English Arabic Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Esperanto French German Hindi Latvian Luxembourgish Malayalam Maltese Norwegian Portuguese Russian Spanish Tajik

Bayan Sharafi

Name: Bayan Sharafi
Occupation: Personal Trainer/Studio Drummer
Home Gym, city and province: GoodLife Sunridge, Calgary, Alberta
Cooking style: Healthy, made-from-scratch

Why did you decide to start making healthy recipes?
To help and show people that you can have variety and amazing flavours with healthy foods. I really love getting creative and making foods that fit within your daily caloric intake, but also supply nutritious ingredients and satisfy your taste buds. Plus, I just love coming up with new, healthy recipes. It’s very exciting!

What do you think is the reason #CleanEating is so popular? 

I think people are starting to see the amazing benefits of clean eating and taking time to supply their bodies with clean fuel, and with all the social media, there’s a lot of guidance on how to eat clean. So, it’s nice to see a lot more people are beginning to prep meals for themselves and make healthier food choices. Seventy percent of your fitness results come from your eating, so just by understanding and taking the time to eat more nutritious foods, you’re already making gains.

What is your greatest success or transformation story in the health/fitness industry? 

I was chubby and bullied growing up, and I had no confidence in myself. I moved to Calgary after high school for engineering and decided to get a gym membership. I hired a trainer and began a fitness journey that forever changed my life. I fell in love with exercise and the mental strength it gave me. I trained myself for a fitness competition, quit university a year before graduating, and became a trainer. I went from a chubby 200 pounds down to 140 pounds and back up to a fit 200 pounds. That transformation has helped me guide, educate, inspire, and motivate a lot of people and that means a lot to me. Also it led me to become top 10 for Canada’s Best Protein Chef, and I can’t even explain how unreal that is.

Why do you think you can rep Optimum Nutrition like a boss? What do you love about the brand?

I know I can rep Optimum Nutrition like a boss because I’ve been using their products almost every day for over a year. I currently use their Protein Powders, ZMA, Flax Seed Oil Capsules and Amino Energy Powder. They’re the best supplement products I’ve used, and that’s why I’ve never changed brands after that. Also, their protein powder works amazing for baking! I love Optimum Nutrition’s variety when it comes to supplements and quality. I’ve never been disappointed with their products. I used to get nightmares when I took ZMA from the previous brand; now I sleep like I’m on a cloud of love. You’ve won me for life, Optimum Nutrition!

Why should YOU be Canada’s Best Protein Chef? 

Because making creative, magically delicious protein food recipes is what I love doing every day. Every day for the last year and a half, I would take time to brainstorm and come up with the most creative combination of foods to make healthy dishes or protein snacks that would fit your macros, make your mouth water, and supply you with immense flavour. I even carry a book of recipe ideas in my fanny pack (yes, I wear a fanny pack ‘cause it’s cool.) I didn’t know there was such thing as a Best Protein Chef Challenge, and when I saw that MUSCLE INSIDER was hosting this kind of competition, I got extremely excited and full of butterflies, because this is something that I can actually win because of how passionate I am about it. I’m ready to take it to the next level and make some life-changing, healthy creations!

What is your favourite Optimum Nutrition product and why?

I’d definitely have to say the Essential Amino Energy Powder. I used to always drink Gatorade as an intra-workout or post-recovery beverage, but ever since I started using Amino Energy a year ago, that’s all I need. It provides me with essential nutrients during exercise for faster recovery and hydration. I also mix it with my protein powder to gain the full advantage of all nine essential amino acids. Also, I love making amino jello with ON’s BCAA products.

Check Bayan out online on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!