What Does Travis Kelce Eat Every Day?
We can get behind the football player’s breakfast routine.
Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
While Travis Kelce might prefer to keep his private life private (though we can’t help but gush over his apparent budding romance with Taylor Swift), the star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs is an open book when it comes to what he’s eating. And he’s always had a big appetite. According to his mom Donna Kelce, feeding her growing, athletic sons (Travis’s brother, Jason Kelce, plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles) wasn’t necessarily easy.
“The refrigerator was always packed, but it didn’t last more than a day or so,” she said before an NFL Honors Show. “Whole chickens, they would eat lots of pork, ribs. I’d have leftovers in the refrigerator and it never lasted past the day.
Now, with two Super Bowls under his belt, Kelce pays a bit more attention to what he eats, enlisting his childhood friend and personal chef Kumar Ferguson to keep him on the right path, fueling up with three fresh meals a day.
“I’m fortunate that my best friend is a jack-of-all-trades and he has helped me in nutrition, and being able to eat better and cleaner,” says Kelce. “He’s making sure I use the right ingredients, so you aren't wasting an ounce of fuel. I’ve given him the keys to the car and to give me what I need.”
Based on interviews and social media, this is what Kelce’s diet looks like today.
A Lucky Breakfast
It might seem superstitious, but Kelce’s lucky breakfast gets him off on the right foot. The record-breaking football player says he has eaten French toast before every game since becoming a Chief in 2013.
“Every pregame meal has been French toast and strawberries since I’ve been on the Chiefs,” he says. For Kelce, the sweet, syrupy breakfast isn’t just a game day treat, but part of an important routine.
“On game day, you want to carb up, so I have the energy I need for the game. French toast [gets] my blood sugar going [and gets] some carbs in,” he says. Just keep the sausage links away from him: Kelce finds any tubular-shaped meats “disgusting.”
A Balanced Diet
“My first couple months [in Kansas City] I was going to a different [BBQ] spot every week and my physique wasn’t where it needed to be as a professional athlete,” says Kelce. “I had to cut back a little bit, but I usually get it at least once or twice a month.”
Now, most of Kelce’s meals — which Ferguson calls “healthy steakhouse cuisine” — are guided by the personal chef. Filets are Kelce’s favorite.
“We’re all just (Midwest) northern dudes,” says Ferguson. “Steaks, chops, chicken, and stuff like that, but I try to bring a modern flair to it.”
“Everything about Travis’ diet and what we do is intentional. Everything is for fuel, for comfort, hydration, nutrition. There is purpose behind every dish. You go into the grocery store with that mindset. You go into the kitchen with that mindset. You put that intention into the food and then you hope that it translates to optimized health.”
BBQ Aficionado
That doesn’t mean Kelce can’t indulge from time to time. And when he does, he likes protein — lots of it. After getting drafted by the Chiefs, the tight end quickly developed a taste for Kansas barbeque. His personal favorite: Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. “I’m glad I opened my heart (and stomach) to Joe’s,” he says. Apparently, Kelce indulges in the whole menu from time to time, including a full slab of ribs, burnt ends, brisket sandwiches, pulled chicken sandwiches, Kansas caviar, BBQ beans, dirty rice, spicy slaw and French fries.
This past April, Kelce hosted and curated Kelce Jam, a food and music festival that highlighted the best food vendors in the city and a personalized special from Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, featuring a rib and sausage combo with a Cleveland mustard-inspired BBQ sauce.
Comfort Food Galore
Kelce isn’t shy about his love of other types of comfort food, and burning as many calories as he does enables him to treat himself. In a recent interview, Kelce declared that “Burger King has the best fast food burger” and discussed his love of Waffle House.
When the Chiefs are playing in town, Kelce likes to have friends and family over for a pizza party or hire a food truck to stop by to feed the group. And yes: he’s pro pineapple pizza.
Related Content:
