Job Discussion Forums

[huntjuliehunt]

I hope there are health nuts and vegetarians in Riyadh who will be happy to know about this. The more we support these options, the more the stores will order, and hopefully it will catch on (especially with Saudis who suffer a high rate of diabetes and obesity).

At Tamimi market (Safeway) near Faisaliyah, and the other one not far from there, they sell Kashi, Bolthouse Farms, Yves, Boca, and other products.

You can find several different Kashi cereal selections at both stores, but I've found that sometimes one store has a different kind or two than the other store. Kashi cereal is from California, and uses evaporated cane juice as opposed to white sugar. They usually offer high amounts of protein, fiber, and whole grains. Recently, both Tamimi stores had Kashi's "Strawberry Fields" "Whole Grain Puffs" "Whole Grain Puffs with honey" "Good Friends" (it has almost 50% of your daily fiber), "Power Crunch", "Vive" (which has probiotics and broccoli extract, but surprisingly only tastes like vanilla graham crackers, and another kind I've forgotten the name of. All Kashi cereals are completely natural, and some of them are organic. They cost from 16 to 21 riyals. You can also find small cartons of soy milk at Tamimi.

Bolthouse Farms juice is found in two sizes, near the other juice selections. These are some of the best juices from America, with no sugar added, and interesting fruit combinations. The larger size is a better deal, but recently they only had Passionfruit in that size. The smaller sizes offer a much better selection, with a very thick bright green juice full of lots of good green fruits and vegetables along with algae and spirulina (and somehow doesn't taste too bad) and a vanilla chai protein milk/juice.

In the cheese and turkey bacon aisle, you can find Yves (the New York distributor of Canada's famous vegetarian company) products. They have soy pepperoni, soy salami, soy Canadian bacon, and soy burgers. In the past they also had "The Good Dog" - soy dogs, and tofu dogs.

In the frozen food section, they have Boca soy burgers, along with several other Boca products like Boca soy cheeseburgers and I think I saw soy bratwurst, or something like it.

A few months ago, both of those Tamimi markets were selling Amy's Kitchen organic vegetarian frozen entrees, which are quite delicious. They had mexican enchiladas, pesto tortellini, cheese and marinara ravioli, country cheese and pasta, and vegetable bowls. They sold out. The manager told me that he ordered more and they haven't arrived yet. You might want to inquire as well, to show interest in them.

I'm still having trouble finding natural nutrition and protein bars. Last year, at the little "Organic" shop on Arouba street, they had several boxes of Nature's Path bars. The manager said he imported them from a distributor in Dubai, and they don't have any more. Which reminds me. You can also find some good products at that store. I don't know the exact location, but it's a little shop with a bright orange sign that says "Organic". I personally find better options at Tamimi.

If you have any additional information, please share it.

[Cleopatra]

I've always found it amusing - not to mention ironic - that those with hippy-esque food preferences seem to have no qualms about contributing to global warming by having their Boca soy cheeseburgers and marinara ravioli flown in from thousands of kilometers away.

[huntjuliehunt]

If anyone has any helpful information on healthy or vegetarian products available, please post it here before I get the forum locked for saying what should be said to the previous response.

[lall]

Restraint, HJH.

It would be pointless to throw away all that research (which surely has taken you some effort, notwithstanding the patience in keying all that matter correctly, without any spelling or other errors) just because somebody made a tangential comment.

I'm sorry I can't add any information about health food in the K of SA.

All I can think of right now is some advice on masticating each morsel that you eat at least 40 times not to mention refraining from responding to any jibe for 40 hours.

Hoping to see the thread continue.

[Stephen Jones]

What amazes me is that HJH spends vast amounts of time and effort in finding a source of imported processed junk food and then calls it 'Health Food'.

And for me vegetarianism consists of eating vegetables, which you can get in any supermarket or roadside stall in KSA.

[cmp45]

I agree...a wide variety of fresh vegetables, lentils and beans are available everywhere in KSA...that should be the health foods you need not ...over processed food masquerading as health food! KSA's so called "health food" industry is catering to the likes of HJH that perpetuate this fast food notion of healthy food.
How can you eat processed flavored soya hotdogs etc....uugh! makes me want to gag!

[huntjuliehunt]

Vegetarianism does not consist of "eating vegetables."

If you're someone who likes to eat cereal, you're probably eating something that has been cooked, unless you're eating raw oats in milk everyday. You can't do better than Kashi when it comes to completely natural cereal that tastes great, and is packed with vitamins, fiber, probiotics, and protein. No artificial ingredients, no chemicals, and minimally processed.

Many foods are "processed" and it's a vague word to use. It would be great to live a life of eating food fresh off the farm. I doubt that any of you go very long without eating food that has been processed. Obviously, it's not a very feasible option. Maybe you've convinced yourselves that since you have no control over what you eat, and drink sugar loaded soda and Mc Donald's, you'll use your rhetoric against me as an excuse for your own eating lifestyles. You don't want to change, so you'll tell those who are making better- maybe not perfect, but definitely better- eating choices, to go to hell.

There is a big difference between companies who don't care what they shove into their food, and list a million different ingredients, along with
preservatives, and those companies I've listed, who care about the environment, who care about nutrition, and use minimal processing to help people live better lives by making better choices.

Flavored soy protein makes you want to gag? It's soybeans mixed with natural spices and formed into a dog. It's the same concept as a beef hot dog. Does formed beef parts with spices make you want to gag? Yes? Fine, you're not alone. No? Then open your ticker and give it a little knock.

What are you people, afraid to leave behind your artificially flavored Cocoa Puffs? Try "Vive" by Kashi. It's on the top shelf at the Tamimi behind Faisaliyah. Each serving has 20% of your daily calcium, 20% of your daily vitamin D, 46% of your daily fiber, broccoli extract, and probiotics (friendly bacteria that promotes digestive balance and immunity.) If you like it, we'll go from there. If you don't, then do as you please with your bodies.

You'd think that people living halfway across the globe from their home countries would have open minds. I find this forum to be so tightly squeezed, it's suffocating.

[cmp45]

From what I gather from your posts; you don't like to cook, have no time to cook or don't know how to cook...explain how processed frozen foods are healthier than fresh foods..including soya...you can easily use in your cooking as well as a host of whole grain cereals that you can cook with and make your own...seems to me your choices are not so healthy!
Anything you buy in a box or a celophane sealed bag is not all that healthy!

Anyways HJH it is entertaining to read your rants...you certainly have a unusual point of view regarding various topics... how's that for open minded... ?

[veiledsentiments]

I am confused...

I thought HJH ran away from KSA a couple months back and was trying to get a position in the hinterlands of Oman.

So, now he is back in KSA again? Must have had a passport wash...

VS

[scot47]

HJH chooses to live in Riyadh as she would live in suburban USofA. Let her.

She will go back home after a few months convinced that she has experienced a different culture.