Tedy Bruschi and Herm Edwards don't agree when it comes to the Seahawks and Falcons on Monday Night Football. (1:08)

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Julio Jones' fuel used to come packaged as a cinnamon-swirled pastry loaded with sugar.

The Atlanta Falcons' All-Pro wide receiver often snacked on sweets as a rookie in 2011. Back then, he didn't pay much mind to what he consumed on a daily basis because he figured nothing could slow him down.

Week 11 MNF: Falcons at Seahawks Atlanta (5-4) is at Seattle (6-3). (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): • Is the book closed on Legion of Boom?

• Julio Jones' 'clean' diet key to playing

• Life without without Kam, Sherman

• Chalk: How to bet Atlanta-Seattle

• MNF HQ: What you need to know

"Honey Buns, that was my go-to," Jones said. "I mean, when I first came into the league, I was a young kid eating everything."

How times have changed.

You won't catch Jones devouring a doughnut or candy bar these days. You won't see him out carving into a steak or biting into a cheeseburger, either. He has completely changed his diet, a process that started during his second year, thanks to the influence of a former teammate.

"Just hanging out with Tony Gonzalez here, he kind of helped me," Jones said of the future Hall of Fame tight end. "Tony stayed away from everything. He didn't eat meats, no beef, no pork, or things like that. I started incorporating that into my diet. I don't eat fried stuff. I don’t eat red meats. And now with stuff like sugar, I don't crave it."

In his seventh season, Jones, 28, believes a stricter diet, plus nine or 10 hours of sleep per night, is the reason he's able to recover faster from the nagging injuries that seem to be a byproduct of his explosive playing style. This season alone, he has appeared on the injury report with back, hip flexor and ankle injuries but hasn't missed a game despite being held out or limited during practices.

Julio Jones believes a stricter diet is the reason he's able to recover faster from the nagging injuries. AP Photo/Eric Gay

One would think an athlete of Jones' caliber would spend his offseason time in the weight room chiseling his body for the rigors of the season. The 6-foot-3, 229-pound Jones insists he doesn't even lift weights unless required to in-season.

"I don't have an offseason workout regimen," Jones said. "I don't lift weights. I don't run. I don't do anything. I let my body rest. I just eat good. I actually eat great.

"To be able to play at a high level, I feel like my turnaround is great, and I can recover quicker, and I think a big part of it has to do with the way I eat."

How strictly does Jones follow his diet? Just listen to his philosophy about seafood:

"I always make sure, with fish, that it's wild-caught and not farm-raised," said Jones, who has an agreement with assistant equipment manager Kenny Osuwah to help him track down the best seafood in cities on the road. "And I've gone organic for the last three, four years. I always tell my mom and my family, 'Listen, if it cost $6 extra to get the organic stuff, get it.' I’d rather save my health for $6.

"You've got to take care of yourself, man. There's a lot of stuff going around here nowadays with cancer and hormones and things like that they're putting in a lot of foods. You've got to be real careful and stay as healthy as possible."

A typical day of meals for Julio Jones Breakfast (7:45 a.m.): Turkey bacon, wheat bread, three eggs scrambled -- eggs not the egg beaters. "I don't like the stuff out the carton," Jones says. "I need to see the egg. I need to see them crack that egg." Snack (10:30-10:45 a.m.): "Before practice, I'll eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich during meetings. Always been that my whole life. I just mix the peanut butter and jelly up. Just something to stick on you when you go out to practice." Lunch: A turkey burger with lettuce and tomatoes with wheat bread. And Gatorade. "Need those electrolytes coming off practice." Dinner (6 p.m.): Seafood (all broiled, none fried). "I'll have my chef come, or I'll try to go somewhere and just eat seafood. I'd go to Oceanaire crab legs, lobster tails. I don't want to eat too much right when I get home." Post-dinner (9 p.m.): "Depends on what mood I'm in. The crab and lobster, that's not going to fill me up. But it's enough to chill, to get me feeling good. But still not something too heavy. Probably some sauteed spinach. Mash potatoes. Just small portion of chicken."

Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan certainly notices the Gonzalez influence on Jones’ diet.

"I don’t see him eating Honey Buns anymore," Ryan said with a laugh. "He takes it pretty seriously. He’s very healthy. After games, he sits next to me on the plane, and so I’ll see him eating fish and stuff like that. He keeps it really clean. He’s just a pro’s pro.

"[Gonzalez] definitely influenced me, too. Having played with him, how passionate he was about nutrition and taking care of himself, but also how productive he was at the age that he was playing and how many years he had played [17]. I think all of us, as younger players at that time, were like, `Man, if he's doing this to play that long and stay at that level, it might be a pretty good idea.'"

Ryan, 32, has altered his diet some himself, cutting down on sugar. The reigning MVP hasn’t missed a game since December 2009.

"Everything I do is trying to keep inflammation out of the body," Ryan said. "I don’t eat much sugar or take in much sugar anymore, which is sad because it’s pretty tasty."

Jones still gets his sweet fix now and then through island fruits-flavored Welch's fruit snacks. But usually his sugar comes naturally these days, thanks to his personal chef.

Listen to the chef

A chance meeting is what united Jones with Bryant "Chef Baul" Williams.

Williams, a self-taught chef, used to sell food inside various recording studios in Atlanta. He was there one day cooking for the rap group Migos, who are close friends of Jones and made the song "11 Birds" as a tribute.

A post shared by Chef Baul (@chefbaul) on Feb 5, 2017 at 7:13am PST

Jones just happened to be in the studio the same day as Williams.

"He couldn’t eat the food that I was cooking for Migos because it was pasta and stuff," Williams said of Jones. "But he bought lemonade and got my phone number. Two weeks later, I was playing Madden, and I got a DM on Twitter from Julio Jones, asking me to cook for him in the morning. Ever since then, we’ve been locked in."

Williams, who started the personal-chef life under rapper 2Chainz, typically cooks for Jones five days a week during the offseason and various evenings throughout the regular season.

"He pretty much gives me free reign to go out and do all the shopping because I kind of know his taste buds," Williams said. "I’ll surprise him with something new now and then."

Williams buys only organic food from either Whole Foods or Publix. He cooks with coconut, olive or palm oil -- imported and unrefined -- and always incorporates fresh herbs, thyme, parsley and garlic in the meals.

Williams said his signature meal for Jones is lamb rib chops topped with an Asian glaze made out of honey. He said Jones is a big salad eater, only if topped with the cilantro-lime vinaigrette dressing Baul makes from scratch. A fruit salad typically consists of papayas, passion fruit, strawberries and blueberries -- all Jones’ favorites.

"He doesn’t eat any flour, any sugar, I mean, nothing processed," Williams said of Jones. "I kind of pay attention to his calories. I make sure he gets more protein from his vegetables.

"He’ll eat chicken every now and then, but not a lot. I’ll make him like a shark omelet for breakfast or a good lobster tail and maybe jumbo shrimp paired with some broccoli or spinach for dinner. Everything we do is grilled."

Jones appreciates the bond established with Williams and how it has helped him maintain healthy eating habits.

Julio Jones is working on a fourth straight season of at least 1,400 receiving yards. AP Photo/Mike McCarn

"We just talk about whatever, foodwise, and whatever I want, let’s do it," Jones said. "As far as the vegetables, he knows I can't mess with squash and mushrooms.

"I really don’t count my calories, but I eat a lot of them, though. My body fat, it’s low. I think when I came back it was like 4 or 6 percent, and I was like 232."

Jones’ body fat percentage is right where he needs it to be -- 4 to 7 percent -- for a wide receiver, according to numbers typically distributed at the NFL combine. His sculpted build earned him recognition as of one of Sports Illustrated’s 50 fittest male athletes.

"It means a lot because we’ve got a lot of guys who are fit in this game," Jones said. "This game can take a toll on you. What comes to mind when you talk about totally fit is longevity and going out there and imposing your will on people.

"You can look good. You can look like Tarzan and play like Jane. But if you’re not going out there and playing how you look, then it’s like, `Why you look like that?’"

That’s food for thought.