My background as an athlete started in high school when I began competitive cycling. By the time I graduated high school I earned three gold medals in cycling in my country, Iran. However, I became interested in lifting and bodybuilding during strength training and conditioning for cycling, and ultimately, I left cycling behind and poured my focus into competitive bodybuilding—spending 6 days a week at the gym and altering my eating to fit the inflexible food regime needed to achieve a high muscle mass and low body fat composition. This meant doing my food shopping, meal planning, cooking, and weighing my food to ensure I was eating the correct amount of each nutrient. When I stuck to the meal plan, I marveled at the outcome-- my physical performance improved markedly. Although difficult—my efforts paid off. At the age of 22, I earned first place in the national bodybuilding competition in Tehran, the capital of my country, Iran. In addition to this honor, the experience was the beginning of my journey to understand the role of food in our lives—no matter how hard we exercise or how good our genetics are—our bodies can only take us so far without a proper diet.