Nearly ten million people of Indian origin live in the six Gulf countries — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Indian food is everywhere there: Lulu stocks the same atta and dal brands as a store in Kochi or Delhi. So why do so many Indian families in the Gulf struggle with weight, sugar and cholesterol? Because the Gulf changes everything around the food.
Dt. Himani Sharma works online with clients across the Gulf. These are the patterns she sees most, and how an Indian diet plan handles each one.
Five Gulf habits that work against your health
1. Heat that keeps you indoors — and drinking sugar
For five or six months a year, walking outside is not an option. Life moves from air-conditioned home to car to air-conditioned office or mall. Steps drop sharply, and thirst gets answered with juice, soft drinks, sweetened laban and karak chai. Even with constant sunshine, many office workers in the Gulf turn out to be low in vitamin D, because they are rarely outside in daylight.
2. Long workdays and late dinners
Ten-hour days, long commutes and a split shift in some jobs push dinner to 9 or 10 PM — often the biggest meal of the day, eaten just before sleep. A late, heavy dinner raises morning sugar and makes weight loss slow. The plan moves food earlier with a substantial evening snack and a lighter dinner.
3. Restaurant culture and the Friday feast
Shawarma with fries, mandi and kabsa platters, biryani from the restaurant downstairs, weekend brunches and Friday family lunches are part of Gulf life. Nobody should give them up. They need to be planned: a sensible portion, salad first, and lighter meals around them.
4. Shared accommodation and cooking once a week
Many working men live in shared flats with a small kitchen and cook only on their day off. The week then runs on canteen meals and takeaway. A plan for these clients uses no-cook breakfasts, packable lunches and batch-cooked dal and sabzi that last three days.
5. Ramadan: long fasts, heavy iftars, short sleep
For Muslim clients, and for many others whose workplaces change hours, Ramadan shifts the whole day. Fried iftar snacks, sweet drinks after a long fast, a heavy late dinner and short sleep can cause weight gain and unstable sugar during the month. A good Ramadan plan protects hydration and keeps suhoor slow-releasing. People with diabetes who fast should plan medicines and fasting with their doctor first; the diet is then built around that advice.
Your regional food works — with a few changes
The Gulf's Indian community comes from every state, and the plan should taste like home. A few examples of how regional food is kept and rebalanced:
- Kerala: keep puttu, appam and fish curry; reduce the rice mound, use less coconut in curries, and swap banana chips and pazham pori for fresh fruit.
- Tamil: idli, dosa and sambar stay; add a protein side such as egg, paneer or sundal, and keep rice to one katori at lunch.
- Punjabi: rotis, dal and sabzi stay; parathas move to weekends with less ghee, and lassi becomes unsweetened buttermilk.
- Gujarati and Rajasthani: thepla, dhokla and kadhi stay; the sugar in dal and kadhi is reduced and farsan is kept for special days.
- Goan and coastal: fish curry and rice stay; fried fish gives way to grilled or tawa fish most days.
Low vitamin D in the sunniest place on earth
It surprises many clients, but low vitamin D is common among office workers in the Gulf. Long hours indoors, cars, covered clothing and avoiding the midday heat all cut sun exposure. Low vitamin D is linked with tiredness, muscle aches and poorer blood sugar control, so it is worth asking your doctor to check it with your annual blood tests. Food helps a little — eggs, oily fish such as salmon or sardines, and fortified milk or laban — and the plan includes them, but your doctor decides whether you need a supplement and how much.
Gulf swaps that keep the food you love
| Gulf habit | Better choice |
|---|---|
| Karak chai with two sugars, several times a day | Two cups a day with half a spoon of sugar — or none |
| Shawarma sandwich with fries | Shawarma plate with salad and hummus, no fries |
| Mandi or kabsa platter shared by eye | One measured plate of rice, extra salad and protein |
| Juice or soft drink to beat the heat | Water, laban, buttermilk or coconut water |
| Restaurant biryani every Friday | One serving with raita and salad; home-cooked when possible |
| Samosa and pakora at iftar every day | Dates and water first, then fruit chaat or a baked snack |
| Biggest meal at 10 PM | Evening snack at 5 PM, light dinner by 8:30 PM |
| Canteen lunch, no control over cooking | Half the rice, double the salad and dal |
Talk to Dt. Himani about your health
What works for one person can be wrong for another — your reports, your routine and the food your family cooks all matter. Book a one-on-one consultation with Dt. Himani Sharma to discuss your health and goals.
Consult NowHow Dt. Himani helps clients in the Gulf
The time difference is the smallest anywhere: calls between 9 AM and 9 PM India time fall at 7:30 AM–7:30 PM in the UAE and Oman, and 6:30 AM–6:30 PM in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain — before work, at lunch or after office. Her advice is built around your regional food (Kerala, Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati or mixed), your working hours, and whether you cook daily or once a week. Clients pay by international bank transfer or Wise.
From a client in Bahrain
“I am based in Bahrain, and working online with Himani has been a truly positive experience … I worked with her for 2 months and lost 5.9 kg, and honestly, it never felt like a difficult journey.” — Jenny John, Google review
“She closely monitors your weight fluctuations and knows exactly what changes need to be made at the right time.” — Jenny John
Individual results vary with starting point, health and consistency.
Country guides: UAE (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah) · Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam) · Qatar (Doha) · Kuwait · Oman (Muscat) · Bahrain (Manama).
Consult Dt. Himani from the Gulf
Book a one-on-one online consultation with Dt. Himani Sharma. Calls run 9 AM–9 PM India time — that is 7:30 AM–7:30 PM in the UAE and Oman, and 6:30 AM–6:30 PM in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Consult Now on WhatsAppWork with Dt. Himani: Online Indian dietitian — across India & worldwide · Dietitian in Gurgaon (Sector 93)
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I follow an Indian diet plan in Dubai or Riyadh?
Yes. Gulf hypermarkets like Lulu, Carrefour, Panda and Al Meera stock the same Indian staples as India, so the plan rarely needs substitutes. What it needs to handle is the heat, long hours and eating out.
Why do many Indians in the Gulf gain weight?
Life moves indoors for much of the year, steps drop, sweet drinks replace water, dinners get late and heavy, and restaurant meals become routine. Each is manageable once it is planned for.
What should I eat during Ramadan?
A slow-releasing suhoor such as oats with milk and nuts or roti with paneer or eggs, plenty of water, and an iftar that starts with dates and water before a balanced meal. People with diabetes should plan fasting with their doctor first.
What time are online consultations in the Gulf?
Calls run 9 AM to 9 PM India time — 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM in the UAE and Oman, and 6:30 AM to 6:30 PM in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain.
How do clients in the Gulf pay for a consultation?
Fees are in Indian rupees and the same for every client. Clients in the Gulf pay by international bank transfer or Wise, and the details are shared on WhatsApp when you book.