Professional athletes dont get to the top by accident. It takes superhuman levels of time, dedication, and focusand that includes paying attention to what they put in their bellies. In this series, GQ takes a look at what pro athletes in different sports eat on a daily basis to perform at their best. Heres a look at the avocado-heavy daily diet of a BMX star.
With an undying love of the sport of BMX, an outside-the-box vision, and savvy use of social media, Nigel Sylvester has not only created a lane all his on from the traditional BMX route, but has transformed himself into a brand that huge corporations are eager to partner with. Earlier this year, the 29-year-old was named to the Forbes Top 30 under 30 list; an extraordinary feat in its own for a BMX rider, let alone one that doesnt participate in competitions. We caught up with the Queens native as he was set to release the fourth installment of his first-person video series Go!shot in Dubaito discuss the diet that keeps him fueled for a life spent in constant motion.
GQ: You're always on the move, but do you get to sit and enjoy your meals?Nigel Sylvester: I do get to sit and enjoy my meals. I find a lot of pleasure and joy in sitting down and having a good meal. Thats usually one of the few times in the day where I get to be calm for a minute, not riding, in a meeting or doing something. So I enjoy it when I get a chance to sit down and just eat.In your Instagram stories you're always showing off what you eat. Whats a typical breakfast for you?It does vary. Sometimes, breakfast will be a croissant, egg whites, some fruit with either water or a green juice. Thats usually my breakfast. I have a couple go-to spots here in NYC. These are little caf joints that feel like home.While I do see the variety, you do have some places that you frequent. What are some of your personal favorite spots in New York?Theres a spot in Brooklyn called Choice Market right here in Fort Greene. Thats my No. 1 go-to. They have a large selection of good quality food and I might go there for breakfast or lunch. If I dont go to Choice, then Ill go to a spot in the Lower East Side called Forgtmenot and thats convenient because its right next door to the bike shop (Dah Shop) that I always go to. Its a spot where I can grab breakfast, lunch, or dinner, depending on schedule that day. Sometimes, for breakfast, I might be in Queens visiting my family. I may do some saltfish, callaloo and some fry bakes. I dont know if you know what that is, but its a West Indian breakfast. My family is from Grenada. I love eating that because it starts your day off extra right. Im a huge believer in breakfast being the most important meal of the day. I have a demanding schedule and on the move constantly so I need to be properly fueled up.Another spot I frequent is a Soho, NYC staple; thats Rubys Caf. They have a good menu and I usually get a burger and fries, a salad or pasta. Theres also an Italian spot called Pepe Rosso, which is a super dope. Most of the time when Im riding through downtown, Ill stop there, park my bike and go snack on some pasta. I love it there because they dont serve over-the-top portions like a lot of places do.In between lunch and dinner, Im usually riding, trying to catch the sunset or something, so I dont do anything really between there. For dinner, [there are] so many spots I hit. Its a spot in Crown Heights called Gladys and they have great food. Im a big sushi person, so Ill do Blue Ribbon or this spot in Williamsburg called Samurai Mama. They have this sushi bowl and its super good. If Im truly lucky, I can get a home-cooked meal at my parents crib. Thats always a win. Usually, on Sunday afternoons, my mom always throws down. If Im in town, I find my way over there.
You also spend a lot of time in LA. What are some of your favorite spots out there?Some of it is healthy and some of it isnt because I just enjoy eating. Theres a Mexican spot called Escuela Taqueria thats super dope. You cant go to LA without getting Mexican food and its just so good there. I just got introduced to Pressed Juicery when I was there recently and my go to as of now is a green juice with a turmeric shot. Ill do something like that between breakfast and lunch, or Ill do a Clif Bar for a good source of energy between meals when Im on the run. Another spot that I love is Sweetgreens. Its a salad spot and one of my must-haves. I probably eat there about four times a week. Thats my usual lunch and Ill get the Harvest Bowl with avocado. Thats my shit, man [laughs]. Ill eat there whether Im in LA or New York.For dinner, theres Bottega Louie. I might do some In-N-Out because you got to have In-N-Out. One of my best friends Shayan lives in LA and he loves to chef it up, so usually if Im in town, hell throw down. I frequent a lot of different places in LA but Im always trying to make sure Im on the healthy side of things as much as possible. I try to get a salad in at least once a day.
Because of your roots and having a mom who cooks, you dont dabble in the kitchen at all?I mean I could survive [laughs]. But I keep it real basic in the kitchen if I do cook. To tell you the truth, I leave it to the pros to chef it up. My girl throws down super crazy. She also has a very demanding schedule but if she has time, shell hook it up. When I was younger, I would cook a lot more and I dont know why that was. I would make breakfast and I enjoyed the process of baking for some reason [laughs]. Its a random thing but once I learned to bake, I would make cakes, cupcakes and I would find so much enjoyment in doing it. When I started to travel, that slowed way down.With getting to travel and try new things all the time, is there a dish or food that you were hesitant to try initially thats now a favorite?I actually have a funny story about that. With my family being from the Caribbean, avocados are something like a staple in the West Indian diet but I didnt like them for a very long time. It wasnt until I went to Mexico and one of the photographers on the trip made fresh guacamole right in front of me, and I tried it and I fell in love with avocados instantly.Thats similar to how I found myself liking them. It took me seeing someone make guacamole in front of me to start eating them.Ever since that day, I try to eat one a day. Its now one of my favorite things to eat. I love them.Moving away from the healthy side of things, I do know you also like to indulge in an occasional cheat meal here and there. What are some of your favorite spots to grab a treat?One of my favorite spots is Mikey Likes It Ice Cream and thats only when I do want to indulge a little bit. Its also a spot in Brooklyn called Dough Doughnuts. They have the best doughnuts in New York City, hands down. Theyre so good [laughs]. Ill go there probably once a month and get a glazed doughnut when I want to treat myself. I try to limit myself and stay away from the sweets, though.I dont know if you keep track of this or not, but how many hours out of your day is spent on your bike?It varies, man. Certain days, believe it or not, I dont get to ride at all. Other days, Im on my bike five to six hours a day. It really depends on what my schedule looks like between traveling and other obligations. When Im out shooting, Im on my bike all day long. On a normal day, probably two hours or so.With that amount of time riding and doing tricks, you definitely get your cardio in. Outside of that, are you in the gym at all?Nah, I dont lift weights at all. Im more into cardio and calisthenics. I love going to the park and doing, pull-ups, dips, pushups and stuff like that. Ill go back and forth with it. On certain months, Im super on it and other months, Im not just depends on how Im feeling. Thats the extent of what I do as far as working out. Riding is a full-body workout; its a lifestyle sport because my life revolves around work and riding which is a great workout in itself. On any given day, I can ride between three to six miles and thats just riding to different spots. When I get to the spots, I start jumping on and over stuff, going in and that where the real workout start, thus far in life it has kept me in good shape. Thank God.
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The Real-Life Diet of BMX Star Nigel Sylvester - GQ Magazine
