Hey! My name is Alina Radu and I'm the founder of Artichoke (Meal Planner).

I grew up in Romania but have been living in the UK for the past decade. I have a background in computer science and software engineering (I built the website myself—don’t judge my front-end skills 😅), and I’ve spent most of my career working for Silicon Valley companies in the tech world.

Growing up, I didn’t eat the healthiest foods. Fruits and vegetables were pretty scarce in my diet (which meant very little fibre), and I sometimes even polished off a whole 100g bar of milk chocolate on an empty stomach! 🍫 By the end of winter, I’d be so vitamin A deficient that my hands would crack and bleed. Thankfully, my mum (a now retired GP) was always there to nurse me back to health. ❤️

In my mid to late 20s, I began to pay more attention to my diet and started learning about nutrition. Then, out of pure curiosity, I did a stool test in my early 30s. Good and diverse bacteria was already living in my gut (the good news!) but other tests showed that I had a poor blood sugar control (the bad news 😬). This pushed me to make some immediate changes. I focused on eating more fibre, cutting back on refined carbs, and lowering my sugar intake. And let me tell you, it was LIFE-CHANGING! My energy levels soared to new heights, and it felt amazing.

And that’s how Artichoke was born! I started collecting and crafting these recipes for my family, and now I’m at a point where I can share them with you all—along with Meal Planning functionality to make it easy to plan and cook nutritious meals at home. My mission is to help as many people as possible tap into the benefits of eating for metabolic health, both short and long-term. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll never go back.

When I’m not obsessing over nutrition, I’m usually active. I run, lift weights weekly, and I still watch and play tennis (I played competitively growing up). I’m a member of my local tennis club and train with my coach every week. My husband and I have been to 70+ countries, and I’ve got tons of travel stories to share—maybe another time! 🌍 Tennis and travelling made me learn Spanish which I speak along with English and Romanian.

With Artichoke, I’m excited to embark on this journey of making it easier for anyone to eat nutritiously while optimizing metabolic and gut health. It will change your life for the better. Trust me on this one. 😊