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Merle O’Neal, a content creator known for her funny, food-focused YouTube videos, recently took on a challenge to eat NFL legend Tom Brady’s high-protein plant-based diet for a day. While O’Neal isn’t a sports fan herself, she was curious about what it takes to maintain the kind of performance Brady sustained well into his 40s.
Brady is known for following a mostly plant-based diet, and his lifestyle brand, TB12, offers insight into the meals that fuel his routine. In her video, O’Neal recreated three of his typical meals – breakfast, lunch, and dinner – using plant-based swaps where needed.
From a smoothie that doubles as dessert to a romesco-topped broccoli dish that feels restaurant-worthy, the day’s meals proved that a performance-focused plant-based diet doesn’t have to be boring.
Here’s what she ate – and what she thought.
Read more: ‘5 Whole Food, Plant-Based Meals I Eat Every Week’
Where to find the high-protein plant-based recipes:
Breakfast: high-protein berry smoothie
Brady starts his day with a nutrient-packed smoothie, and O’Neal made a plant-based version that ended up being even higher in protein than the original.
She used almond and hemp milk, chia and hemp seeds, walnuts, almond butter, banana, blueberries, and a soy-based protein powder.
“This is really refreshing, really delicious, and so smooth,” she said after trying it.
Her version contained an impressive 39.5 grams of protein and 36.7 grams of healthy fat. It was rich, naturally sweet, and thanks to the banana and berries, felt like a treat without needing added sugar. She also suggested that using just one type of milk (like soy) could simplify it without losing nutritional value.
2. Lunch: crispy chickpea Caesar salad
Next up was a Caesar-style salad from TB12, made with baby kale, baby romaine, and shaved Brussels sprouts, topped with crispy chickpeas instead of croutons.
The creamy dressing was blended from cashews, lemon juice, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, capers, and maple syrup. O’Neal, who says she’s usually not a salad fan, was surprised by how much she liked it.
“This is a really good salad. For someone who doesn’t like salads, I would tear this up,” she said. “The chickpeas are like protein-packed croutons.”
She rated it a nine out of 10 and suggested adding avocado for an even more filling meal.
Read more: ‘Your New Favorite Easy Vegan Dinner’
3. Dinner: charred broccoli with romesco sauce
Dinner was a simple but elevated dish: charred broccoli served with a smoky romesco sauce made from almonds, garlic, and roasted red peppers. To bulk it up, O’Neal added blended Great Northern beans to the sauce for more protein and fiber.
“This looks so fancy and it tastes so good,” she said. “This is like an impress-your-friends kind of dish.”
She suggested serving it with tofu or grains if you want something heartier, but was impressed by how complete it felt on its own. The sauce, in particular, was a standout: “That is so flavorful… this sauce is a new staple for me.”
You can find more of Merle O’Neal’s recipes and videos on her YouTube channel.
Read more: ‘I Tried Travis Barker’s Pricey Vegan Diet – Here’s What It Was Like’
