By Faiza Rizvi
Saudi Gazette
If you think a healthy diet is all about saying no to eating out and surviving on carrot juice for a week, you need to think again. Just because you’re on a diet, detox or health kick doesn’t mean you can’t eat out anymore. Saudi entrepreneur Abdul Rahman Mannaa is determined to change that notion. He recently opened his restaurant Orgalicious, the first ever in Jeddah to serve food made with organic ingredients that offer delightful meals packed with nutrition. He promises food which is organic, yet delicious; hence the name ‘Orgalicious’. Organic food has gained worldwide popularity over the past few years. Organic food is grown without the use of pesticides, artificial chemicals, or additives, and hence, is more nutritious.
“For me, healthy eating is not just the food that you eat, it’s the entire process that goes behind it,” Mannaa told Saudi Gazette. He works with the chefs, ensuring the finest natural ingredients are used in preparing meals. “Quinoa is a star ingredient of our dishes and is used in almost all of them, making it the first restaurant in Jeddah to do that,” he said. Quinoa, similar to cereal, has great nutritional value, high in protein and one of the few plant foods that are gluten free and grown organically.
“You are what you eat”, said Mannaa, adding that the primary mission of Orgalicious is to support a healthier lifestyle in the Kingdom. “We redefined authentic dishes using organic ingredients, while maintaining same original taste,” he said. Through his restaurant, he wants to not just serve customers healthy food but also educate them about it. He explained that people often tend to confuse dieting with a healthy life style. Dieting comes with a short-term goal of losing weight that just alters eating habits and is unhealthy. Whether we realize it or not, health is a matter of choice that impacts our body and is affected by certain factors such as healthy eating and sleeping habits, proper nutrition, avoiding stress and working out.
While Mannaa always had a passion to start his business, which would add value to the society, the idea of starting his own restaurant that would encourage healthy eating, started a few years ago. He was inspired during his time in the United Kingdom where he went to pursue his higher education and where his journey of adapting a healthier lifestyle began. He quit smoking, started sleeping early, and eventually began reading about and adopting healthy lifestyle and habits. He said that Orgalicious is a gate to his ultimate goal, which is to influence and educate Saudi society towards a healthier lifestyle.
Mannaa further explained that the challenge lies in educating people about organic food and helping them understand the nutritious value of ingredients such as Quinoa in a society where the concept of a healthy lifestyle is relatively rare and people often tend to adopt certain eating habits without understanding them. However, he is determined to change that mindset and incorporate healthy habits, especially among Saudi youth, through his unique initiative.
Location: Amir Sultan Street, Jeddah
Call: 0557772346
