I’m hooked on the clean eating dishes from EATbyalex

Have you heard of clean eating? We are living in a world with an abundance of food, yet somehow eating has become stressful.

Just listening to cravings, but not your body can result in feeling bloaty and stuffed in an uncomfortable way. Clean eating is the answer to such problems. It’s all about eating the fresh seasonal vegetable with healthy proteins and nuts. Unlike typical image of diet, that you have to starve or eat less- EATbyalex provides 5-day clean eating programs created by Alex.

How the EATbyalex clean eating program works

Before we dig in to the program, let me introduce you to Alex. She is a plant-based chef specializing in raw foods, calling Zürich her home. Finding what inspires her in life, she listened to her heart and studied culinary arts at Plantlab in Los Angeles. Naturally, Alex has always called herself a foodie.

I first met Alex at one of the pop-up dinners hosted at Museum Rietberg, featuring Maison Manesse. The idea of the pop-up event was to share the amazing effects of whole and plant-based foods - and to spread happiness. I learned that Alex offers cooking workshops and a clean eating program for people in Zürich and surrounding areas.

The program includes dishes that are ready-to-eat, 100 percent natural with no refined sugars.

All ingredients are organic and plant-based, and there are a variety of healthy nuts full with good fat. EATbyalex offers two programs, Lean and Strong. Lean is for those who would like to try out clean eating, resetting food consumption patterns and energize themselves.

Strong is a good fit for those with a fast metabolism and those who work out regularly. Each program is designed for weekdays from Monday to Friday. You can either get delivery to your home or to the office. Alternatively, pick up your meals at the kitchen lab on Langstrassse 62 in Zürich.

I had the chance to try out the lean program by EATbyalex for a week

The daily program consists of a nutritious breakfast, a whole food lunch and a cleansing dinner. Also, there is a nice immune booster shot, a power treat and supplements. Alex provides a guideline for recommended drinks and condiments to add on, as well as healthy snacks. The entire point is to carefully listen to one's body - it will tell you what you need.

Each meal was creative, and there were no two meals alike. Some days, the recipes were a bit too much on the healthy side or a bit too experimental. But I always enjoyed the pleasant surprises of flavors or ingredients I had never tasted. Thanks to a Whatsapp chat, I was able to share my opinions about each meal with Alex and fellow program participants.

To illustrate what a day's clean eating program looks like, here is my favorite one:

• Nutritious breakfast: Activated almonds, oats, medjool dates, hemp seeds, raw vanilla, Himalayan salt
• Immune booster shot: Coconut water, Apple cider vinegar, Himalayan salt, oregano oil
• Whole food bowl: Buckwheat, Eggplants, cucumber, castelfranco, tamari almonds, miso dressing
• Power treat: Oats, almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, aronia berries, birnel
• Cleaning dinner: Cauliflower, basmati rice, peppers, tomatoes, coconut, spinach, curry spices

I loved this week-long journey on the Lean program of EATbyalex. Though I must admit that on the first two days, I had headaches. This is a natural reaction to cutting caffeine and cleansing out the body. As Wednesday approached, headaches weakened and I felt energetic enough for yoga and boot camp!

Thanks to not counting the calories and consuming plant proteins with good fats from nuts, seeds and cold-pressed oils, my body was happy. The portions were generous and I appreciated the act of chewing and feeling the flavor of each bite.

Would you like to try EATbyalex yourself? Mention "Haewon" when you order and you will get 25 francs off. (Available for new customers only.)

(For the purpose of this review, Alex has provided her five-day program free of charge. Haewon topped it off by buying an additional package. All photographs copyright EATbyalex)