cab to get to a Whole Foods or Food Emporium.
Some people can’t afford to cook from the Gwyneth Paltrow gluten free cookbook. Some people can’t even afford the book.
And eating unhealthy and sugar filled products is not just a poor person problem. Even educated (on the dangers of sugar) well to do people tend to eat a bit unhealthy. They know all about the sugar in a can of Coke and that Dunkin Donut but they choose to drink and eat it anyways because they want to. Brady isn’t enlightening the world on the danger of sugars, it’s been well known for years. The best way he can defend his friend is by remaining silent.
Also, apple butter and honey are no better than peanut butter and other refined sugary products. Honey is virtually the same chemically as white sugar. Sorry.
Sugary cereals are popular because they are heavily marketed directly to children. In addition to TV commercials during kids’ shows, they have contests and games and other activities right there on the boxes. Advertising to kids is like shooting fish in a barrel, they have zero sales resistance and haven’t learned yet that people shilling stuff on TV will and do lie to them. Then the kids badger their parents for the stuff. Some parents resist, but others either don’t know there are healthier options for the same price or are just trying to keep the peace….
I’ll buy junky cereal on sale for myself, but I know it’s junk and would never even think of starting my workday with it. Small amounts are an occasional treat after all work is done and I’ve already eaten lots of real food, just as an alternative to cookies or candy. It’s disturbing to think how many kids go to school wired on gobs of sugar, which can’t be helping them focus on learning to the best of their ability.
Tom Brady is best described as an idiot sauvant. He’s a brilliant quarterback, but a buffoon when it comes to anything else. Gisele didn’t marry him for his intellect, that’s for sure. He really should stop talking now, and just play football.
Dear Tom,
Smartwater *is* quackery.
Not only the shilling for it, also the act of consuming.
You’re welcome.
*does a spit take of cola and teeth*
What, junk food is unhealthy? Give this asshole the Nobel prize in everything
Everything in moderation. Is soda good for you? No, but if you drink it here and there what’s the harm? If it’s all you drink all day that’s a problem. Same with everything else. Eat a few cookies instead of the whole package, have a small bowl of ice cream instead of grabbing the whole pint and a spoon.
Exactly! Eat less meat, don’t drink soda every day or other sugar laden foods. The key is to regulate yourself. But no harm in indulging every now and then.
I dont think he critized the whole corporatio . He criticized some of thw products. Smartwater is not harmful (as far as I know) like soda. I finally stopped drinking any soda this past Summer.
Why does everything you eat have to be 100% healthy? I mean, kale has heavy metals (Mother Jones) too. Should we not eat kale? You have to be rich to have his attitude. FOod banks take that stuff because not all of us can afford sushi, grass fed beef, and personal trainers to make us invincible.
PBD (pretty but dumb)
I’ve never gotten the criticism over soda drinks,look up the nutrition info of any fruit juice, not any better but still advertised as healthy.
This! Best to examine the sugar and sodium content of everything you buy then make the best choice for you.
Some of the soda drinks have phosphoric acid in them. Also, coca-cola can be used to unclog sinks. Do you think a drink that does that it’s healthy?
No, but did I imply that?
Do you study he label of any prepared food you buy/eat understanding fully what ingredient does what/is there for what purpose?
Do you avoid anything dyed for the food coloring chemicals?
Do you avoid preservatives?
Do you avoid pesticides? Can you be sure there aren’t any in it?
Do you canned kidney beans absorb chemicals from the lining?
Are any ingredients GMOs?
It’s impossible to buy any prepackaged food without running into something that you wish it didn’t have.
I find the hysteria pointless and idiotic.
Besides, Coca Cola and Pepsi are fighting a losing fight, bottled water has long taken the crown from carbonated sugar beverages, with the added benefi that it only has to be put into containers, no mixtures, no additives. It’s a high margin product.
@morc, well, they aren’t exactly losing the fight because both Coca Cola and Pepsi sell bottled water too. Coke owns Dasani. Pepsi owns Aquafina.
But you’re right about fruit juices. They’re pretty much pure sugar and not much more. Far better to eat a whole piece of fruit.
I didn’t say you were implying, i simply asked a question. Independent of the nutrition requirements, there are other components to certain things that many of us are not aware. I do understand what you are saying. At the end of the day, we are trying our best to eat as clean as possible. But it’s better to avoid some harmful components than none. In this case, Brady was completely correct to criticize soda drinks. Lilac is correct, it’s better to eat the fruit than drink the juice, especially if the juice is bottled and not freshly made.
ps: I do read every label of any food product I buy because I am lactose and gluten intolerant and I have Thyroid dysfunction.
Apologies, I think my tone came off as standoffish, that was not intended. 😉
“Quackery”
In the immortal words of Inigo Montoya:
“You keep using that word…I do not think it means what you think it means.”
I totally agree with Tom. It’s amazing how many health conscious people, dieters, etc. slog down Diet Cokes like there is no tomorrow. It’s terrible for you. And there is undoubtedly a childhood obesity problem in many areas, especially poor areas. I see kids drinking sodas and juices non-stop and no doubt they start their day with a sugary cereal because the parents don’t take the time to make their kids a proper breakfast. Why not speak out against this? Others have made it their goal to do so, like Jamie Oliver, and they are praised for their work in educating children about the proper foods and what to put into their bodies.
I also do not think that Tom Brady is in an way, shape, or form an idiot. Just take a look at his interviews, he is well educated and well spoken. No one denies that he studies and prepares for each and every game. It’s not like football players, particularly quarterbacks, just get out there and run around every week and hope to make some plays. It takes hard work, and a large part of it is intellectual (not that I’m saying it’s rocket science! :)) Now, I will agree that perhaps he is a bit overzealous about his heath, his training regime — did anyone read the article on what he does, day in and day out to stay in top form? It was amazing and admirable and all as a result of Alex. Then again, to be on the top of your game at 38 when all others are long gone or falling by the wayside, that is what it takes, dedication and a bit of overzealousness. Honestly, if I had a son, I would be thankful for role models like Tom out there, athletes who are healthy, who train, who take care of their bodies.
Now where is my fellow Pats fan, Kitten????????
I’m a Pats fan and totally agree!
I could never eat Brady’s diet, it’s too strict for me. But my little family tries to make responsible food choices to set a good example for our daughter.
“I think we’ve been lied to by a lot of food companies over the years….”
Yeah, Brady, and we’ve been lied to over the past year by you; you know, deflated balls and all that….
You lost me at “Tom Brady thinks…..”
I’m with you Kaiser. JUST. NOT. VERY. BRIGHT. Also, what’s with this Smartwater bollocks? How can water have an IQ, and how does it differ from the perfectly potable stuff that comes out of my tap. and which I drink lots of, every day, for free? Talk about money for old rope, and so many people are taken in by it all.
I don’t know anything about SmartWater, but the stuff that comes out of my tap is not potable except in the legal sense. I spent years trying to find a way to filter it. I even had somebody deliver a huge water cooler bottle for years, which was quite a trip for me to handle (I should have bought a stand but didn’t think of it). Finally enough other people were seeking the same thing and good home filtering units became available. I’m really happy about the bottled water availability today. Aquafina is almost as good as the water from my filtering unit (both start as tap water and then are passed through activated carbon and reverse osmosis, the two factors that seem to make all the difference for me). So I have an alternative when away from the house or when waiting for repair parts. When Aquafina is on sale, it’s about the same cost as running my own unit. I can’t stand the weird mineral waters that once were the only option. Some people prefer flavored water, which is why it’s so available now, but I don’t usually. I can’t stand artificial sweeteners often used in those also. I suggest adding tea concentrate (just steep several teabags or loose tea in a cup of water and keep it in the fridge), even a little fruit juice or (gasp!) soda if you must have flavor. Root beer and fruity sodas work well for that purpose (I can dilute even 1 part soda or juice to 4 or 5 parts water and it actually seems to bring out the flavor).
I agree with Brady, honestly. I see too many kids eating and drinking sugar all day long. Blah, I hate being a preachy parent. But I think toddler pickiness is used as an excuse to feed kids crap. Healthy eating is learned early so I do try to be careful about what my daughter eats. She knows that junk stuff is a treat and not a daily thing
You go, Tom! Just research the next company you endorse, alright?
Just go play football you overpaid, over hyped wife of Gizzelle.
You go, girl. Insult him by calling him “wife”.