• Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Screen Kings
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · Lifestyle

Exclusive: Serena Williams Says Venus Motivated Her To Embrace A More Plant-Based Diet

The sports legend on her campaign with JUST Egg and how plant-based, healthier eating is the key to her longevity on and off the court.
Exclusive: Serena Williams Says Venus Motivated Her To Embrace A More Plant-Based Diet
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images
By Aley Arion · Updated June 2, 2022

Tennis star Serena Williams is showing us how she keeps her body fueled off the court in a new campaign for plant-based food brand JUST Egg. 

The food-tech company, best known for its tasty egg alternative, has tapped Williams as the face of its latest ad campaign, “Really Good Eggs,” showing how she makes the plant-based brand part of her healthy lifestyle. Behind the camera, she’s also an investor in Eat Just Inc.

“I invest in things. I saw JUST Egg pop up a while ago and I thought it was super sustainable,” she tells ESSENCE. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is quite interesting…’ and then I thought, ‘Nah, it’s got to be impossible.’ Then when I tried it, I was like, no, this isn’t impossible, this is incredible.’”

Williams has been incorporating plant-based food alternatives into her diet for over 10 years, beginning when her sister Venus was diagnosed with Sjögren’s Syndrome.

“I started trying [plant-based foods] years ago. The reason I started was because my sister, Venus, was diagnosed with Sjögren’s, and when we lived together, she changed her diet,” she shares. “I remember thinking, ‘I can’t bring all this bad food into the house,’ so I changed my diet as well. I realized that I didn’t feel weaker, I didn’t feel like [my body] was missing something, and I actually had a lot of energy.”

Exclusive: Serena Williams Says Venus Motivated Her To Embrace A More Plant-Based Diet
JUST Egg

As of April, JUST Egg has sold the plant-based equivalent of 250 million eggs, saving 9.1 billion gallons of water, avoiding 43.6 million kilograms of CO2e, and sparing 13,446 acres of land, proving how plant-based alternatives not only have long-lasting benefits on our health but on the environment as a whole. 

“I’m not 100% plant-based, but I’ve watched a lot of these documentaries, and they talk about how if everyone cuts back a day or a week, or maybe two days a week, what a difference it can make. And that really spoke to me in terms of how we can do better for the environment,” she says. 

Over the years, Williams has been open about how she’s overcome challenges with her health as an athlete and mother to her 4-year-old daughter, Olympia, whom she shares with her tech entrepreneur husband, Alexis Ohanian. Williams has made healthy living a family affair, sharing how making homestyle recipes with JUST Egg has opened her family’s mind up to eating more plant-based meals.

“There’s something I love called a Spanish omelet that you can make with potatoes, JUST Egg, and vegetables,” she shares. “It’s really, really nice!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Serena Williams (@serenawilliams)

As the 40-year-old world-class athlete looks to keep her body in top shape even when she’s not competing, enjoying the meals she can make with JUST Egg, she’s also practicing self-care as a means to prioritize her wellbeing and keep her mind in tip-top shape too.

“A lot of people say you have to put yourself first, but I think you have to take breaks and understand the word ‘no’ sometimes. It’s very powerful,” she says. “Take breaks; whether it’s going to get a facial, foot massage, pedicure, or going to look at nature. Whatever that break is, it’s important to let go, heal, and recharge.”

As Williams looks to the future of her living and lasting legacy as one of the greatest athletes of all time, prioritizing her overall health has been a winning strategy.

“It’s enabled me to leave a longer legacy than I ever thought or could have imagined — in terms of having longevity,” she adds. “It’s all about sustainability. And I think that’s the biggest legacy anyone can leave. It’s all about helping others for tomorrow.” 

TOPICS:  plant based diet Serena Williams
COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now