Kansas City Chiefs’ dietician reveals how much Patrick Mahomes eats
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Leslie Bonci is the official Kansas City Chiefs’ dietician, and she recently revealed a lot about the KC star quarterback and his teammates’ diets.
In a recent interview with Bet Kansas, Bonci discussed things like how much Patrick Mahomes eats daily, what kind of food the elite athlete consumes and pregame meal plans.
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“When we are looking at football players, don’t assume they eat 10,000 calories a day because they don’t,” she said.
The average American eats roughly 3,600 calories per day. Bonci claims Mahomes eats less than that.
“In general, QBs like Pat Mahomes eat at the most 3,000 calories a day and not everyone eats five times a day like Pat.”
“It depends upon that particular player,” she continued. “Some players don’t have an appetite in the mornings and aren’t necessarily eating a lot at lunch because they’re training.”
“Some guys go to bed early so they’re not doing an after-dinner snack because they want to sleep, so it is a lot less than what people think.”
Bonci said that in general, a lot of the Chiefs players love fish, and of course, barbecue is high on their lists.
Mahomes in particular loves him some KC BBQ, specifically burnt ends, brisket, “as well as ribs for Mahomes, but that’s a meal in the middle of a week not on gameday,” she said.
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Why not barbecue before games?
“I wouldn’t say it’s a superstition, but players are creatures of habit and there are some that like breakfast foods, even if it’s on a night game because that’s their comfort food.”
Mahomes and other Chiefs will usually stick with egg sandwiches, pancakes, waffles or French Toast. Bonci revealed that not many players are eating large amounts of food before a game.
“We do have steak, pasta, chicken and sandwiches as well as French toast and we have this abundance of food so players can come in and think, ‘what shall I eat’,” she said.
“What we don’t want is players doing a U-turn and having a missed fueling opportunity so kudos to our executive chefs.”
On days the Chiefs aren’t playing, they normally are served fish and chicken. Salmon, swordfish, tuna, catfish and cod are attractive because their texture is more palatable and less “squishy.”
Shrimp and crab cakes are also popular.
“Red meat comes in third but it’s not just protein, there are Ceasar salads, potatoes are a big one and also rice and pasta.”
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Other breakfast options in the week leading up to a game include cereal, eggs, omelets, potatoes and smoothies.
Most of the athletes will eat a lunch that are heavily centered around carbs, like pasta or stir fry.
The training facility offers dinner two nights a week if a Chief is feeling like a free meal at night.
“There’s a lot of options from fillet to roasted salmon and grilled chicken, or if they want pizza, there’s a pizza oven,” Bonci said.
“They have the option, so they don’t have to go out and eat, that way we know what they are eating which is better for us.”
She also said that lunch comes before practice, which can cut down on how much they consume, “because it doesn’t feel good when you have to practice on the field after eating a large volume of food.”
Instead, breakfast usually gets served before 8:30 a.m., lunch between 12 and 1 p.m. with practice taking place immediately after. They’re also given the ability to come back after practice to get more food if they’re hungry.
There are even portable ovens for Chief players if they are interested in cooking the executive chefs’ food at home.
“We don’t want them going hungry so there would be no excuse not to eat well because everything is available for them,” the dietician mentioned.
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What about sweets?
“We don’t put it out regularly, mostly players (eat) it during their own time,” Bonci revealed.
“An ice cream Sunday is fun, and we tend to do more of it at training camp and not during the week at the complex. It will be what the baker has made on the day like a brownie or a cookie or a cupcake but it’s never anything too bad.”
