The popular eatery Just Falafel – a growing franchise born in the UAE and quickly spreading as far as the UK, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar and Oman – has decided to do something about the growing obesity epidemic in the UAE.
The vegetarian fast-food chain has launched a health awareness campaign across the UAE with the help of the nutritionist and health promoter Hala Barghout. Barghout is going about it by talking to middle and high-school students and teaching them what it truly means to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Kicking off the campaign last week, Barghout visited Al Mawakeb School in Al Barsha, Dubai. Students in grades nine and 11 came together to listen to her message: healthy choices must become their norm.
We caught up with the 29-year-old Lebanese national to find out how she’s reaching out to the nation’s youth.
The plan
There’s no end in sight for Barghout and Just Falafel’s plans to get young people thinking about their health and their lifestyle – not while there are students out there who have yet to hear Barghout’s presentation. This hands-on approach, says Barghout, is the best way to make students aware of what’s right and wrong.
“We’ve contacted 25 schools already and asked them if we can drop by and give students a one-hour presentation that is meant to educate them about what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle,” she says.
“I talk about obesity, healthy lifestyles, making behavioural changes and disease prevention to these kids who range in age from 13- to 18-year-olds – a key age to start learning about healthy choices and creating healthy habits when it comes to food and exercise.”
From teaching them how to read a menu in restaurants and still make healthy choices, to incorporating activity in one’s day to round out a healthy lifestyle of correct nutrition choices, Barghout aims to cover the spectrum of healthy living.
The approach
“We have to reach these kids now, before they start going on fad diets, before they are affected by the media and whatever current trend is out there, before they are influenced by the unhealthy choices of their peers,” says Barghout.
She hopes to instil the basics of nutrition, such as not allowing their nutrition habits to be governed by stress, understanding emotional eating, choosing healthy snacks over junk and not believing all fats to be “evil”.
“Lots of these kids don’t have this awareness at home or at school; I would say 70 per cent of the 150 girls I spoke to had very little information when it came to making healthy choices,” says Barghout.
The justification
More than one child in three is overweight or obese and, according to a study by a BMC Public Health journal, the UAE has become the fifth “fattest” nation in the world.
“This is the right age group to target. These kids haven’t really tried losing weight, haven’t dieted, and I want to reach them now before they turn into chronic dieters with weight problems. We want them to adopt healthy lives that are dominated by correct nutrition choices and lives that are not sedentary. This has to become normal to them.”
The irony
The words “falafel” and “healthy” in the same sentence is cause for raised eyebrows. The two just don’t work together; the Middle East’s favourite street food is traditionally deep fried and a typical falafel sandwich is doused in tahini sauce and stuffed in carb-heavy bread.
That’s not stopping Just Falafel from exploring ways to “healthify” its menu, from baked falafel bites to falafel mixed with chia seeds.
“We only use very fresh, high-quality ingredients, no preservatives, no additives,” explains Barghout. “We are fast food but we are not junk food. Options of baked falafels are available and we’ve substituted white pitta bread with wraps – we have whole-wheat alternatives too and you can replace french fries with hummus or lentil salad.”
“Our goal is to empower the younger generation with the knowledge to make healthy eating and lifestyle choices at an early age,” says Mohamad Bitar, Just Falafel’s founder and managing director. “Recent upgrades to our menu, including organic and fresh juice options, encourage the general public to take note of health-conscious options for those on the go.”
The next step
Schools interested in Hala Barghout speaking to their students should email marketing@justfalafel.com. Visit www.facebook.com/justfalafel for more information.
artslife@thenational.ae
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Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
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6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
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8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
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- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
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Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
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