He famously used plant-based hallucinogenic ayahuasca in his pursuit of spiritual growth, but Aaron Rodgers is now turning his attention to more physical matters as he prepares for another NFL season, DailyMail.com has learned.
Touted as the newest and greatest hope for the New York Jets, the quarterback is looking for a personal chef who must be “smart with an “ancestrally based” diet and have the same “passion for performance” as him.
After 18 seasons and 252 games with the Green Bay Packers, the 39-year-old Rodgers, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 17, is just days away from making his debut with the Jets.
According to NFL alumnus Tom Brady, 46, who recently retired after moving to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after two decades with the New England Patriots, it will be “refreshing” to be on a new team after nearly two decades with his old to jump, who will. Brady recently said that “a different kind of emotional energy is needed.”
As he prepares to start his first season with the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers is looking for a personal chef who specializes in an “ancestral” diet.
Rodgers is looking for a chef who will cater to his predominantly vegan, high-protein, “ancestral diet.” He appeared in a 2022 episode of fellow athlete Serge Ibaka’s series ‘How Hungry Are You’
Like most NFL stars, the four-time MVP adheres to a strict training and diet regimen, which he believes boosts his performance on the field.
Rodgers has reportedly turned to Brady – famed for his long career and strict health regime – for nutritional advice as he stares down the barrel of 40.
As a result, he no longer consumes dairy, gluten or caffeine.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show in January 2021, Rodgers said: ‘Removing gluten, and probably the most important thing for me and my own blood type, dairy, from my diet has really made a difference in my body.
‘It just changed the way my joints react. It has changed the way my skin and body respond. I don’t feel bloated all the time, I don’t feel sluggish and foggy.’
While with the Packers, Rodgers said, “Everyone eats a little different. But the more aware you are of what you’re putting into your body and how it affects your performance, the better chances you’ll have. And that’s what I’m trying to do.’
To that end, Rodgers, a four-time winner of the NFL’s Most Valuable Player title, will bolster his performance with a mostly vegan, high-protein, “ancestral diet,” according to a well-placed source.
The diet focuses on non-industrialized, minimally processed foods of the kind our ancestors may have consumed.
Rodgers reportedly eats oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, chicken or a plant-based protein and green salad for lunch, and occasionally red meat and vegetables for dinner.
The four-time MVP, who is about to begin his first season with the New York Jets, has reportedly turned to fellow NFL legend and former quarterback Tom Brady – famous for his nutritional advice
After 18 seasons and 252 games with the Green Bay Packers, the 39-year-old Rodgers, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 17, is just days away from making his debut with the Jets.
Rodgers, left, and Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner pretend to smoke during practice earlier in June
He supplements his diet with whey protein and multivitamin ZMA, which contains zinc, magnesium and aspartate, which can act as a muscle relaxant.
And whoever lands the job as Rodgers’ personal chef can expect to earn between $30,000 and $80,000 a year, traveling with his client and tailoring his cooking to his strict dietary requirements and exercise schedule.
By his own admission, growing older has changed Rodgers’ approach to food and his changing metabolism.
Ten years ago, Rodgers said: ‘I used to go out on Friday nights and have a nice big dinner. Steaks and sauces and starches. That was kind of my cheat day of the week.
‘But now it’s about smaller portions and eating more often. Then you can go out for a day or two – but if you’re going out a few nights a week, one of those meals should probably be on the healthier side, with some sort of protein with limited sauce, some veggies of course… and no huge dessert. That’s difficult.’
And while he once did commercials for Pizza Hut, the truth is that these days the star athlete rarely indulges in what was once one of his favorite foods.
Rodgers also revealed that he occasionally undergoes an intensive 12-day cleanse, which also involves cutting out “sugar, sex and alcohol” and consuming “ghee and laxatives” instead.
The process, called Panchakarma, is an Indian Ayurvedic practice intended to heal the body and mind.
Practitioners are also encouraged to eat only specific foods such as rice and mung beans, avoid cold foods and drinks, and in some cases engage in ‘therapeutic vomiting’, enemas and bloodletting.
Rodgers famously advocated plant-based hallucinogenic ayahuasca in the pursuit of spiritual growth
Rodgers once did commercials for Pizza Hut, but he now rarely enjoys what was once one of his favorite foods
Earlier this week, Rodgers shared a special story on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series in which he recalled seeing a UFO in 2005, shortly before he was signed by the Packers in the first round of the draft.
He was with former Cal teammate Steve Levy at Levy’s home in New Jersey and was going to bed after dinner when he suddenly heard an alarm in the distance.
According to Rodgers, he got up, walked downstairs and went outside with Levy and his brother.
He recalled: ‘Up in the clouds we saw this enormous object moving in the sky.
“It looked like a scene from ‘Independence Day,’ when the ships come into the atmosphere and create some kind of explosive fire in the sky.”
He continued: ‘We saw this incredibly large object and froze like anyone would. Finally it disappeared from view and no one said a word.
‘The three of us stood frozen on the sidewalk in front of Steve’s house. About 30 seconds later we heard the distinct sound of fighter jets… which seemed to be pursuing this object.
‘And again we stood there in disbelief for a few more minutes. Nobody said a word.
“And then we all looked at each other and said, ‘Did we just see what we thought we just saw?’