Knowing how to formulate a healthy diet that fits your individual needs is increasingly important for women as they get older, as aches and pains that never used to bother them become a part of their everyday existence.
While a healthy diet alone cannot completely eradicate such pain and discomfort there are plenty of studies and personal testimonies out there that show a balanced and controlled diet can make all the difference.
And who better to take diet advice from than professional female sports athletes? Throughout their careers, they have needed to show restraint and dedication when it came to saying no to that extra helping of dessert or that additional little glass of wine, so that they could perform at their best and reassure sports bettors and fans backing them in the bleachers and at recommended and popular sportsbooks.
Here we take a look at what the everyday person can glean from the eating and drinking habits of some of the world’s most successful female athletes, who continue to dominate both headlines and odds lines, online and around the globe.
3 Delicious Foods and Drinks That Female Sports Stars Swear By
Pulses and beans are often a far healthier option than food stuffs like rice and pasta. They are also much better for the environment as they require less water to cultivate
Naomi Osaka
Tennis players find it particularly difficult to maintain a healthy and balanced diet because their job requires them to jet to all four corners of the Earth throughout the year. However, that does not stop Naomi Osaka from ensuring she gets all the vitamins and minerals her body requires via what are known as Rainbow Bowls (bowls of vegetables with colors that resemble the rainbow), as well as vegetable and fruit smoothies.
Aside from these all-in-one solutions to taking in as many healthy nutrients as possible, Osaka ensures she starts the day right by tucking into a breakfast consisting of light dishes like avocado bagels. Her one enduring weakness is for green tea ice cream, but even that is a healthier option than other calorific flavors such as chocolate or bubble-gum.
Women tennis players are always on the lookout for nutrients and super foods that can be added to their diet to improve their on-court performance and post-match recovery
Megan Rapinoe
Rapinoe is one of the greatest female footballers ever to tie a pair of boots and, aside from her footballing exploits, she has become an avid campaigner for a multitude of good causes. All this means that she must keep her diet on point to fuel herself correctly throughout the day. The main thing she attempts to cut entirely from her diet is dairy, be that milk, cheese, or yoghurts. However, this does not mean that lean meats are off her menu, as she opts for healthy dishes that include the likes of chicken breast and even bison steaks.
Added to all this she indulges in female sports energy bars, carefully selecting those that are low in sugar but high in other substances that can give her a natural boost during tough training sessions. Just remember that snacks are only really required if you are training as hard as Rapinoe, otherwise the carbs and proteins in such bars simply transition into unwanted fat.
Rose Namajunas
Thug Rose, as she is known in the wacky world of the UFC as one of the best female sports stars, is a shining light in the otherwise testosterone drenched martial arts scene and is known for her Zen approach to combat. She applies this same relaxed approach in her meal prep, ensuring she cuts as many artificial sugars from her diet as possible as well as including home cooking rather than indulging in pre-made dishes and takeaways.
She is also an advocate of growing her own produce, regularly gorging on homegrown tomatoes from her garden as well as baking bread, the latter being something she only occasionally indulges in. This all goes to show that even one of the toughest women on the planet realizes that strength comes from eating natural produce that is grown as close to home as possible.