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Dubai recs
Hello everyone! Just recently moved to Dubai and would like to ask if you have any recommendations for
clinics/doctors (dental,gynecologist, dermatologist, orthopedic, eye doctor, pediatrician, massage therapist, facialist etc)
Blood test lab/at home blood test
Organic produce/farms with home delivery (fruits&veggies, meat, dairy)
Wild caught fish (not sure I can trust local fish, and am not a fan of farmed fish)
Fav restaurants/cafe/home delivery recs
Mold proofing of the home
At home water filtration system
Any companies you can suggest for ac cleaning/fixing stuff (like handyman)/home deep cleans
Anything else you might have in your Dubai recs list 😉 like maybe a favorite holistic SPA, at home massage service or anything I haven’t thought about yet
Thanks a ton!
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20 Replies
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Hi @Stella – welcome to Dubai! Is this your first expat experience? Where did you move from?
I hope the following recommendations will help you get settled in:
At-home blood testing:
B Better members get a discount with Valeo Health – an affordable, at-home blood draw service. Click HERE for the discount and instructions on how that works.
Life clinic was also offering an amazing package recently. Something like 75 markers for 150 Dhs. Not sure if they’re still running that promotion though. But you can call Life Pharmacy to find a Life Clinic near you. It’s walk-in.
Organic food:
Union Coop offers the biggest variety of local organic produce for the best price. That’s where I get the bulk of my organic produce from.
Organic Foods & Cafe is the largest organic shop in the UAE with several branches around town. Their largest flagship stores are on Sheikh Zayed road and at City Land Mall.
I would compare OF&C to Whole Foods in the US, which means not everything is organic, but you will be able to find organic grassfed beef (imported – no local beef available), and imported/local chicken, lamb, pork, etc.
They run 20% off sales every 3rd Saturday/Sunday of each month. And 15% off sales on their home brand (Organic Larder) the first Monday of every month. I use these sale periods to stock up on animal products (to freeze), condiments (ketchup, balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce, etc), dry products (pasta, oats, quinoa, etc), and so on. Between Union Coop and OFC, this is where I get the majority of my groceries from.
I then get the odd bits here and there from other shops, which you’ll soon learn about over time. Just let us know if there’s something specific you’re looking for and we can let you know.
If you prefer online shopping, I know many people swear by Kibson’s. You can find an organic selection there as well.
Local Farms:
If you consume milk, I absolutely love iFarm’s products. They have A2 cows and feed them fresh alfalfa grass. They welcome personal visits if you want to see them yourself. Message Mahmood and he’ll send you the menu of what they offer (organic ghee, butter, raw milk, yogurt, honey, etc): +97155 885 1025
There are many more chicken/egg farmers now. You can check out these local resources:
Dubai Chickens
Download the app Rootz (see image below)
Organic Farmer’s Markets:
In the nicer months, checkout the Ripe Market
Also Farmers’ Market Dubai
Organic Fish:
We used to have an on-land fish facility called “Fish Farm” producing beautiful organic salmon, but their operations have closed down until further notice. I rarely eat fish now as a result, and have not been able to confidently recommend fish ever since.
We do still consume seabass fish once per week (knowing very well it may not be the greatest), and I’m now buying it from Lets Organic. They’re very quick to respond by WhatsApp: 054-995-6392
Healthier Restaurants/Cafes in Dubai:
I had compiled a list of healthier restaurants several years ago for a client of mine. It needs to be updated, but many options are still open/available. See attached.
Other healthier concepts:
Common Grounds
Seva Experience
Paus
Terra Eatery
Many more… @Bahareh Safapour @Shereen Hasan @Nathalie Khoury, care to chime in please!
Water Filtration:
In the Beginner’s Health Roadmap, I discuss different options for water filtration which you can watch HERE. I personally use an undersink filter by Liquid of Life because we can take them with us whenever we move houses (which is not uncommon in Dubai…).
Mold proofing:
First and foremost, invest in fans and dehumidifiers if you don’t already have them. Get small humidity readers on Amazon to know which rooms need them most. You’ll want levels of humidity to be below 50%.
Omar from Smart Solution is the only truly certified mold remediator. Therefore he’s impossible to reach. Instead, contact Omar’s technician instead. His name is Shahzad 052-350-4209. You can tell him I gave you his number.
For Home Maintenance:
We personally use Morganti as our go-to for anything that needs to be fixed/cleaned, etc. They cover it all. 600-564423
For organic pest control (you didn’t ask, but I recently found a company and very happy with them). I use Home Care. They also clean tanks, clean mattresses, couches, etc., but all organic. Very happy with their services so far.
Sani Services (pricey but very professional) and Healthy Home (more reasonably priced) are other well known companies for duct cleaning/home cleaning services.
Clinics/doctors:
Dr Roze Biohealth clinic for biological dentists
Dr. Stephan Ortner is an orthopedic surgeon at King’s College Hospital London: https://kingscollegehospitaldubai.com/dr/stephan-ortner/
Dr. Fadi Saad is an eye doctor at the American Hospital: https://www.ahdubai.com/doctors-profile/fady-saad
Dr. Liliana Skorski is a gynecologist who is also functionally trained (so she speaks our language) at Women’s Health Bay: https://healthbayclinic.com/medical-team/dr-liliana-skorski/
As for pediatricians, if you want someone who works with kids that uses an integrative approach, then I recommend Dr. Lilya Chub at Hope Health and Healing. She’s not a pediatrician however, but does work with a lot of children with autism. https://www.hhhmed.com/general-practitioner
I think I answered the majority of your questions. Home massage, holistic spa, healthy dining spots.. I hope our other Dubai members can chime in and fill in those gaps.
I think I’ll then turn this into a guide for future members. Thanks for the great resource idea!
You’ll also really enjoy my book UNJUNK: How to Raise Healthy Eaters in a Processed World which is another resource for shopping healthier.
Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Hi @Stella and welcome to Dubai
To add to Bernadette‘s list, I also like Tashas restaurants, they have 3 locations in Dubai. Salads are really good.
And for the healthier sweet options I like to order from HonestKitchen.
Here to help if you need more input!☺️ -
@Bahareh Safapour yes to Tasha’s and Honest kitchen!
Also reminded me… artisanal bread from Baker’s Kitchen.
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We really need non toxic nail and hair salons, massages and so much more …. Business idea folks
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@Bahareh Safapour I used to go to an all organic salon in JVT called The Organic Glow, but their service took FOREVER! Like 3 hours for a mani and pedi…
I don’t believe they’re still in business. I just tried finding them on Insta and their URL isn’t working anymore.
Definitely need a lesser toxic spa/salon (with efficient service ).
@Stella I usually buy lower toxic nail polish and bring my own products with me including essential oils like tea tree oil for the soaking part. They usually don’t mind. I also forego the creams they use and just ask that they massage without it. That’s how I make the salon experience slightly less toxic.
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@Bernadette Abraham thank you so much!! Really appreciate the effort!
May I please also ask –
Re fish – since I prefer wild caught and cannot trust local fish, I’m getting the Wild Planet sardines, anchovies and skipjack tuna from Iherb with just fish+water. But they are canned of course, plus I cannot freeze fish (to eliminate possible contaminants) – what’s your take on that?
also, do you know anything about Carni Store for meats? Their lamb is not organic but they say it’s grassfed and is premium quality – hormones, antibiotics and gmo free. What’s your opinion – is it ok then? And what about lamb bones specifically used for bone broth if it’s not organic but all the “nasties free”?
And you mentioned dehumidifiers – my humidity is around 60-70% even though the air con is mostly always on. Can you recommend any specific fans/humidifiers please? What do you mean by “fans” by the way?
And last but not least – I need vitamin b12 injections of hydroxocobalamin and everywhere they have only methylcobalamin – do you by any chance happen to know whether it’s possible to get those in Dubai?
thank you so much!
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@Bahareh Safapour thank you so much!
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@Bernadette Abraham @Bahareh Safapour thank you ladies!
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I would also add the below restaurants, @Bernadette Abraham please give your green light to label them as healthy
Splendour Fields
The Barnyard
Heal
Nette at Matcha Al Quoz
Bounty Beets
Bar Tartine
So Free Organics (for desserts on deliveroo) -
@Stella yes, wild caught is the better choice. Sardines and anchovies are also better options than skipjack tuna simply due to their smaller size and therefore less bio accumulation of contaminants. Skipjack, even though is smaller than albacore tuna, is still a very large fish in comparison to anchovies and sardines, therefore will contain more heavy metals. That’s my main reservation.
As for cans, it’s not ideal but again, it’s not necessarily a deal breaker if you don’t consume a lot of canned goods.
I recently came across Carni Store but have yet to try them so can’t yet recommend. They’re new to the scene but seem promising. Do let us know if you end up trying them. FYI – grassfed is better than organic when it comes to meat because organic doesn’t guarantee the cow ate grass. It could be organic grains which is not their natural diet. Organic grassfed is best but when not available, go for grassfed.
Any dehumidifier should do the trick. I think mine is LG brand. I got it from Carrefour during the recent floods. Hence my recommendation to get a fan(s). I’m referring to regular box fans. Unfortunately, it’s very common for homes to leak when it rains and drying the areas as soon as possible will help prevent mold from growing. You don’t want to be stranded at the last minute trying to find them… (speaking from experience here ).
As for the hydroxycobalamin IV, I don’t know off the top of my head but I’ve sent a few messages to colleagues and waiting to hear back from them on Monday when they’re back at work.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
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@Bernadette Abraham got it, thank you so much!
Can I please also ask a question regarding bone broth- do you suggest discarding the fat that accumulates at the top when you refrigerate the broth or consuming the broth with it instead (I’m making the broth from Carni Store lamb bones)? Is there by chance any guide in b better on bone broth in terms of the healthiest way to cook it?
Thanks!
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@Stella we have a recipe for chicken stock HERE but it’s essentially the same process. You’ll want to skim the scum and fat that comes up to the surface once it starts to boil.
Let us know how it turns out!
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Hi @Stella – my first colleague just got back to me and I have good news! Their clinic offers customized IV drip or IM injections of hydroxycobalamin.
You can get in touch with Dr. Janine McKay at her new clinic “Renu Health” in Dubai Healthcare City at 055-828-7368 for an appointment. For nurse related questions or labs, you can reach their nurses Honey and Karla at 055-399-7368.
I’ll let you know once I hear back from my other contacts as well.
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@Bernadette Abraham perfect, thank you!
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@Bernadette Abraham Got it thank you. Did I understand you correctly that even after skimming everything that comes up in a boil, when I refrigerate it, there is a layer of fat at the top that hardens due to refrigeration – that fat I should also remove before drinking the broth, right?
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