Serena Williams is pure body-confidence goals. But when she's not on the court,
she's working hard to always keep her head in the game. So how does she do it? By eating well — and
indulging when she wants. Here's what's typically on the menu for this tennis star.
Serena Williams might have landed the iconic Wheaties Box in 2019,
but this world class athlete doesn't wake up early for a big, hearty breakfast. As Vanity Fair noted,
"[Serena] is not a morning person and usually doesn’t eat breakfast."
Still, during the Italian Open in 2015, a breakfast buffet basically changed her life.
When the hotel dining room closed just as she arrived,
Williams instead sat by the pool to order a sit-down meal. And as fate would have it,
it was there that she met her future husband, Reddit co-founder, Alexis Ohanian.
"Alexis, you may kiss Serena, your bride."
We can only guess that these two proud parents are more than happy to wake up
for breakfast with their daughter Olympia. When asked about her pre-match go-to grub,
Williams revealed to Glamour,
"Usually I can't [eat]. And I haven't been able to figure out why — it must be nerves!"
"For me, it was like, 'I have to win these matches. I have to do well in this tournament.'"
Before a match just prior to her interview, she explained that she did eat a baked potato
and a little turkey sausage to fuel her game. And while she still hasn't adapted
to chowing down before competition, when she does manage to take in some calories,
she tries to find a solid balance between protein and carbs for optimum performance.
Williams may occasionally opt for animal protein, but these days she's dipped a toe into the vegan
life. Well, maybe pseudo-vegan. After having her daughter in 2017, Williams explained that
she wanted to lose some weight and focus on healthy eating. She told The New York Times,
"I went vegan for 44 days. But now, I'm vega-tarian."
Her sister Venus has also started following a loosely vegan diet.
And as Serena told Bon Appétit,
"Venus calls us 'chegan' — because we cheat with a little bit of fish and chicken. […] For me,
green' used to mean 'yuck.' But I've incorporated a lot of raw things in my diet."
Williams prioritizes healthy eating, but that doesn't mean she's going to
give up her favorite foods. In fact, she doesn't even try to eat healthy when she's
in South Carolina for the Family Circle Cup tournament. She explained to Fitness Magazine,
"I eat shrimp and grits with butter on top, fried chicken, and, oh, do I eat the fried hush puppies!
And the banana pudding. […] I let myself go that whole week and then another week after that."
"Now I would say these are barbecue.
Definitely barbecue."
Williams typically works out insanely hard, and her body can clearly handle
just about anything she throws at it. But even so, she admitted,
"[I] can't take cheat days too often because my cheat days are usually cheat months!"
While she might be too jazzed up to eat before a match, the same does not apply after Williams has
crushed it on the court. And especially if she wins, all bets are off when it comes to healthy
choices. One of her preferred celebratory meals, for example, is pizza. According to Glamour she
typically goes for just cheese, and her favorite pie comes from Bella Vita in New York City.
When it comes to indulging off her usual training meal plan,
Williams says she'll have a few bites of something she loves, if she wants it. She confessed,
"I had fries with lunch today. No, I didn't eat them all, but I'm not going to deprive myself."
It appears that this champion athlete's talents extend beyond the court, to the kitchen. And she
enjoys making all sorts of meals for her family and friends. She told Bon Appétit,
"For years, I was always making gumbo for everyone. My other go-to dishes are
something I call a 'seven-bean delight.' […] Everyone loves my roasted chicken with garlic
[and] for a minute, it was my turkey tacos. Now it's vegan sushi. I just love to cook!"
"I'm not great, but I love cooking and I always try different recipes."
Williams says she learned to enjoy preparing meals because of her family. She shared,
"I grew up watching my mom in the kitchen, that's how I know anything about cooking."
Despite being a world-renowned athlete, Williams has always wanted to take culinary classes. For
now, though, the star picks up tips from the pros, like Emeril Lagassé, Bobby Flay, and Morimoto.
As you would probably expect, Williams keeps a well-stocked
and healthy fridge. And as she told Bon Appétit,
"My fridge is really just vegan: coconut water,
Gatorade (my favorite!), cucumbers, mint, kale, vegetables, ginger, and wheatgrass."
"Growing up, my mom would — she was really into healthy eating,
so if we had snacks, we literally would go in the refrigerator and grab a apple or a carrot."
But there are a few things you'll never,
ever find anywhere near her kitchen. Along with tomatoes, she noted,
"I hate avocados. The texture is so yucky in my mouth."
And despite enjoying Japanese food,
she also claims there's one delicacy she just can't handle. She says,
"I can't do those fish eggs that are really fat, big, and orange. I don't like those."
"You can only eat one thing forever. What is it?"
"You guys know I'm gonna say 'tacos.' You set me up with that."
For being as driven and dedicated as we know her to be, Williams has proven that even she
is always working to balance healthy eating with enjoying her food. She once posted to Facebook,
"I want tacos. Every day I want tacos. I don't know what to do?
Is there help for someone that wants to eat tacos every day?"
Williams explained why she's so obsessed with the food, telling USA Today,
"I grew up next to all of these Mexican families and we were close with them when I was little,
we were friends. I think that's where my love for tacos comes from."
Williams also claims she makes the best tacos,
but when it comes to revealing her secret to fans, she jokes,
"You know I don’t talk about my taco recipes. […] I don't taco 'bout it."
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