Tyreek Hill’s Diet: His ‘Grandma’s Secret Recipe’ Made Him The Fastest NFL Player

Tyreek Hill's diet

Tyreek Hill’s diet is all about balance and that includes a cheat meal every now and then. According to an interview he did with GQ Sports in May 2022, the wide receiver just loves one particular brand of fast food.

“None other than Popeyes,” he said. “This is one of my grandmother’s secret recipes for me being so fast. Typically, what I usually get is a five-piece chicken, chicken nugget, spicy, black and ranch hot sauce and honey,” he said. “And also I like a side of Doritos, which I don’t currently have. I’m not trying to hype any of you guys to eat bad food. But if you were to choose bad foods, this is it right here.”

In an interview with Club Shay Shay, Hill elaborated on what his “day on a plate” looks like. “My mom usually cooks bacon, sausage, eggs, grits, you can’t even move in the morning you’re like the Michelin Man—” at which point the host chimes in, “Man I’d be going straight back to bed.” Hill goes to practice straight after lunch, so he keeps the meal light with a shake, “maybe a quesadilla, nachos, something quick.” And for dinner, his mom cooks a “Frito pie” with chips, cheese on the side, jalapenos and tomatoes.

Wild NFL diets

Hill isn’t the only NFL player who has… let’s call it a controversial diet, or at least not one we’d picture an all-star athlete having. Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf told NBA Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett on his podcast KG CERTIFIED that he was “probably the worst person to ask” about what he eats every day. “I eat, like, one meal a day, drink one coffee, and eat three full bags of candy,” Metcalf admitted.

“Yesterday, [for instance], I woke up, worked out, worked out again, came home, showered,” Metcalf said. “I’m hungry. I run to Starbucks and get a quick coffee. That’s going to hold me until like 4 or 5 p.m. Around 4:30 [p.m.], I order some candy and a water.”

He continued: “Yesterday, I got the Skittles Gummies. Then I got the Lifesavers Creations. They’re about the same-sized bags, so then I just mix them. … I get the gummy, get the candy, get the water, that’s going to hold me until about 8 p.m. when I eat dinner. Then I eat dinner and go to sleep.”

However, an interview DK did with GQ in August 2019 would suggest it’s a bit more sensible. “It’s a low-carb diet. A lot of proteins and veggies,” he said, noting that he has his own chef. “Like today, for breakfast, she had me eating a lot of vegetables, three slices of bacon, and some fruit. I try not to eat a lot of fats and oils, and I stay away from carbs and sugars.”

DK also said he likes to cook, but “I haven’t been in the kitchen much since the draft-training process, but I made some steaks for NFL Network one time. I like making chicken alfredo too. Mostly Italian dishes.”

Tom Brady's diet

Tom Brady’s diet, also known as the TB12 Method, is a plant-based diet that focuses on whole foods, with an emphasis on organic, locally grown and seasonal produce. Tom—who introduced the diet in his 2017 book, The TB12 Method: How to Do What You Love, Better and for Longer—credits the plan for his longevity in his professional football career and helping him lower the risk of injuries and minimize inflammation while improving his athletic performance, energy levels, recovery and health as a whole. 

“At TB12, balance is as much about creating the right mixture of strength, conditioning, and pliability as it is about lifestyle choices—what we eat, how much rest and recovery we get, and what daily activities we engage in,” Tom wrote in the book. “The more balanced we are, the better. In my experience, most athletes like to work on things that they’re already good at. It reinforces their confidence in their own abilities. Strong athletes like to work on strength, and fast athletes like to work on speed. But that doesn’t create balance. To create balance, we need to work on our deficiencies as well.”