As a kid growing up in Santa Claus, Indiana, Jay Cutler used to hunt and eat deer and fish. Once the former NFL quarterback ended his 12-year pro career, having thrown for more yards than any quarterback in Chicago Bears history, he turned to another dream: owning a butcher shop. And Cutler is one step closer to realizing that dream, by teaming up with butcher Pat LaFrieda to launch CUTS, a monthly subscription box full of American meat.
Which got us wondering: What’s Jay Cutler eating these days (other than steak, of course)? GQ called him to ask how his diet’s changed since he retired in 2017; how he got into intermittent fasting, meditation, and eating for better brain health; why he’d play football all over again, even knowing the risks; and what meat dish he’d cook if his life was on the line.
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: Do you subscribe to the Jim Harbaugh diet: sleep, water, whole milk, and steak?
Jay Cutler: [Laughs] No, I do not subscribe to that at all. I'm not positive on this—you can fact-check me—but I'm pretty sure humans are the only animal out there that drinks a different animal's milk, and still drinks after they're weaned. The whole milk thing is a little bit weird for me.
You're not a milk guy, then?
I'll do cashew or almond milk. But actual cow's milk? Absolutely not.
What does a usual day of eating look like for you these days?
I'm really big into intermittent fasting. Usually coffee in the morning. Maybe a salad at lunch. Some sort of protein and vegetables for dinner.
How is that different from when you were playing?
Towards the end of my career, I was doing that anyway. But I also had to keep on more muscle and body fat. I was probably eating eggs and some bacon or protein in the mornings. Maybe some more carbs. I've come pretty close to getting rid of carbs in the last couple of years. I don't need to carry that weight. Also, I'm Type 1 diabetic, so it makes it easier on my insulin control to get rid of those as well.
The body fat, when you were playing, that just helped with hits?
[Laughs] Exactly.
When you were a rookie and still eating trash carbs, what was a real guilty pleasure for you?
Taco Bell. Or a bag of Doritos.
I'm thinking of that video of Mark Sanchez eating a hot dog on the sideline. Did you ever eat on the sideline?
No, not on the sideline. Preseason games, there were always hot dogs and hamburgers, back during halftime. Those first couple preseason games, I was usually always out of the game by that point. I remember having one of those—or two of those, in the back.
I imagine in a locker room you could pick up diet, nutrition, workout tips from guys you played with. Was there anybody you picked something up from?
It's tough because I don't think guys really started getting conscious until I was one of the older ones. The world has changed in the last five to eight years, with people really diving into diets and foods and stuff like that. If you were doing that ten, fifteen, twenty years ago, people thought you were crazy.
I heard Tony Gonzalez on a podcast talking about when he first started playing, which would've been the late ‘90s, they used to put beers in the lockers after the game.
Oh yeah! I remember whenever I was in Denver, if you were on an away trip—this was '06, '07-ish—you'd get on a plane and there were three or four beers on your plane seat. Every seat in the plane. You’d have some beers on the way home and have a good time. It's changed quite a bit.
What is your favorite beer?
It's New Glarus Spotted Cow. They only sell it in Wisconsin. You can't buy it, you can't ship it. You can only buy it in stores, in Wisconsin. Which is a problem. [laughs]
How'd you get into intermittent fasting?
Just kind of reading, listening to podcasts, listening to people much smarter than me. And then tinkering around with, seeing if I like it. It was tough at first, because, definitely in the U.S., we're all programmed for three meals a day—and a lot of carbs and sugar, which is a huge problem. I tried it and realized that I wasn’t losing weight, that I still have the muscle that I have, and that, if anything, I have more energy. I feel better. I'm sleeping better. Giving your body a break from digesting food 24/7 is probably a good idea.
What's your eating window? Are you a 12-hour guy?
I'm probably more of a 6-hour guy. Minus the coffee in the morning. That's my one vice. I go from 6:00 at night to noon the next day.
Even within that window, it sounds like you're watching what you're eating.
Absolutely. After I was done playing, I was like, I don't need to carry all this excess weight. I've lost 15, 20 pounds since I've been done. And I feel better.
How does your shape compare now to when you played?
Slimmer, much slimmer. I have lost muscle as well, too, obviously. I'm not working out the same. For longevity, that makes more sense: the less fat you carry and the less overall toll you're taking on your body, you'll probably live a little longer. But I think there is some connection with muscle mass and longevity that I've read about—so you do need some muscle to live a little bit longer.
Are you interested in life extension, like living to 150?
No chance. [laughs] I think I've damaged enough things and brain parts and heart and everything in my life, if I make it to 80, or anything after that, I'll be happy.
Is that something you think about: CTE, the concussions, and the toll that took?
Oh, absolutely. I would say definitely my memory isn't the same as it was 5 years ago. The amount of concussions I've had are probably in the double digits. It's gonna catch up to me at some point. I'm just trying to delay it as much as possible.
What are some ways you can delay it?
Trying to cut sugar. Heavy amounts of fish oil have been tied to health in the brain. I'm doing NAD. I'm doing it through IVs now. NAD is in all the cells in your body, the mitochondria, the energy that pushes each cell to function. As you get older ,you lose NAD. So I'm doing NAD therapy, which, at a core level, helps everything in your body. I've noticed that that's definitely helped me. Anything I can do these days, I'm trying to get involved in.
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Given the risks, if you could do it all over, would you play again?
Absolutely I would. I wouldn't even question it. I'd sign up in a heartbeat.
Wow. Even with some of the things that might be ahead of you?
Oh, absolutely. The relationships that I made, the memories that I have, the lifestyle it's accustomed me and my kids [to]. It outweighs the benefits. In my mind. There may be some people that say, hey, that's crazy. But I'd do it all over again, no question about it.
How do you stay in shape these days?
I'm trying all these body hack things. I workout 4 or 5 times a week. But I'm going 30 to 45 minutes. I get bored really fast. It's high interval training, circuit kind of stuff. Then I'll do the infrared sauna for 30, 45 minutes afterwards. An hour fifteen, and I’m out.
Do you still play pickup basketball?
With Covid, that got shut down. I was playing 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 6 AM. Hopefully this summer we can crank that back up. I love it. As a way to compete and stay in shape, I really enjoyed it.
You still dunking?
Yup.
Two hands or one?
Either one.
When you say body hack stuff, I assume you mean intermittent fasting and the NAD. But have you gotten into any of the other health and wellness trends? Juicing? Meditation?
Meditation for sure. There's this company NuCalm. They send you headphones and play this music, it's supposed to get into your brain and put you in a deeper meditation state. So I definitely believe in slowing your brain down, especially with everything people have going on, being on their phones 24/7. I'm as guilty as the next person.
How often do you do that?
I try to do that every day.
What benefits have you seen?
Just calmer, more present. Anxiety goes down. If I can work out, do the sauna, meditate for 15-20 minutes, it sets my day up. No matter what happens. I can probably handle it.
Is that something that would've helped in your playing?
Oh, absolutely! I wish I knew what I know now when I was 25. It would have been amazing. I think my stress level would have been down a lot.
Were you pretty stressed?
No. I wasn't. I could handle it. But sometimes there's just a lot going on, a lot of pressure at that position. It would've been helpful to have some o f these tools in my tool belt, so on days where it's rough and you're irritable, you have a better avenue to resort to.
Did it ever bother you, this narrative that you didn't care, or were nonchalant?
Yeah, it definitely bothered me. That was the farthest thing from the truth. I wasn’t going to go out of my way to convince the media or anybody else, as long as the guys in the locker room and the coaching staff were good and knew what I was doing. That’s all that really mattered to me.
Most PopularThe Smokin’ Jay Cutler meme—did you find that funny?
As soon as that came out, I think we shut it down, through a cease and desist. Then it kinda kept going. I told my team, just let it be. People think it's funny. It doesn't bother me. So let it go. It took on a life of its own.
A few meat questions to get you out of there: You mentioned elk earlier. What's your favorite type of meat?
Out of the box, it's a ribeye. You get a bit of the best of both worlds: a little more fat content, and the flavor profile sets it off.
If you were cooking a meat dish to save your life, what would you cook?
For Father’s Day, we’re doing these tomahawks in the box. And I just had a couple of them, and I'm not joking, it’s the the best steak I’ve ever had in my life. I would request that, and that would be my last meal.
But I’m saying what if you had to cook for somebody, and if they didn’t like it, then they would end your life.
Where are they from?
Where is this hypothetical person from?
Exactly.
Santa Claus, Indiana.
I'd smoke a brisket for 'em. A little bit more detailed and a little bit more room—actually probably less room for error. Because those are easy to mess up. But if I nailed it... I would live.
How often do you eat steak during the week?
I probably have a beef twice a week. Elk, twice a week. Maybe chicken. One night, I've been trying to do a salad, just to stay away from meat in general. It's so indoctrinated in my diet that it makes hard. But without eating a lot for breakfast or lunch, my body can process it pretty well.
Have you ever thought about doing the carnivore diet?
I have. I can't be sold on it. It just doesn't make sense to me. Vegetables are such a priority for our bodies that I can't get on board. I know people who've had success with it, I just don't know if it's sustainable.
Last question: Give me your five desert island foods—you can include beverages, too.
Would tacos count? Or does it have to be one specific food?
I think tacos can count.
Love tacos. I would take New Glarus Spotted Cow with me. Grapefruit. I would need to live so I would need some sort of [vegetable]—green beans. I guess I'm sourcing water from somewhere else, I'm not taking it with me?
You're catching it via palm fronds.
[laughs] I would do brownies. Brownies with peanut butter on top.
That might be five and a half foods.
Alright, brownies with peanut butter infused in them already.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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