Getty Jared Goff's diet choices are driven by an enzyme deficiency.
Jared Goff has worked hard to bulk up over the years, after his diet was tweaked following the revelation that he has an enzyme deficiency.
In 2016, The Los Angeles Rams made Goff their first pick in the NFL draft. He will square off against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 2019. Although Goff pays careful attention to his diet, it’s nothing compared to the strictness of the diet followed by his rival, Tom Brady, who is famous for his shunning of “nightshade” vegetables, dairy, alcohol, ketchup – well, pretty much almost everything that most people eat. Brady guzzles water – lots of water – and “eats a mostly organic, local, and plant-based diet with no highly processed foods,” reports Vox.
In that way, Jared Goff’s diet shares things in common with Brady’s.
Here’s what you need to know:
Jared Goff Eats a Lot of Lean Meat to Compensate for an Enzyme Deficiency
GettyLos Angeles Rams QB Jared Goff
According to Fox Sports, Ryan Flaherty, a strength and speed coach, studied Jared Goff’s blood work and discovered that Goff “has an enzyme deficiency that didn’t allow him to break down proteins.” At the time, Goff stood 6 foot 4 inches tall but weighed only 205 pounds. His weight has now grown to 222 pounds. (As a point of comparison, Aaron Rodgers weighs about 218 pounds after cutting dairy out of his diet.)
As a result, Goff wasn’t able to bulk up even if he drank whey protein shakes. “We had to adjust his diet and implement probiotics and get him on amino acid supplements,” Flaherty said to Fox Sports. “He’s eating lots of lean chicken, turkey and fish. Working on his diet was the big unlock for him. We saw big changes in Jared. The biggest thing was seeing advances in his strength.”
Goff told Sports Illustrated, “I’ve been trying to put on weight my whole life. I didn’t figure it out until a year ago that that was the reason why I couldn’t. The protein wasn’t being digested or broken down correctly into my muscles. So I had to take some powders. I don’t know exactly the chemicals. It was legal. It allowed me to break down the protein better. I really don’t have to take it anymore.”
According to WebMD, “Inherited metabolic disorders are genetic conditions that result in metabolism problems. Most people with inherited metabolic disorders have a defective gene that results in an enzyme deficiency.”
Goff Eats Up to 5,000 Calories a Day When He’s Training
Jared Goff, here at the NFL Combine, went #1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. (Getty)
Goff has been known to eat 5,000 calories a day. He told the Players Tribune: “When I’m training, I’m probably packing in between 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day. I’ve been doing it for a long time, so I’ve gotten used to it. But when I was young and trying to pack on the pounds, I just didn’t have the appetite for that much food.”
In 2017, Goff indicated that he was finally putting on weight. “I’ve probably put on five to 10 pounds,” Goff said. “I feel good. I feel strong. I feel like this is the best shape I’ve been in in a long time. But that’s kind of been every year. Every year I’ve kind of gotten bigger and stronger and I’m still growing. I don’t think I’m growing in height, as much as I’m getting a little bit wider.”