UrbanUpdate

Baker Mayfield sneaks in meals where he can—he's been head-down focused on football, spending at least three hours of every day reviewing tape in between practice, workouts, and family time. Drafted by the Browns in 2018, Mayfield broke the rookie touchdown record previously co-held by Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson. This year, he’s looking to take another big step forward, and things are getting exciting in Cleveland: the Browns, a team that hasn't had a winning season since George W. Bush was in office, are currently 5-2. 

GQ caught up with the Austin native to talk to him about his diet, which includes a decent amount of CBD and the occasional ranch water.

For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and everyone in between about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ: What’s the first thing that you eat in the morning?

Baker Mayfield: I wake up on the earlier side, around 5:30 or 5:45. Before I eat anything, I reach for a bottle of Bodyarmor water and I drink that down with two of Beam’s Focus pills (Mayfield recently invested and signed with Beam, which also sponsors other big-name athletes like ‘Fittest Man on Earth’ Mat Fraser). I’m constantly drinking water throughout the entire day. I have a fridge of Bodyarmor in my garage. As far as food goes, my wife prepares overnight oats the night before, which I have every single morning around 6:30 or so. In there, there’s almond milk, shredded coconut, dates for added sweetness, and depending what we have around maybe blueberries or apples with some cinnamon.

Are you a coffee guy?

I’m also having a nitro cold brew coffee and then some more water. I bring those drinks with me to study and prepare for the day—I watch film until about 10 a.m. At that point, I’m driving to meet with the team where we do a walk-through and some other things before I get to eat lunch.

What’s for lunch?

I work with a dietitian outside of the facility, who really homes in on what’s good for me based on my blood levels and what’s really right for me. Then our kitchen staff prepares it based on that plan. We mix it up. I’m not a huge fish guy, but I’ve been trying. So usually it’s a half-plate of protein, half plate of carbs, and then something like quinoa, or brown or white rice, and then either sweet potato, broccoli, asparagus. It varies from week to week, and if I’m burnt out on one thing, we’ll switch it up. It’s all good stuff. And after I eat that, I’ll practice. After practice, I’ll have a smoothie, then I'll do a workout, and then I'll have another smoothie. At least one of those smoothies will have protein—that’s just based on if it's a longer day of practice.

What’s in the smoothie?

Usually it’s chocolate Klean Athlete protein, frozen peanut or almond butter, some greens like spinach or kale, and almond milk. I’m sensitive to sugars and try to avoid dairy and stuff because it just doesn’t feel good in my body.

Were you always like that? Or was this dietary shift something that came with your success on the field?

I think it took a while for me to get to this point to be like, OK, how do I perform at the highest level? But now I want to make sure that I’m alert and ready for anything. I don't think I would've gotten to this point in my career as quickly without being smart with my eating, so I think it’s been a blessing.

What’s for dinner?

I get home around like 7:00, and Emily does a great job of having dinner ready and there’s even like, soft music playing. It's just so stressful, and she knows that and I’m grateful for her because there’s nothing to worry about at home. She’ll make something similar to what I have for lunch, with recommendations from the nutritionist. And then the last thing I consume in the day is the Beam Dream, which is kind of like a hot chocolate that I have with almond milk. That stuff’s unbelievable.

Do you do sweets otherwise?

I love Mexican food, and my dietician knows this, so she always adds in some spices or different things to some of the meals. I’ve come to learn that it's all about portion control. She always makes sure that after games, I need to make sure that I'm eating enough carbs. After a game or a workout, I might not necessarily want to eat enough, because I may not be as hungry, but I also need to take care of my body. It's hard to lay off the sweets cause I do love them, but a bite here and there every once in a while isn't too bad.

I just asked you about sweets and you talked to me about Mexican food! 

To me, that is a sweet. I mean I like chocolate, but not as much as I like Mexican.

Do you drink alcohol?

We do love our wine. So, we have a glass here every once in a while. And obviously, if it's a Mexican night, it's hard not to say no to a margarita, but do it skinny. Also, I’ll do a ranch water, and have that with real fruit juice. Tequila is the cleanest liquor, so can't be too ashamed of that.

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