Imtenan: a health haven for a change

I love nature. And I miss it too.   Living in a city like Cairo — where pollution gives me chronic allergies and open spaces of greenery practically don’t exist, adding to the stress that is this city — makes me desire anything that goes back to nature like forbidden fruit. So lately, I’ve been trying to find natural and organic products that promote health.   I’m far from living a healthy lifestyle. In fact, name an unhealthy food and you’ll probably find me eating it. But I must admit that this is definitely affecting my health; my sleeping habits and overall energy is down the drain.   I believe in natural products but they are hard to find, and like many, I rarely go to the trouble of finding them. The market is dominated by things that are either processed or heavily laden with chemical additives. But I have finally found myself a little health haven of natural food and beauty products at Imtenan.   Many Egyptians may know the name because Imtenan most famous for its honey, which is sold through most major retailers. The Imtenan Health Shop, however, has a lot more to offer from organic herbs and foods to natural supplements and soy milk rich in protein. And of course, the shop also has numerous kinds of honey, not only the popular, plain one sold in groceries and supermarkets. There are 20 different herbal honey, including a lavender honey infusion to help those with sleep issues like myself. There’s even honey with chocolate for those who can't stand how plain honey tastes, again, like myself.   Imtenan's best seller is the Sidr Mountain honey, which contains 18 antioxidants to boost your immunity and help you detoxify your body — and in Cairo we certainly need that. I’ve been taking a teaspoon of this product every day for the past month, and no can of Red Bull was ever able to give me the same energy and alertness to keep up with prolonged hours of writing. For me, this product is a miracle. Half a kilo of this honey, with an added Samgh ingredient, cost me LE 450.   But again, Imtenan isn’t only about honey products. I found their various kinds of herbal teas a delight. If you’re always stressed — and who isn’t? — try their Stress Less tea, made of natural herbs that relax the body. I also tried Imtenan’s Bed Time tea and found it really helpful for combating insomnia. Teas are sold for around LE 7.50.   Last yet not least, the store offer a range of natural beauty products for women and fine natural supplements for boosting health and energy, including Red Korean Ginseng, Royal Jelly, Wheat Germ and Bee Pollen.   And if you’ve been having trouble finding brown rice at the usual supermarkets, you’ll find it there. Imtenan has 12 outlets across Egypt. For a list of shops and products, visit its website at http://www.imtenan.com/Default.aspx. Imtenan also delivers, so call them on 16246