Here's What Tennis Star Venus Williams Eats in a Day
If you're looking to kickstart a healthy eating routine, look no further for inspo than tennis legend, Venus Williams. The holder of 49 WTA Tour titles in singles, 22 WTA doubles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and one silver medal is just as motivated off the court when it comes to wholesome eating. A nutritious lifestyle has always been a priority for Venus, but a 2011 diagnosis with Sjogren's Syndrome prompted her to switch things up to a plant-based diet.
The athlete wrote in an article for The Beet, where she penned, "Nutrition has always been a big part of my life. But it's become a higher priority, as I've had to overcome an autoimmune disease and the debilitating pain and fatigue that were chronic symptoms. It took a long time for my doctors to figure out what was wrong with me, and then it took nearly as long to come up with effective treatments. There were days when it was hard to get out of bed. But I still wanted to compete on the tennis court. However, with my symptoms, I knew I wasn't going to be able to perform at the level I knew I was capable of, so playing professionally was out of the question until the problem was solved."
Venus Williams Follows a Plant-Based Diet
After switching to plant-based eating, Venus experienced less muscle pain and inflammation. She explained in her The Beet feature, "I started exploring a plant-based diet to help reduce my inflammation and support my immune system, I loved the way it made me feel, so I kept going."
The tennis star has followed a plant-based diet for more than 10 years and shared that she's "never felt better." Venus has more energy and feels she established a healthy balance in her eating patterns.
"I still eat mostly plant-based foods like vegetables and plant-based protein, but I'm not always perfect. It's important to treat yourself from time to time!" Amen to that!
Venus offers some excellent diet advice in a video, saying, "A healthy diet is super important. So if you are out there and you're already not feeling well and you're starting to eat things that are not healthy—lots of sugar, lots of process foods, foods that are not really actually energizing your body. Because, let's keep it basic: Energizing your body is important. It's just like if you go and put the wrong gas in your car. Car's not gonna run. So it's the really same concept with your body. Vegetables and grains. That's also gonna help with that inflammatory process that your body is going through.That's gonna help you a ton."
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Her Go-to Breakfast Smoothie Is Full of Protein Powder and Fresh Berries
For breakfast, Venus typically prepares a fresh, protein-packed smoothie.
"I'm not a big eater in the morning," she shared in her The Beet article. "I don't usually have a ton of time to make something because I'm rushing to practice or meetings. Sometimes I'll make a quick smoothie with fresh berries and a scoop of my Happy Viking protein powder, (probably the strawberry flavor, it's my favorite) and drink this on the go. If I'm craving something sweeter, I'll add two or three dates to the smoothie. I like to take it easy in the morning and don't want to feel rushed."
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Her Lunch Includes Sweet Potatoes With Rice or a Refreshing Green Smoothie
Depending on her schedule, lunch can be anything from sweet potatoes with rice, a green smoothie, or a trip to her favorite vegan restaurant.
"Depending on how much time I have for lunch and what my schedule looks like, my midday meal can vary from sweet potatoes and rice to a green smoothie. It can either be a sit-down lunch at the office or an on-the-go power drink headed to see my physio. My lunch usually fills me up until dinner is ready, and I tend to eat pretty simple meals," she penned. "Sometimes I'll go to one of my favorite vegan restaurants for lunch or a quick snack in the middle of the day. I couldn't live without Christopher's Kitchen strawberry milkshake, it's the best!
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Fresh Oranges and Kale Chips Are Some of Her Snacking Staples
When Venus gets hungry in the middle of the day, she makes sure to grab a healthy, delicious snack.
"I spend a lot of time in Florida so I eat a lot of fresh oranges and citrus for a snack," she wrote. Other snack essentials in Venus's rotation include sliced fruits, flavored nuts, kale chips, and pickled green beans or cauliflower. Another one of the tennis pro's go-to treats is a Crunchy Peanut Butter CLIF Bar and Earth Balance White Cheddar Puffs.
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Her Dinners Are Usually Lentils With a Quinoa Salad or Sautéed Veggies
Venus loves to cook and shared her favorite dinners on The Beet.
"For dinner, I usually whip up some lentils and I add those to a giant salad with quinoa or eat them over sautéed vegetables," she wrote. "Whenever I cook, I aim for something quick yet tasty because I'm so tired at the end of the day, so I don't want to spend much time in the kitchen! But I do like to experiment with different plant-based foods. Sometimes I cook a veggie or lentil burger and season the patty with pink sea salt and garlic powder – two seasonings I can't live without. Or I throw whatever I have from the fridge on top of the burger such as lettuce, onions, and tomatoes, and pair my meal with a Happy Viking protein shake. I love to have the chocolate flavor at night because it tastes like dessert."
She Also Consumes an Alkaline Diet
In addition to being plant-based, Venus also consumes an alkaline diet.
"I'm trying to keep my body as alkaline as possible to avoid long-term health issues, so I stay away from acidic foods like sugar. I try to focus on eating real clean snacks and real ingredients so I always check the ingredients on the back of packages," she shared.
