About us
Let me take care of your four-legged friend with personalized nutritional plans.
Remember, Alkimeal plans are your natural solution.
If you do not know where to start, contact us.
Alkimeal is your healthy nutritional choice with a scientific foundation.
I graduated in Biology from the University of Barcelona in 1993, and in 1999 I earned my PhD at the Hospital Clínico of Barcelona after spending some time at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. For many years, I worked in both public and private research, but everything changed in 2012 when Kiro came into our lives. Kiro was a dog we adopted when he was 12 and a half years old. Until that moment, we had two cats, Hera and Salem, who had always eaten dry food. With Kiro, I realized that something was not right; his coat was dull and lifeless, he had very little energy, and he frequently had gastrointestinal problems despite being fed what was considered very high-quality dry food.
Despite my studies and scientific background, I had never stopped to look at what I was feeding them. My surprise was such that I remember that day so clearly, as if it were yesterday. It occurred to me to turn the processed food bag around and take a look at the ingredients and the nutritional analysis. Everything clicked right then and there. I turned around, looked at my cats, and apologized for not paying attention to their diet earlier. It was then that I started researching natural feeding; I read scientific articles and reached out to some animal nutritionists and groups on social media advocating for a diet based on fresh food. It was a slow but unstoppable change.
My surprise grew day by day because what I was learning, I was actually relearning, as they were topics of metabolism and physiology that I had already studied during my undergraduate and doctoral studies. What I could not understand was why I had not realized earlier how I had been feeding my cats.
At this point, there was no turning back regarding the type of food my dog and cats would eat. Fate led me away from the world of research surrounding the pharmaceutical industry. From there, everything started to steer toward the world of animal nutrition, leading me to complete a two-year master's program at an Australian institution, the National College of Traditional Medicine (NCTM), now called Animal Naturopathic Medicine Educatum (ANME). The knowledge I gained during my degree in Biology, my PhD, my professional career, and the master's in canine and feline nutrition is what I use to help dogs and cats eat naturally. I am passionate about what I do and continue to educate myself internationally so that our dogs and cats eat in a biologically appropriate way.
It makes no sense to feed our animals ultra-processed foods when the World Health Organization is advising humans to avoid such foods. Here is a thought for you: if there were an ultra-processed food that contained all the nutrients, would you eat it day after day?
My mission is to raise awareness that ultra-processed food can never be considered a healthy option for dogs or cats. My biggest challenge is to eliminate outdated concepts about canine and feline nutrition that have been imposed on society today. The dogs and cats of our great-grandparents did not eat ultra-processed food and enjoyed good health, as well as their diet. Renowned veterinarians such as Dr. Billinghurst, Dr. Becker, and Dr. Longsdale have been warning for some time about the rise of diseases associated with the type of food being given to our four-legged friends, as well as the increase in cases of illnesses in young animals that were once associated with age and bodily deterioration.
I strongly believe that a paradigm shift is necessary in feline and canine nutrition. During my five years of studies at the Faculty of Biology of Barcelona, I gained knowledge of physiology, metabolism, molecular genetics, epigenetics, microbiology, and evolution which allow me to approach nutrition from various perspectives, beyond just the purely nutritional one. My five years as a PhD student at the the Clinic Hospital in Barcelona and at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston provided me with a scientific background and methodology that I consistently apply every time someone contacts me to help improve their dog’s or cat’s health through a scientifically-based nutritional approach. Two years of a master’s in Canine and Feline Nutrition at the Australian College ANME gave me the strength I needed to start this animal nutrition awareness project called Alkimeal.
I believe that it takes great courage to contact an animal nutritionist and accept that your dog or cat needs a change in their diet, and that the ultra-processed food you have been feeding them until now makes absolutely no sense in terms of health. From experience, I know that the feeling of guilt can be overwhelming, but I praise your bravery in taking charge of the change.
