Are you craving a bowl of oats and wheat flakes mixed with fruits and nuts for suhoor, but the high sugar content and preservatives in the store bought-muesli is getting in the way of your healthy diet?
You can now make your own unique muesli mix with with three simple clicks online and have it delivered to your doorstep anywhere in the UAE.
Mix & Muesli is a new online muesli store that allows customers to mix and match their muesli to come up with their preferred concoctions.
The store offers more than 60 options and several gluten-free, organic and sugar-free combinations for those with special diets.
The store is the brainchild of Egyptian-Canadian Bassel Kababbe, who was frustrated with the restricted and unhealthy breakfast options for his family and began making his own muesli at home.
“When I became a father, I got really picky about the food I was giving my son and began scrutinising all the labels on the cereal boxes,” says the Dubai resident.
“I started buying raw oats and then would add fruits, raisins and other nuts to them to make my own mixes at home.”
He says friends and family members he consulted were facing the same dilemma, which prompted him to set up the store this year.
“Healthy products have taken off in a big way in the UAE in the last few years,” says Kababbe.
“And along with the conventional muesli, we also offer combinations for people with specific diets, too. People here are leaning towards more wholesome nutritious food.”
The website allows buyers to pick one of 14 bases, such as the classic which has wheat, oats and sunflower seeds; the three amigos with quinoa, buckwheat and spelt flakes; lo-fat with rye, barley and wheat flakes and gluten-free grains with quinoa and buckwheat flakes. Next they can add more grains and dried fruits, such as apple, apricots, blackberries, dates and forest berries mix, as well as nuts and seeds including hazelnuts, cashews, pumpkin and chia seeds for an added cost. They can then name the mix and can save their creation for future orders, as well.
The store also sells eight pre-mixes, created by Maya Kobeissi, the director of nutrition programmes at the Obesity Medicine Institute in Dubai and founder of FitKids and NuLife nutrition programmes.
The oriental pre-mix has a base of barley, oats and wheat flakes with almonds, raisins and figs for a wholesome breakfast or an afternoon snack. Gym-goers can buy the fitness fuel mix with barley, rye and wheat flakes with added almonds, goji berries and peanuts for a pre-workout boost.
The gluten-free goodness is made up of buckwheat and quinoa flakes with banana, papaya and almonds in the mix.
The store will also be selling a special suhoor mix for Ramadan which will contain more nuts and fruits in an oat-flakes base for a high-protein and slow-energy-releasing option for people who fast.
The store has collaborated with gyms and is also collaborating with companies in UAE to provide healthy breakfast options to their staff.
Mix & Muesli mixtures come in 500-gram packs starting from Dh20. Make your own mix on www.mixandmuesli.com
aahmed@thenational.ae