Healthy diet has Gonzalez in shape, ready to shine in Atlanta

By Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Tony Gonzalez swears he has found a personal fountain of youth, and that it explains how he has so majestically defied pro football's hourglass.
It's on the menu.

Gonzalez, 33, enters his 13th season as the NFL's longest-tenured starting tight end, with no apparent signs of disintegration. Nearing the 200-game milestone, he still has soft hands. His feet remain quick enough to pivot free in the red zone. And as demonstrated during a congested-traffic, 11-on-11 goal-line drill in the Atlanta Falcons camp, he has not lost the knack for making the paydirt catch while two defenders cling tight like parasites.

He's working on a streak of 10 consecutive Pro Bowl selections and last season was named first-team all-pro — significantly enough, for the first time in five years.

This, he insists, emanates from a decision three years ago to adopt Vegan principles for his diet.

"It's clean eating, from a 100% grass-fed source," says Gonzalez, obtained in April from the Kansas City Chiefs for a second-round pick.

"You have to put good stuff in your body. Everybody should, but especially athletes. We're high-performance machines. You wouldn't put regular gas in a race car. Jimmie Johnson is going to put the high-octane, good stuff in there. It's the same thing for football players. You'd be surprised by how many players don't do it. But I've seen the results."

Before: Fast food. TV dinners. Bacon cheeseburgers. Potato chips. Soda.

After: Seafood. Steamed vegetables. Rice. Salads with Balsamic vinegarette.

Because he eats fish and occasionally has organic chicken, Gonzalez isn't a true vegetarian. He's a flexitarian who views vegetables as the main course. He says he often cooks for his family, because, well, his wife Tobie is "quasi on-board."

"She's having trouble," Gonzalez says. "When I cook, she's eating good. But if she has to do it on her own, she might not make the best choices."

Gonzalez has become so hooked on his lifestyle change that he collaborated with nutritionist Mitzi Dulan on a new book, The All-Pro Diet. Recipes included.

"If you don't want to read my book, fine," says Gonzalez, who also recommends a documentary, Food, Inc. "But I encourage everybody to get something that tells you how nutrition affects your body. Try it and see how it feels."

Family history has played a role in his evolution. Gonzalez says that an uncle and some cousins have Type 2 diabetes.

"It's really rampant among minorities," Gonzalez says. "And if you're of a lesser income, it's harder to eat healthy, which is sad. That's another thing I can see myself trying to change ... The stores don't care about what we eat. They just want to make money. It's really up to us as people to wake up."

The turning point for Gonzalez began during a cross-country flight about three years ago, he says, as he sat next to a vegan. After observing the man's meal, Gonzalez peppered him with questions. The conversation led him to read The China Study and ultimately speak to its author, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, about theories of a plant-based diet increasing energy and reducing risks for illness such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Two other incidents in 2006 also shook him up. After feeling numbness on the right side of his face, Gonzalez was diagnosed with Bell's Palsy, a form of facial paralysis stemming from nerve malfunction. After receiving treatment, he hasn't had any recurring symptoms. A mixup with a blood test, later rectified, also hit home.

"I laugh about it now," he says, "but it was one of the scariest moments in my life when they told me, 'Your white blood cell count is way too low. Could be leukemia, but we don't want to startle you.' By then, you're like, 'What the hell are you talking about?'

"That was the defining moment. You hear all the statistics out there about the mortaility rate for football players. Life is too short."

No tight end has ever been to as many Pro Bowls as Gonzalez (6-5, 243), but the past two seasons he produced some of his best numbers with 99 and 96 receptions, while surpassing one NFL marker after another (most career catches, yards, TDs, 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end). In his view, it gets back to the diet.

"I've seen the difference on the field and noticed it after the game," he says. "My recovery is way better. My endurance is better. My focus has improved. Before I drastically changed my eating habits, I was sore. My bones were hurting. But not anymore."

The Falcons, trying to build on last season's 11-5 record and playoff berth, envision Gonzalez as an ultimate security blanket for young quarterback Matt Ryan. He will stretch the middle of the field and provide a trusted option in the end zone.

"Even before I got here, I always thought I'd love to get that quintessential all-pro tight end," says Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff, like coach Mike Smith in his second year on the job. "You can talk to some coordinators in this league and they say you need to go all wideouts. But a guy like this is special, a high-percentage shot underneath."

They've also acquired a resident nutritionist.

During training camp meals, Gonzalez says some teammates cover their plates when they see him coming. But at least one, backup tight end Ben Hartsock, is inspired.

"I've watched him eat, and he's pretty serious about it," Hartsock says. "But if Tony sipped Crisco through a straw, he'd still look as good as he does. His genetics and my genetics come from a different tree."

Hartsock, a sixth-year pro, was undoubtedly affected by Gonzalez's arrival. He lost his starting job. But there are no hard feelings.

"You just adjust to your role," Hartsock says. "If I were in the front office or the head coach and had an opportunity to get a future Hall of Fame talent like Tony Gonzalez, I'd do the exact same thing. We're a better team with him."

Gonzalez is staying in a suite with Ryan and veterans Chris Redman and Brian Finneran during camp. He says it has been a solid bonding experience, and there are times when football doesn't enter the conversation.

But food is fair game.

Is Ryan, a second-year pro, ready to become a vegan?

"Nah, he's not doing it," Gonzalez says. "He told me he wasn't doing it until he's older. He says he's young; he can burn it off and not feel it.

"I'm like, 'You'd better, or you'll be out of the league.' "