Fans must wonder if there is anything Tim Tebow cant do? Hes played in both the NFL and MLB. Somehow, hes managed to find the time to write a few NYT bestselling books, run his nonprofit, and get married. Tebow is also a fitness celebrity and a strong advocate of the keto diet, with his hashtag #GoKetoWithTebow.
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In an interview with WebMDs Coronavirus in Context series, Tebow shared that hes been living the keto lifestyle since late 2011. He was first introduced to the strict diet by his fellow NFL players. He saw what it did for them, calling these guys freaks in a good way and noting their lifting, and running, and strength. Tebow started following the now-popular high-fat, low-carb diet and hasnt looked back.
While Tebow may have started keto for athletic reasons, hes stayed on it because of personal ones his family. In the same interview, Tebow explained, I want to be around one day to have grandkids, and go out in the yard and play ball with them.
While there are no little Tebows yet, fans are no doubt eager for Tim and his wife, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, a former Miss Universe and Miss South Africa, to start a family. The couple got married in January 2020 in Nel-Peters native South Africa.
The timing of their wedding meant that they spent their first few months of as newlyweds in quarantine. Its been like a prolonged honeymoon, joked Tebow when the couple spoke with E! Online.
His dad, Bob, is another reason he wants to stay and adheres to the keto diet. In a 2016 People interview, Tebow revealed that his father has Parkinsons disease. The diagnosis was difficult for Tebow, and he tries to spend as much time as he can with his dad. The two are close, with Tebow saying, I love being around him. Despite his diagnosis, Bob is still active with the charity he founded, Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association.
In his WebMD interview, Tebow also shared what he discovered about Parkinsons disease and eating a high-fat, low-carb diet:
There are so many correlations[,] what I was doing with keto, and what was bad for Parkinsons[.] Too many carbohydrates are just poison for you, and how your brain, it so wants to have good fats I said, You know what, this isnt just something I want to do for sports. Its something I want to do for a lifestyle.'
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Tebow isnt the only retired NFL player to go low-carb. Former Cleveland Brown Joe Thomas credits keto, along with intermittent fasting, with staying fit after retirement. So how exactly does the keto diet work?
Harvard Medical School reports that for followers of the keto diet, approximately 80% of their calories come from fat, 10% from carbohydrates, and 10% from protein. For many people, this means their carb intake is strictly limited, between 20 and 50 grams daily. When carbs arent available to burn as fuel, the body begins burning fat in a state called ketosis.
Keto isnt the only specialty diet that current and retired NFL players adhere to stay fit year-round. Tom Brady follows the TB12, avoiding gluten, caffeine, sugars, and dairy. Former tight end Tony Gonzalez also foregoes dairy and most red meat, opting for a diet rich in fish, chicken, and fruits and vegetables.
