Years ago, when it was almost impossible to find a vegetarian restaurant when going on vacation to a destination, meals were restricted to cheese boards, pizza from the garden, tortilla chips and the same old salads.
Lately, the growing interest in a healthy and natural diet, sustainable consumption and the increasing respect for the life of animals, make it now easier to enjoy the pleasure of eating healthy, even if you go on a trip to a faraway destination from home.
A Town Eats Healthier
Making gastronomic escapades to savor the delicacies offered by fresh and natural products is much more enjoyable when visiting a destination such as Boquete in the Chiriqui province. A mountain town famous for its gastronomic offer that has several of the best restaurants in Panama, with chefs cooking culinary delights to diners only with fresh products from the region. However, in recent years, vegetarian and healthy food can be added to this list.
It is a trend that has become a collective culture in Boquete and that is partly due to the growing gastronomic offer by expatriates who come to retire in Boquete. In this sense, every tuesday, at the Flower Fair, the “Tuesday Morning Market” is held, mainly made up of expatriates who go out to sell the products they manufacture.
Delicacies such as artisan breads, flavored salts, honey, vegetables and fruits from the patios are just some of the products that can be found and used to acquire and make a healthy meal, nowadays that Airbnb allow guests to cook at your time and pleasure.
Benefits of a Vegetarian Menu
The vegetarian way of eating is based on a wide variety of foods that are filling, delicious and healthy. Vegetarians avoid meat, fish, and poultry. Those who include dairy products and eggs in their diet are called ovo-lacto-vegetarians. Vegans (pure vegetarians) do not consume meat, fish, poultry, eggs or dairy products. Here are several benefits:
A Healthy Heart: Vegetarians have much lower cholesterol levels than meat eaters, and heart disease is rare among vegetarians.
Lower Blood Pressure: An impressive number of studies, dating back to the early 1920’s, show that vegetarians have lower blood pressure than non-vegetarians.
Prevents and Controls Diabetes: The most recent studies on diabetes show that a diet rich in complex carbohydrates (found only in plant foods) and low in fat is the best dietary prescription to control diabetes.
Prevents Cancer: Research on vegetarians show that cancer death rates are only about one-half to three-quarters of those of the general population. Some of the anti-cancer aspects of a vegetarian diet cannot yet be explained. For example, researchers aren’t quite sure why vegetarians have more white blood cells, called killer cells, that are capable of seeking out and destroying cancer cells.
Friendly People and Healthy Food
If the purpose of traveling is to relax and promote good health, Boquete has so many places to achieve it, not only in the natural environment, but also in the culinary one. After the flowers, trees, birds and good people, what remains are high-quality restaurants to eat at any time. Many are vegetarian, but even if they are not, most have a wide variety of vegetarian options to choose from on their menu, making the experience easier, especially when eating in a group and tastes are different.
Restaurants like TACH Restaurant, Ngadri, Retrogusto Restaurant & Bar, The Garden Restaurant & County Store, Morton’s Bakehouse, Sugar and Spice Dulces Gourmet, Buckle Tio Coffee Studio, Mesa Azul restaurant, The Rock, Pomodoro, Boquete Sandwich Shop, Big Daddy’s Grill , The Scalini Boquete, Il Pianista, Apizza, Vera Pizza Napolitana, Otto Gastronomia Italiana, Fire Side Inn, Punto de Encuentro and many others, offer vegetarian options that are delighting diners from all over the world.
