Ravens tight end Mark Andrews is coming off a career year: Lamar Jackson's favorite target racked up 107 receptions for 1,361 yards and nine touchdowns last season. That was an NFL-best for tight ends and was good enough set the all-time Ravens franchise record for yards and receptions by a player at any position. 

And while just about every athlete performing at this level is thoughtful about their diet, Andrews has to deal with some extra complications: he has Type 1 diabetes. For the 1.4 million Americans who receive the news from their doctor each year, the news can be tough—controlling the disease can require some major adjustments to diet and lifestyle. But thanks to a great support system and a competitive nature that has driven him throughout life, Andrews has not only become one the NFL's top players, but also an inspiration to those who share the diagnosis. 

Ahead of his fifth year, the All-Pro spoke with GQ to discuss how technology has helped make managing diabetes a little easier, how he collaborates with his family and trainers to monitor himself, and the full-body effects he gets from eating a little cleaner.

For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.

GQ: You are clearly not thinking of diabetes as something that would limit you in life. 

Mark Andrews: I’ve always been someone that was huge into sports, and I’ve always been a competitive person. I remember that I got diagnosed when I was going to a soccer tournament and my parents were just deathly afraid for me. I was nine years old, and I was kind of ignorant of what was going on. But on the way over there, my blood sugar was about 400—or something just super high. I couldn’t get it back down. My mom and dad didn’t know if I should play, but I knew I was going to. I went out there and scored about three goals in that game. 

I have just kind of always been someone that just goes out there and attacks. You can think about the “Why me? Why did I get this?” When you dwell on that, you’re dwelling on things that you can’t control. I like to control the controllables, attack what I can attack, and just try to approach each day with a positive mindset of I’m going to get better, I’m going to do something that’s positive and not dwell on something that I can’t change. 

How long did it take before you had a full understanding of how you would need to take care of yourself?

Being a Type 1 diabetic is obviously incredibly hard. I was very fortunate to have a great family as a support group. My dad is a doctor and he is very knowledgable about it. My mom did a lot of homework and has always been there for me. I also have great siblings—I have this great support group and I think that allowed me to ease into things. 

It was probably after a couple of years after I was diagnosed that I could be fully sustainable and really do it by myself. That was the challenge for me when I was younger. It’s not that I didn’t need my parents or my brother or sister, but I wanted to be able to do that for myself—to be able to take care of myself, for myself. I would say it took a couple of years before I felt comfortable where I could be away from home for extended periods of time. Even now, I enjoy having them involved in my business. I think the more eyes you have on you as a Type 1 diabetic, the better and the safer you’re going to be. I think it’s beautiful that they’re there for me and they’re always looking out for me. 

How much easier has technology made managing things for you?

Technology has come a long way. I can’t imagine playing in the NFL even 20 years ago. It would be really tough. I’ve been fortunate to be able to have all of this beautiful technology. I wear a Dexcom and a Tandem pump, and those two together are awesome. They make my life easier, and I don’t know where I would be without having that technology in my life. It’s allowed me to be able to compete and flourish at the highest level in the NFL. It’s something I rely on, and it’s made my life easier. 

You family has access to your data. Do you get bugged when it comes to your levels?

[Laughs] I don’t get mad or anything—but I do get annoyed sometimes. My mom and dad’s one word for me is “sugar.” They’ll just text me that and I’ll go and eat some sugar. 

Your trainers also have access to that data. 

It’s huge. I’m so blessed to be in Baltimore and to have the trainers that we have. I share my Dexcom with Ron Medlin (the Ravens’ senior assistant athletic trainer), so he sees my numbers all the time. I have a guy named Mike Thomas, who carries my phone around throughout practice so I’m able to see my blood sugar number and he’s checking them to make sure I’m good. He’s somewhat managing my diabetes for me, which is pretty impressive. It makes my life easier, so when I’m on the field, I don’t have to think about my diabetes, and I can just focus on football. I have another guy named Colin Frances who helps make my diabetes bags. So, when I’m on the road, they carry a bag for me in case I may go low on supplies. I call it my d-bag. 

These bags are also with you on the sidelines. What are some of the snacks you keep around? 

When I’m at home, I do a lot of orange juice. Since I’ve been little I’ve been eating fruit snacks. I used to carry around a diabetes bag when I was little, and I used to have a bunch of fruit snacks in there and I still have those all around the house. Those are some of the things I use to get my numbers back in check. 

When a person without diabetes hears that someone’s sugar is high or low, they know it’s not good, but they don’t know how serious it is if they can’t see physical effects. Can you explain how both of those affect you?

That’s such a good question—I don’t think I’ve been asked that before. Being low is just this jittery, weak feeling, and at times, you can feel goofy. It changes you a little bit, like, your personality. You just feel off depending on how low you get. Obviously, when you get super low, you know something is wrong because you’re either about to pass out or you’re really struggling. 

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The highs differ. I can usually smell the high, which is a weird thing to say [laughs]. It’s like ammonia or something similar to that. After that, it’s just the feeling of being lethargic. 

Being a Type 1 diabetic, there are a lot of things that are involved. Every day isn’t the same, but the more I have a routine with what I’m eating and drinking, the better. I know how many carbs, how much sugar is in each food, the amount of protein that I’m getting, and I know the way that it is going to affect my body. I’m able to manage that and give myself insulin before that to a very precise level. It also helps my body. I know when my body feels strong and healthy, usually my diabetes is better, too. 

What’s a typical breakfast, lunch and dinner look like for you?

First, I start the day with a Rockin’ Protein. I’ll have a banana, some eggs and some oatmeal. That’s my morning routine. Usually, I’ll go to a workout, and I’ll have another Rockin’ Protein. Obviously, I spend a lot of calories, do a lot of things throughout the day and I’m a pretty big person that needs a lot of protein. My lunch is usually a bit lighter. I’ll have some rice, chicken, and some fruit before we go to practice. After practice, it’s another Rockin’ Protein. For dinner, I try and stay clean but it’s definitely my biggest meal because I have to replace what I’ve lost. My go-to is rice, salmon, or chicken. A salad, preferably, especially if I had fruit earlier. Before I go to bed, I’m having another Rockin’ Protein. 

With all the data you have from a performance perspective, has there been a food you had to eliminate because of how it made you feel?

I’ve noticed that I do better eating salmon, chicken, and turkey. I think I’m a little slower if I’m eating red meat and I have a game the next day. I don’t think I’m as fast or twitchy if I don’t eat a bit cleaner. I think red meat does weigh me down and that’s me being super picky and hyper-focused on my body. But I don’t have too many things that affect me like that.

What is a game day ritual you have to do to make sure you’re comfortable when you step on the field?

I’m somewhat of a superstitious person. I wake up and my main thing is my mental. I try to keep my mental right. I try and think about the right things and to try and do the right things. I thank God for putting me in the situation that I am. To get to play this beautiful sport for a living and be able to have my last name on the back of a jersey is an incredible thing. There’s so much that I’m able to play for, so many people that I’m able to play for. There’s an entire diabetes community that I’m able to carry with me. On game days, I’m able to think about that but also do the right things when I keep my numbers in check. When it’s game day, that’s my job. I have a duty to myself to play at the highest level and to show people they can do it with Type 1 diabetes also. I’m very aware of what’s going on with my body and I’m super locked in on those days.

What is your central message to those with diabetes? 

If you just gotten diagnosed and you’re struggling, just know that you’re not alone, which is most important. There are other people that are going through the same thing that you’re going through. It’s going to be a change and there are things in your life that are going to be different, and you might be a little different than someone else, but that’s O.K. Just keep on going, keep on fighting each and every day. Don’t lose that fight or hunger. 

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