Why Justin Thomas would do ‘messed up things’ for a pizza doused in ranch
Justin Thomas is on a diet.
No, it’s not to lose weight. Rather, as the now-30-year-old Thomas first revealed in a recent Golf Magazine feature, Thomas is three months into a year of gluten-free eating and six months of no dairy, all in hopes of healing a leaky gut and solving his extreme energy droughts.
“Sometimes I’ll just suck in and get a nice breath of fresh air,” Thomas quipped on Tuesday prior to the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, the same place where he won his first PGA Championship.
As for his second PGA Championship victory, last summer at Southern Hills, it came after one of several bouts with low energy that characterized Thomas’ 2022.
“Last year, I felt like I had a very odd year,” Thomas said. “The heat really got to me. I mean, the beginning of the week in Tulsa I was so sick. I mean, I had some kind of just atrocious like sinus infection, like I had no energy, it was terrible. I have no idea how I ended up playing well that week. It was right after Byron Nelson, which was incredibly hot. I had another couple events early in the year, like Mexico was really hot, and I’m sure I had something there that messed with my stomach anyway, but just super dehydrated and just felt off. And then again in Atlanta, kind of to end the year, that Sunday when I got done, I got in the locker room and I just threw up everything I had eaten the entire day.
“It seemed like every time it gets hot, I’m so tired at the end of the day, I’m tired when I wake up in the morning, so I just wanted to get it looked at.”
Thomas had undergone food-sensitivity tests and bloodwork before, but it wasn’t until he met with Dr. Ara Suppiah that Thomas felt like he had a real plan. Three months into his new diet – chicken, fish, rice, vegetables, salads, some dressings, and a lot of steak – and Thomas has more energy.
“My body’s been feeling great,” Thomas said. “I’ve been moving really well. … Obviously, I’m hoping it works because it sucks not being able to eat anything good, but if I don’t try it, I won’t know if it works, you know what I’m saying?”
So, what food does Thomas miss the most? That’s easy.
“I want a pizza like you cannot imagine,” Thomas said. “Like I would do some really messed up things for a pizza just doused in ranch.”