If you’ve ever wondered if posting pictures of food on Instagram is a waste of your time, look no further than Joe Castro of @cookeatlift notoriety to prove yourself wrong.
The 22-year-old from Inland Empire, Calif., first joined the photography platform three years ago to keep himself accountable while trying to lose weight. “I don’t really know what caused it,” he says of his decision to make a change. “It just clicked. One day I decided to start eating better and stop the junk food.”
He ate clean, relying primarily on chicken breasts and veggies, for a year. He then switched to the Macros diet (a plan that allows you to eat whatever you want as long as you stay within a certain calorie range and a specified percentage of protein, carbs, and fat). Along the way, he photographed his healthy meals and the occasional selfie to show how his body was being transformed—first through cardio, then through weight-lifting.
A self-taught cook, Castro often reworked versions of his favorite cheat foods to fit his new lifestyle, be it in the form of a pancake ice cream sandwich, a chocolate-chocolate chip protein brownie, or red velvet peanut butter truffles. As his photography and food styling skills improved, word about his mouth-watering food porn spread and his Instagram follower count grew steadily.
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Meanwhile, he attended community college, dabbling in everything from psychology to computer science and criminal justice, unable to decide on what to focus on. Before he was forced to choose, Los Angeles-based Quest Nutrition came knocking. He accepted a full-time nutrition media chef position with the company in October.
Castro now works out for an hour—a combination of upper body, lower body, and cardio—every morning, Monday through Friday, before embarking on a two-hour commute to Quest Nutrition’s headquarters. There, he develops, tests, photographs, and posts “epic” recipes that take bodybuilding products to another level.
Ham and Cheese Panini
“We’ve started to ‘Questify’ stuff,” says Castro, who shares chef duties at the company with his twin brother, Paul, also on Instagram as @healthnutlife. “I really enjoy doing things that are crazier. You know FoodBeast? I want to do a healthier version of that.”
Every Quest Nutrition recipe must incorporate its products, be comprised of at least 20 percent protein, and keep carbs below 15 grams per serving. When frying, coconut oil must be used. Fair enough…but do the eats taste as good as they look onscreen? Castro emphatically says “Yes.” But before the photos are released on the @questcooking Instagram account, his colleagues sample the goods and confirm they’re up to par. If not, it’s back to the company’s kitchen for more tinkering.
Castro prefers baking to cooking, a preference confirmed by a quick perusal of his Instagram account, which is packed with sweet-tooth temptations like a giant chocolate chip cookie topped with mini cookies, a doughnut stacked with bacon and drippy maple glaze, and churros topped with warm chocolate hazelnut spread.
Sugar-Free Cookies with Melted Chocolate and Marshmallows
While Castro still sticks to whole, natural foods during the week, he lets loose on the weekends and indulges in the most outrageous and photogenic foods SoCal has to offer, like a spicy fried chicken breast sandwich at Birdies, a Milky Bun at Afters Ice Cream, or a grilled Nutella banana croissant at Dialog Café. “I like to go out with my girlfriend and try new foods to see what’s out there, to see what’s creative, and get ideas for what I can do here at Quest Nutrition,” he says.
Over 25k people now follow the @cookeatlift account. In addition to posting consistently, this social media influencer says the key to his popularity is the way he captures food. “People really like the close-up shots, right up in their face, where they can almost taste it,” he says.
Spicy Fried Chicken Breast Sandwich at Birdies
As for Castro, he’s lost 60 pounds since embarking on his Instagram food porn adventure. “I knew it would better if I lost weight,” he says. “It’s better now, for sure.” That’s what we call the sweet taste of success.
