DUBAI // A California-style diner is the latest addition to a growing number of healthy eating outlets.
Heat Cafe and Grill, which opened last month on Jumeirah Beach Road, promises to deliver dishes with fewer than 400 calories for less than Dh40.
"The whole point of Heat is not to change people's diet habits but to give them a place where they can get good, healthy food that fits their diet beliefs," co-founder Derrick Branford said.
"This is not a place for dogmatic eaters. We just trying to cover all the bases: low-carb eaters, low-fat eaters. We have a no-carb pancake and a regular pancake. All these are mostly found in southern California," said Mr Branford, who grew up in Oregon.
A war is being waged against the number of fast-food restaurants, said Nils El Accad, chief executive of Organic Foods and Cafe. "Whenever there is a new mall, it's the same story," he said. "The problem is not the supply, it's the demand."
Marcus Smith, the owner of InnerFight physical training, takes a more militant approach.
"There should be laws on the number of lethal fast-food outlets slowly killing people and boosting the region's obesity figures," he said. "We are close to the top of the world leader board of obesity - it's not an accolade you really want."
But residents insist change is afoot, albeit slowly. "When I first moved here there was nothing but fast food to eat when I wasn't at home," said Nour Farida, a 29-year-old marketing manager from Lebanon. "It has improved and it is getting better over time."
She has noted an increase in the number of health-food outlets delivering to her office.
Mr El Accad, whose company offers such a delivery service, said changing dietary perceptions would not happen overnight.
A national shift is evident though. Ten years ago, 99 per cent of his customers were western expatriates.
"Now 50 per cent are western expats, 30 per cent would be local, the rest would be from the GCC and non-western expats," he said.