What meat does Mike Tyson eat? Examining His Evolving Diet

January 7, 2026 •

4 min read

Mike Tyson famously adopted a vegan diet around 2010, a dramatic shift from his high-protein boxing prime. However, the legendary boxer's nutrition has continued to evolve, and he has since reintroduced specific types of meat into his eating plan, particularly for training purposes.

Quick Summary

Mike Tyson's dietary journey spans from a carnivorous, high-protein regimen during his boxing career to a plant-based vegan lifestyle for health reasons. For his more recent comeback, he reintroduced wild game, such as bison and elk, on training days to fuel his workouts and support his physical performance.

Key Points

Current Diet: Mike Tyson has reintroduced meat, primarily wild game like bison and elk, specifically on training days to feel stronger and support his physical regimen.
Past Veganism: Around 2010, Tyson famously became a vegan to address severe health issues, including high blood pressure and arthritis, and lost over 100 pounds.
Prime Nutrition: During his boxing prime, his diet was rich in traditional protein sources like steak and chicken, along with carbs from pasta and rice, to build and sustain muscle.
Flexible Approach: His modern diet is a flexible, pragmatic blend, incorporating meat when training but maintaining plant-based principles otherwise.
Health Scares: Recent health issues, including a severe bleeding stomach ulcer, forced him to adjust his training and diet, emphasizing the need for rest and recovery.
Wife's Diet: Mike Tyson has clarified that while he eats wild game, he does not follow his wife's more extreme diet, which reportedly includes raw meat.

Mike Tyson's Diet Evolution: A Chronology

Mike Tyson's dietary habits have been anything but static. The path to becoming a legendary boxer required a specific type of fueling, a path that was abandoned and later modified as he entered a new phase of his life. Understanding what meat Mike Tyson eats now requires looking back at the three distinct phases of his nutrition.

Phase 1: The Carnivorous Prime (Boxing Career)

During his reign as a heavyweight champion, Tyson adhered to a diet designed for maximum muscle and power. This regimen, in the build-up to fights, was heavily centered around traditional protein sources. His daily routine would include:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with fruit and a protein shake.
Lunch: A balanced meal with a focus on carbs and protein, such as steak and pasta or chicken and rice.
Dinner: Another similar balanced meal, often prepared by Cus D'Amato's housekeeper.

This diet was intended to support his intense training schedule, which included hours of sparring, calisthenics, and bag work. The high-protein intake was critical for repairing and building muscle mass necessary for his explosive power.

Phase 2: The Vegan Transformation (Retirement Era)

Around 2010, after retirement, Tyson completely overhauled his diet, famously becoming a vegan. This change was motivated by serious health concerns following years of a less-than-healthy lifestyle. Tyson cited his drug use and poor diet contributing to several ailments:

Congestion: Chronic breathing difficulties.
High Blood Pressure: A life-threatening condition.
Arthritis: Joint inflammation and pain.

He claimed that going vegan helped him lose over 100 pounds, diminish his health problems, and gave him a new perspective on life. In a 2019 interview, he explained his reasoning, stating, "I don't eat anything that has a mother and father".

Phase 3: The Flexible Comeback (Modern Approach)

While the vegan diet had significant benefits, Tyson eventually opted for a more flexible approach. Especially when preparing for his comeback fight against Jake Paul, he reintroduced meat into his diet, specifically on training days. This decision was reportedly made to help him feel stronger and maintain the necessary protein intake for intense preparation. The type of meat he incorporated is particularly interesting:

Wild Game: Tyson began consuming wild game, including bison and elk.

He has distinguished his consumption from that of his wife, who reportedly eats raw meat, stating he would never do so himself. This current diet is a more pragmatic, performance-based approach, combining the lessons learned from his plant-based phase with the nutritional demands of high-level physical training.

A Comparison of Tyson's Dietary Regimens


Diet Phase	Protein Sources	Primary Carbs	Health Rationale	Outcome & Performance Impact
Prime (1980s-90s)	Steak, Chicken, Fish	Rice, Pasta, Oats	Maximize muscle growth and explosive power for boxing performance.	Peak physical condition, aggressive fight style, and championship success.
Vegan Phase (c. 2010)	Plant-based sources, Tofu, Legumes	Vegetables, Fruit	Address and reverse severe health issues like high blood pressure and arthritis.	Significant weight loss, improved health, and better breathing.
Current (Post-Vegan)	Wild Game (Bison, Elk)	Balanced with training	Support training demands and feel stronger for physical challenges.	Sustains high-level training regimen for comeback fights.

Health Scares and Lessons Learned

Throughout his journey, Tyson has faced significant health challenges that have informed his dietary choices. The transition to veganism was a direct response to health problems exacerbated by his previous lifestyle. However, even with his return to training, he has had setbacks, including a serious stomach ulcer. This bleeding ulcer was so severe it led to multiple blood transfusions and substantial weight loss, forcing the postponement of his fight with Jake Paul in 2024.

This incident underscores the complex relationship between diet, intense training, and overall health, especially for an aging athlete. It prompted him to rest and focus on recovery, reinforcing the importance of listening to his body and adjusting his regimen accordingly.

Conclusion: The Adaptive Athlete

Mike Tyson's dietary history reveals an athlete who adapts and evolves based on his life's changing demands. He has moved from a traditional high-protein diet optimized for peak athletic performance to a health-focused vegan diet to combat severe illness. His most recent iteration combines elements of both, with a strategic reintroduction of wild game to support his training needs.

Ultimately, the question of what meat Mike Tyson eats is part of a larger story about resilience and self-reinvention. His current approach reflects a veteran athlete's pragmatism, prioritizing health and performance while acknowledging the body's changing needs over time. His journey serves as a powerful reminder that nutritional needs are not static and can require significant shifts throughout a person's life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Currently, Mike Tyson eats wild game, such as bison and elk, primarily on days when he is training to support his physical conditioning.

Yes, for a period starting around 2010, Mike Tyson transitioned to a fully plant-based vegan diet. He credited this change with significant health improvements, including weight loss and relief from high blood pressure.

Tyson decided to reincorporate meat, specifically wild game, to feel stronger and better support the demands of his training regimen as he prepared for his comeback fight.

During his prime, Tyson's diet was centered around high-protein sources like steak, chicken, and fish, along with carbohydrates from rice and pasta to fuel his intense training and build muscle.

Prior to his vegan phase, Tyson's lifestyle contributed to health issues like high blood pressure and arthritis. More recently, a severe, bleeding stomach ulcer occurred, leading to hospitalization and a required adjustment to his training schedule.

Surprisingly, before some fights in his prime, Mike Tyson would have a chocolate bar and orange juice about an hour before entering the ring to get a quick sugar rush for energy.

No, Mike Tyson does not eat a raw meat diet. He has clarified this, contrasting his own diet with his wife's, who reportedly eats raw meat.

Tyson's most recent health scare in 2024 was caused by a severe, bleeding stomach ulcer that necessitated medical attention and blood transfusions. This led to the postponement of his fight against Jake Paul.