Why Shania Twain Says She Eats Mostly Liquids Before Concerts
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If there’s one quality that’s consistent for Shania Twain, it’s her unflappable attitude. The Ontario-born, ever-evolving “Queen of Country Pop” has made something of a signature out of overcoming adversity time and time again—whether it was country-music purists criticizing her ability to bend genres early in her career, or personal crises like battling vocal issues and Lyme disease. Still, when it comes to staying on the top of her game, the iconic artist isn’t resting on her laurels.
She's in Switzerland when we chat. It's late, and she has already done over two hours of interviews. One might think that she'd be winding down with a glass of wine or getting ready to put her feet up. Not Twain, who opts for a tea as she logs in to the video call with a cheery smile.
Twain is serious about keeping herself focused—and with good reason. Starting April 14, she's going out on tour for nearly seven months straight, making stops across the U.S., U.K., Canada, and beyond in support of her latest album, Queen of Me. A tour de force in stamina and grit, Twain is no stranger to rocking night after night. And she knows that it all starts with fueling up the right way.
In an exclusive interview with Delish, Twain shared her on-tour food diary, from the staple meals that keep her going, to her favorite treats, and much more.
She Sticks To Mostly Liquids Before Shows
Twain mostly sticks to a liquid diet leading up to her performances. “It's a vocal thing and an energy thing and a digestive thing,” she explains. “When you're using your diaphragm a lot, you end up getting really burp-y and bloat-y if you're trying to manage your air after having solids.”
To keep herself energized and full, Twain drinks plenty of nutrient- and protein-dense smoothies. “I love the shakes because if I know I'm not going to have a chance to have a nice meal, because we're in the middle of moving around and packing up bags and all that sort of stuff, I just grab a protein drink,” she says.
Her “root shake”—the staple that she has at least once daily and always before a show—is a protein-rich drink that typically has avocado for satiation, banana for energy, almond milk, and raw spinach. (All of which are her main requests on her backstage rider.) “Sometimes I'll just use a protein powder or I'll use a protein drink that I mix in with the almond milk and it's a good hefty portion," she says.
On the mornings before a show, Twain also starts with her smoothie, as well as tea or coffee made by her husband, Frédéric Thiébaud. “If I wake up earlier than usual on a show day, then I'll treat myself to something with my tea,” she explains. “So I might have an avocado toast. I'll have a papaya, maybe a breakfast croissant, or something like that.”
Throughout the day, Twain works in more protein drinks as well as vegetable-based smoothies. “So, that would have tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, olive oil. It's kind of like making a V8,” she says. “And I put lemon juice in there, some herbs in there, and I make it nice and savory.” Twain also lists soups as one of her favorite go-to lunches on the road, and loves to snack on cheeses for an extra protein boost.
But before taking the stage, she's sure to grab solid food to eat after the show. “We take catering around with us. So everywhere we go, the venue has dinner. And it's a nice environment because everybody gets together and we all change tables different nights depending on what's going on,” she says. “So I’ll go say hi to everybody and then have some iced tea or something and get my to-go plate for after the show.”
On days when Twain doesn’t have a show, she is sure to pack in plenty of snacks, especially favorites like French fries.
She Loves Discovering New Vegetarian Restaurants While On The Road
“I would have to say that my favorite pleasure on the road is discovering new vegetarian restaurants,” says Twain, who has been a vegetarian for years. “It's such a luxury because when you find a good vegetarian restaurant, you can go in there and order anything off the menu and you know it's good.” Twain says that she loves to try scoping out the best vegetarian restaurant in town during her days off, and then “try everything.” She says she especially loves vegetarian restaurants because they inspire her own cooking at home.
As for her go-tos, Twain says that Indian restaurants are always a great option for vegetarians, and names Crossroads in Los Angeles as one of her favorite chic vegetarian restaurants. But her all-time favorite cuisine to seek out on the road? Eritrean food.
“I will always seek out a good Eritrean restaurant. I know that Toronto's got a few good ones. Vegas has a great one, a really great one,” she says. Her go-to order is a mixed vegetable plate that she says is plated on “beautiful bread” and meant to be eaten with your hands. “They give you a little bit of warm salad, like lettuce and carrots in there and onions. And then you've got the lentils that are great,” she says. “Anywhere in the world, I always look for that."
She Loves To Cook (When She Can)
“I love nesting. And so cooking is a good away-from-home thing to do,” Twain says. When she's at a tour stop for a few days, Twain says she'll often book a hotel room with a kitchenette and grab a few groceries to make “things that are easy to just put together in a hotel room” like avocado toast or pasta.
Pasta is a go-to for Twain when she’s on the road and at home. “My family loves pasta and I never make the same pasta twice. That's the beauty of pasta,” she says, naming recipes like tomato-based pasta sauces, wine sauces, mixed vegetable pasta dishes, cheese sauces, and spicy Arrabiata dishes.
Of course, when Twain doesn’t have a kitchenette, her blender is her best friend on tour. “I rely a lot on the blender on the road,” she says, whether it’s smoothies or soups. “It's a big part of it because the kitchens are not greatly equipped.”
However, Twain isn’t afraid to admit that her blender can also be her worst enemy on the road. “No traveling food experience has ever gone without forgetting to put the lid on the blender,” she laughs. “I'm sure it'll happen again. I never learn. The worst is when the lid is off, and you are still in the way. And now you got to get ready for a show and you've got gunk in your ear.”
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