I am Samira Kazan, founder of AlphaFoodie – a Plant-based Instagram account that holds a mix of food artistry, experimentation, and culinary curiosity. This includes smoothie bowls, breakfasts, treats, and more (with lots of natural rainbow-colored food, avocados, and tropical fruits). Because everyone deserves to eat like a king!
It’s amazing how everything has developed during the two years I have been on Instagram, especially as it all started with me just photographing my own food art to share with friends. I suffered from severe mid-morning hunger pangs and loss of focus whilst doing my senior post-doctoral research so I wanted a way to keep focused in a healthy way and began to experiment with all sorts of new, exciting super-food ingredients I never heard of before like chia seeds, quinoa and other health foods (lots and lots of avocados always please!). Soon I realized that this could be healthy, delicious, and beautiful and I wanted to share this with friends online to encourage them to try these delicious foods too.
As someone who has a passion for maths and science (Oxford graduate with a doctorate degree in Engineering Science), I love bringing science into my edible art (a lot of mathematical patterns were inspired by a love for Mathematics); I use a lot of pastel colors and shapes in my smoothie bowls and, more recently, I’ve loved experimenting with dry ice – 10-second nice-cream anyone? Yumm! I also am obsessed with flowers so always have a fridge stocked with edible flowers for my colorful artworks. Another thing that I love doing and it's generating a lot of attention from the online community is the love for aloe vera (I started a series and one of my episodes was watched by more than 6 million people)! People look forward to the aloe vera videos and ask for them on daily basis (series 10 currently).
I’ve always gone by the 80/20 rule – 80% of the time I will try to eat healthy, balanced meals, and the other 20% I like to go a little wild and enjoy whatever I like so you’ll see a mix of the two of my feed.
People are becoming more in touch with their food on an aesthetic level and it’s lovely to be able to inspire other people to incorporate healthy, beautiful elements into their own dishes. The saying: we eat with our eyes first is so true! In my case camera first.
More info: Instagram | alphafoodie.com
This post may include affiliate links.
This is breathtaking; the strawberry contrasts really nicely with the other frozen fruit!
You know what's like really funny it's not your work it's a vegan teens work.... hahaha funny right
The light frost on all these berries lends a nice touch, what is that from?
(1/2) Oh, hi! It's me again - your friendly reality check! First of all congratulations on the nice pictures. Creative ideas, pretty colour-schemes, everything looks very refreshing and positively delicious! A bit heavy on the pitaya maybe, but hey, we all have our favourites, haven't we? But! BUT! There's always a but nowadays, is there? It really seems to me like they don't teach you what to put in your face and what not in Oxbridge any more, do they? So...pull yourself away from instagram for a second, sit down and listen, class is in session! #3 Hypericum inodorum berries: Looks pretty in pink but contains a bunch of bitter compounds which make them completely inedible #22 Hydrangea macrophylla: Depending on the breed they contain cyanides, saponins and other toxic substances. They are also taste very bitter. #24 Sedum: Contains a group of toxic alkaloids in a low concentration...or a higher one if you happen to get the wrong breed.
(2/2) #19/32 Symphoricarpos: This is the first "Are you actually out of your mind" one. I mean...seriously? About ten berries should be enough to induce nausea and vomiting. Ingestion over a longer period can ruin your stomach lining. This goes especially for children and pregnant women. There is a reason why they were used as laxative and emetic...They also can cause irritation if you have sensible skin. #39 Oxypetalum coeruleum: What about this flower did not give away that it might be really, REALLY toxic? The biting stench when you cut them? The white sap seeping out, getting everything sticky? The itchy, irritated skin you have after handling them? Those ones shouldn't ever be ingested...or anywhere near food. How about you make up for encouraging people to actually eat poisonous plants by making your next video series about you eating a bowl full of every plant mentioned above each. Given how much rainbow food you eat the ensuing projectile vomiting should be a glorious sight!
@Rivkaka Urgh...didn't think about this when I made the comment..or that it removes any formatting...let's see...hm...just tried inserting some links with pictures but that made it all worse. Might go back and post the names under the pictures individually (the comments move with the picture, right?).
Wow, thanks for the info! I also noticed the very unripe strawberries. I think this woman should have gotten a degree in gastroenterology and nutrition instead!
Thanks for the info. But just a small FYI the picture move according to the up and down votes. That makes it really difficult to reference the photo's especially cause these look so similar. But the chances are really higher that the no. you mentioned already moved now..
*thanks
Wow. You are very knowledgeable about plants. Thank for this interesting information.
🌈🤢
For some reason I can't reply directly to the replies to my comment so...guess we'll have to do it like this: @Susanna Vesna : There are actually some strawberry breeds that are white. I guess they call them "Pineberries" nowadays because their flavour is similar to pineapple. The red seeds make them easy to spot. But you are right, some of the "normal" strawberries look rather unripe.
Plus, this is strangely quite similar to: https://www.boredpanda.com/vegan-colorful-food-arrangements-jose-naturallyjo/ These creations are photoshopped so it’s not like they will be eaten... but it’s awfully irresponsible to imply they are edible.
Thanks for posting about those dangers, i was getting increasingly upset as i scrolled through these. At least she didn't add monkshood, oleander, or foxglove flowers...i kept expecting those to show up
Why does one feel the need to boast about one's Oxbridge degree in a BP post about contrived smoothie bowls? Sorry but this post lacks authenticity
There's nothing wrong with being proud of our achievements. This person just wanted to share some art (More so than actual food) and listed their degree as inspiration.
Tell me about it. tssk tssk
looks nice but not one of them is edible
I was thinking too about flowers and frozen fruit but let me now if I am mistaken. Btw nice pics!
Yeah that's what I was thinking too..
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Just what in there isn't edible? You do know you can eat roses, right? Among many other flowers they've used in this.
Read Yannic's text (above). Lots of info on which stuff is toxic etc.
Which coutries eat rouses? Or where is it popular?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Fucking vegans that's who.
(1/2) Oh, hi! It's me again - your friendly reality check! First of all congratulations on the nice pictures. Creative ideas, pretty colour-schemes, everything looks very refreshing and positively delicious! A bit heavy on the pitaya maybe, but hey, we all have our favourites, haven't we? But! BUT! There's always a but nowadays, is there? It really seems to me like they don't teach you what to put in your face and what not in Oxbridge any more, do they? So...pull yourself away from instagram for a second, sit down and listen, class is in session! #3 Hypericum inodorum berries: Looks pretty in pink but contains a bunch of bitter compounds which make them completely inedible #22 Hydrangea macrophylla: Depending on the breed they contain cyanides, saponins and other toxic substances. They are also taste very bitter. #24 Sedum: Contains a group of toxic alkaloids in a low concentration...or a higher one if you happen to get the wrong breed.
(2/2) #19/32 Symphoricarpos: This is the first "Are you actually out of your mind" one. I mean...seriously? About ten berries should be enough to induce nausea and vomiting. Ingestion over a longer period can ruin your stomach lining. This goes especially for children and pregnant women. There is a reason why they were used as laxative and emetic...They also can cause irritation if you have sensible skin. #39 Oxypetalum coeruleum: What about this flower did not give away that it might be really, REALLY toxic? The biting stench when you cut them? The white sap seeping out, getting everything sticky? The itchy, irritated skin you have after handling them? Those ones shouldn't ever be ingested...or anywhere near food. How about you make up for encouraging people to actually eat poisonous plants by making your next video series about you eating a bowl full of every plant mentioned above each. Given how much rainbow food you eat the ensuing projectile vomiting should be a glorious sight!
@Rivkaka Urgh...didn't think about this when I made the comment..or that it removes any formatting...let's see...hm...just tried inserting some links with pictures but that made it all worse. Might go back and post the names under the pictures individually (the comments move with the picture, right?).
Wow, thanks for the info! I also noticed the very unripe strawberries. I think this woman should have gotten a degree in gastroenterology and nutrition instead!
Thanks for the info. But just a small FYI the picture move according to the up and down votes. That makes it really difficult to reference the photo's especially cause these look so similar. But the chances are really higher that the no. you mentioned already moved now..
*thanks
Wow. You are very knowledgeable about plants. Thank for this interesting information.
🌈🤢
For some reason I can't reply directly to the replies to my comment so...guess we'll have to do it like this: @Susanna Vesna : There are actually some strawberry breeds that are white. I guess they call them "Pineberries" nowadays because their flavour is similar to pineapple. The red seeds make them easy to spot. But you are right, some of the "normal" strawberries look rather unripe.
Plus, this is strangely quite similar to: https://www.boredpanda.com/vegan-colorful-food-arrangements-jose-naturallyjo/ These creations are photoshopped so it’s not like they will be eaten... but it’s awfully irresponsible to imply they are edible.
Thanks for posting about those dangers, i was getting increasingly upset as i scrolled through these. At least she didn't add monkshood, oleander, or foxglove flowers...i kept expecting those to show up
Why does one feel the need to boast about one's Oxbridge degree in a BP post about contrived smoothie bowls? Sorry but this post lacks authenticity
There's nothing wrong with being proud of our achievements. This person just wanted to share some art (More so than actual food) and listed their degree as inspiration.
Tell me about it. tssk tssk
looks nice but not one of them is edible
I was thinking too about flowers and frozen fruit but let me now if I am mistaken. Btw nice pics!
Yeah that's what I was thinking too..
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Just what in there isn't edible? You do know you can eat roses, right? Among many other flowers they've used in this.
Read Yannic's text (above). Lots of info on which stuff is toxic etc.
Which coutries eat rouses? Or where is it popular?
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Fucking vegans that's who.