‘I Want Pizza Like You Can’t Imagine’: Justin Thomas Explains His Strict New Diet and Why He Implemented It

There’s possibly only one thing that Justin Thomas is craving more than a win on the golf course. That would be a slice of pizza—actually, a slice that’s “doused in ranch.” 

The two-time PGA champion says he wants pizza “like you can’t imagine” and would do “some really messed up things” to enjoy even a bite of the Italian delicacy, but he can’t. 

Thomas is on a strict new diet that’s he’s determined to see through with full commitment.  

On Wednesday at the Wells Fargo championship, Thomas detailed the parameters of his new eating plan. The Kentucky native aims to eat gluten-free for one year and dairy-free for six months of that period, a plan that Dr. Ara Suppiah, a functional sports medicine expert, presented him with after food sensitivity testing. Thomas says he’s been consuming a lot of “steak, chicken, fish, rice, vegetables,” and he can have most salads as long as he knows exactly what’s in the dressing. 

Thomas didn’t implement his new diet for the reasons you might think—the 30-year-old (as of last week) says he’s never really had any serious health issues, but last year, his body just felt “off.” 

“Last year I felt like I had a very odd year. 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. 

Thomas might have won the PGA Championship that week in Tulsa when he had “no energy,” but that didn’t mean there wasn’t a larger issue at play. Three months into the plan and Thomas says he feels rejuvenated. The lack of pizza and awkward exchanges with waitresses and waiters at restaurants has been well worth it for Thomas, at least so far. 

“I'm three months in and I definitely feel better and I feel like I have more energy when I wake up, my body's been feeling great, I've been moving really well,” Thomas said. “I'm just one of those guys like if I don't at least try it. 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? Hoping that it's something that's going to help me a lot and just a little trial-and-error kind of thing.”