Mas Watad hit on a weight-loss method years ago that she tailored to Arab women. On the menu were stuffed grape leaves, cardamom-seasoned chicken kofta, and even a reduced-calorie version of cheesy knafeh for dessert. From her home in Baqa al-Gharbiyye, an Arab city northeast of Tel Aviv, Israel, Watad built a thriving dietician’s practice. Her approach to weight loss, based on natural ingredients and an eating-and-exercise regimen driven by a mobile phone app, found a growing local clientele.
Watad has since taken her slimming system international, founding a company called Dawsat with offices in her hometown, London, Bahrain, and the Palestinian city of Nablus. The business is aimed in particular at women in the wealthy Persian Gulf states, where diabetes, hypertension, and other obesity-related illnesses have grown out of control. “Weight Watchers works fine in Europe, but here you need something connected to our tastes and culture,” Watad said. “Our program comes directly from the Arab kitchen.”
