Former NFL quarterback Drew Brees, seen here during warmups prior to the October 11 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints, has had to deal with food allergies since early in his NFL career. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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With food allergies, choosing what you can eat is far from a breeze—even if you are Drew Brees. The now 47-year-old former Super Bowl-winning NFL quarterback recently talked to me about how he’s had to be quite careful for a while.

Yes, this hasn’t been just a passing issue for Brees, who retired in 2020 from the New Orlean Saints ranked second all-time in career NFL passing yards, touchdown passes and pass completions. He spoke of having different food allergies along the way and gave the example of “peanuts, at one point, were kind of off the charts for me. I’ve been able to kind of come out on the other side of that, as I’ve been able to eliminate a lot of that stuff out of my diet.”

Food Allergies Emerged Early in Brees’ NFL Career

He explained that his allergies began “early, early in my NFL career. It is when some of them began to surface or at least when you begin to become more aware of them.” He added, “That’s the other thing, your allergies and different levels of it can kind of change, as you go through your life.” Brees then gave a very shellfish example of how allergies do seem to run in his family as well: “I’ve got family members that are severely allergic to shellfish, others that are allergic to bee stings.”

As An NFL QB, Brees Already Had To Be Very Mindful Of His Body

One advantage that Brees has had was that as an elite athlete, he was already paying close attention to whatever was going into and on with his body. “I was vigilant about getting tested [for different allergies] pretty often throughout my career just to make sure that I was staying on top of it,” he recalled. “I think as an athlete you become pretty in tune with how your body operates and just how it reacts to certain things.”

Brees added, “As a professional athlete, you’re going in with the mindset like your body is what’s allowing you to go out and do what you do to make a living.”

Brees also talked about having to be aware of all kinds of crossing patterns, so to speak. “You’re just in an environment where all of a sudden there was kind of a cross-contamination when it comes to the food,” he said. In other words, you may have some kind of food in front you that seems harmless or even great for you—say, like avocado toast—but not realize where it’s been and what else it may have touched.

For Brees, The Food Allergies Emerged Gradually

Now, food allergies can emerge in all kinds of different ways. For Brees, “It was something took a while [to realize] because you begin to have maybe these buildups. Like light reactions, and then all of a sudden becoming more severe," he recalled. "Then you recognize, ‘Hey, something’s not right here.’ I need to get tested, I need to get checked out.” For others, though, severe food allergies can suddenly charge right out there, suing a reference to the nickname of Brees’ first NFL team, the San Diego Chargers.

Brees Is Not Unusual In Having Food Allergies

Of course, even though Brees was a special quarterback, his having food allergies is not super special. Around one in 10 adults in the U.S. have some kind of food allergy. The same applies to roughly one out of every 13 children. That translates to around 18 million adults and four million children. And close to half of those allergies are severe, potentially leading to anaphylaxis.

As I’ve detailed in Forbes before, the so-called “Big 9” most common food allergies are to the following: cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, and cashews), wheat, soy, fish, shellfish and sesame. These comprise about 90 percent of all food allergies out there. But there are also more unusual ones such as the red meat one known as Alpha-gal Syndrome, triggered by the bite of a Lone Star tick, as I’ve described in Forbes previously.

Brees Talked About Being Prepared For A Severe Allergic Reaction

Once you recognize that you have a food allergy and understand the severity, it’s not enough to just avoid the food. You have to be ready about what to do should you have a reaction. For those who may have severe allergic reactions, carrying around an EpiPen has long been something to do. An EpiPen is an injector device that contains a specific dose of epinephrine that when injected into the body can quickly quell an allergic reaction.

EpiPens are not the only brand of epinephrine auto-injectors on the market these days. Others include AUVI-Q, which can offer voice-guided instructions, and Adrenaclick, which may more affordable than the EpiPen. There’s also Symjepi, which is syringe that’s been pre-filled wth epinephrine but doesn’t quite auto-inject like the others. So, you kind of have to put a little more effort into it. But it can be even more affordable.

Brees mentioned Neffy, which in August 2024 became the first-ever epinephrine nasal spray to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Earlier this year, he entered into a partnership with ARS Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the makers of Neffy. Brees touted to me, “the fact that there is a treatment out there that doesn’t involve a needle. I think a lot of people are terrified of needles.” Of course, when choosing what option to use, it’s best to consult with your doctor to make sure you have what will work best for you.

What Brees Has Been Doing Since Retiring From The NFL

I asked whether Brees finds it easier or harder to deal with food allergies now that he is no longer within the more disciplined scope of an NFL career. “My body’s not going through the same trauma that it was when I was playing, you know, a 16 weekend NFL season plus playoffs,” he responded. “Seven straight months of every day, you’re putting your body through the ringer, year after year. So, I’d say from that perspective, it’s probably a little bit easier to maintain [his health].” He did ad, though, that “Father time always wins, and the aging process is real.”

Even though Brees is now six years removed from his NFL career, “I feel like I’m maybe busier.” Brees went on to tell me, “When I was playing, it was all about football and you were able to stay pretty laser focused on a singular goal and objective.” But now, with four kids, he is coaching his three boys though high school football, broadcasting for FOX every NFL weekend, which being on the road and studying games carefully.

He’s also got in his words “A ton of business ventures, both in New Orleans and kind of around the country. including being on the boards for a number of different franchise companies. So it’s constantly a learning process. I’m very curious about business and entrepreneurship, and so trying to put myself in environments where I’m talking to really smart people.” Brees also spoke about how he is on the board for a youth sports organization and how “youth sports is one of the greatest developers of character, good habits and leadership.”

So these aren’t just passing interests for one of the greatest passers of all time. Life hasn’t necessarily always been a breeze for Brees. But you can say he drew a pretty good lot.