Fred Warner did not become an elite NFL player overnight. Chosen in the third round of the 2018 draft, not many people expected him to become one of the league’s best defensive players, and Warner says he got there with a combination of unique mental and physical habits. With his inquisitive mind he’s always looking for the tiniest of advantages on the field. When it comes to diet, Warner is all about the humble avocado. (So much so that he has a deal with the avocado brand Wholly.)
“No preservatives added—that’s huge for me—and it’s made with real ingredients that you and I can pronounce,” is how Warner describes his ideal foods. “If you can’t pronounce it, I don’t think you should put it in your body.” Those rules are clearly working for Warner, who’s been voted by his peers as one of the top 50 players in the NFL each of the last four years, ascending to the eleventh spot on this year’s Top 100 list.
As he settles into his offseason, Warner will be experimenting with new ways to get his fruit intake and (hopefully) finding enough time for the precious sleep that he feels has made him a tackling machine.
GQ: You’ve been first team All-Pro and made the Pro Bowl three years in a row. Do you think there’s anything you’re doing that other guys around the league aren’t that gives you that extra edge?
Warner: I don’t know if it’s a specific thing, but it’s an accumulation of doing the little things right every single day. I don’t stray, I keep things pretty straight and narrow when it comes to my nutrition and the things I’m putting in my body. When I’m getting ready for a game, for example, I make sure there are these key things in my meal. Sometimes we play an afternoon game at 1:00, sometimes we play a night game at 5:00. You always gotta make sure you’re fueled up the right way.
My morning routine—I’m always going to have some sort of omelet, oatmeal with berries, and always some sort of fat in there. My staple is always Wholly Guacamole, just because it is delicious and they use real ingredients, but the convenience of it also makes it so easy. For my night routine, I do chicken, mashed potatoes, veggies, and guacamole. Those are my non-negotiables. I feel like I’m satiated, I’m ready to go play the best game of my life.
What about non-game days? If it’s just a Wednesday and you have practice, are you keeping the same routine?
Yeah, absolutely. Off the field, I try to keep it pretty straight. Right now, for example, we’re in the offseason. People probably think we’re pigging out and going crazy. Not necessarily! When I’m watching games—I’m a huge football fan regardless of if I’m playing or not—I’m going to have the huge spread like anybody. Pizza, wings—but then I pair it with things that have more nutritional value like vegetables and guacamole. I don’t just go all out on crazy foods. I want to stay near my baseline all year long.
And you’re big on meal planning, right?
It’s all about setting yourself up for success. I feel like if you’re not planning out what you’re going to be eating, you’ll just instantly grab the things that are closest to you. Those might not be the best, right? That’s why you want to have the best things readily available. As a professional athlete, you want to be at your best 24/7.
I make sure the grocery haul includes plenty of ready-to-eat snacks. I call our grocery list the guac playbook. My top three essentials are chunky guacamole, veggies, and chips for dipping. That’s just who I am and who my family is. My wife is super busy as well taking care of a ten-month-old. For someone like me, I need that convenience. Wholly Guacamole, you just rip the lid off and enjoy. No worries at all.
I’m not afraid of sugar at all. But the right types though, I should say. If people know anything about sugar, carbohydrates are converted to sugar in the body. You need carbohydrates as an athlete, and a lot of them, especially before a game or practice. I think healthy sugars like fruit or honey that you can incorporate into your diet are beneficial, as long as you’re staying active. If you’re not active, and you’re consuming all these carb-loaded or sugary snacks, it can be detrimental. But being active in correlation with healthy sugars is important.
Are you a smoothie guy? Are you putting fruit in your oatmeal?
It’s all over. This morning, I had my eggs with guacamole, then on the side I had strawberries, pineapples, and apples. You know what I’m saying? It doesn’t always have to be in a smoothie, even though I do have plenty of smoothies during the season because it’s just so easy to throw them in the blender and do it that way.
The NFL season is so long and grueling. For you, what are the keys to sustaining your body over the course of an entire season?
The thing that’s helped me a lot is constant curiosity. Like, there’s gotta be better ways to do this. Even though I’ve been an All-Pro and been to Pro Bowls, the first time I made it in 2020 I was not in that conversation the following year. I thought I knew the recipe and it would translate into the following year. It didn’t! That hurt me. I never wanted to have that feeling ever again, of not being at the top of my game.
