The Real-Life Diet of Salt Bae, Who Has Great Abs

The key to becoming a global food icon like Salt Bae? Four hours of sleep, nuts, and jumping rope.

If you've spent any time on Salt Bae's Instagram—and let's be honest, you have—it's a treasure chest of videos involving, but not limited to, meat, fitness, tight white tees, swagger, Diddy, abs, knife acrobatics, and more meat. By all Instagram appearances, the Man Who Became a Meme—real name: Nusret Gökçe—is living the good life. But it left us with some questions. What does a professional meat man eat for a living? And how did a sensual salt sprinkler get in such good shape? So we asked him—and he answered over e-mail, busy as he is running a global steakhouse chain.

What do you eat every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
I take in a lot of protein. For breakfast it's oatmeal usually, sometimes hard-boiled egg whites—never the yolks—with tomatoes and cheese and a piece of toast. I'm typically too busy working in the restaurant during the day to have lunch, but then have a large piece of red meat for dinner with whatever vegetables are around.​

What about for a snack, if you get hungry?
​I do have nuts in the afternoon.​

What's your go-to guilty-pleasure meal?
No meal should make you feel guilty if you eat healthy and exercise regularly.​

How much meat do you actually eat?
​It's not about the amount. I have the amount of protein I need every day to fuel myself. I'm very busy.

How did you first get so interested in meat?
I needed a job to help my family growing up in Turkey. So I became a butcher. And I loved it. So here we are.​

When and how did you learn the signature Salt Bae move?
I've been doing it for a long time, it just came naturally to me.​

What is your daily workout? Or, if it changes every day, what are some of the workouts or exercises you enjoy doing most?
I​ prefer boxing and body-weight work. It gives me the definition and core strength I want. A lot of jumping rope, ropes, anything to not only stimulate muscle but also keep me quick. I have to be fast in the kitchen.

How do you balance your love of food with your desire to keep your body in prime shape?
They go hand in hand. I have to fuel my body to work out, and work out to eat the food I love.​

How do you maintain your fitness and diet on the road, while traveling?
Jumping rope and body weight you can do anywhere. I also love to play soccer.​

Who has been the most interesting or memorable celebrity to come through your restaurant?
​I don’t think about the celebrities in my restaurants—they are just another guest who needs great food and great service.

At the end of each day, I saw you say you do a mental evaluation. What does that look like?
​I review my day and everything that happened in the kitchen before I fall asleep. This way I can always improve.

How much do you sleep?
About 4 hours, sometimes less if it's a busy day in the kitchen. I don't feel exhausted. I think my diet and exercise prevent this.