I'm coming back to diver's paradise after 2 long years, and I'm now a changed man. Because of health issues, I eat virtually no animal based saturated fats or dairy foods. Sort of Vegan, but with fish, some poultry and very very occasionally a small portion of red meat. Restaurants like to use butter, cream, and various other fats to make food taste much better, and it shows up in dishes that you would never think! We'll be eating dinners out, and I would like to ask for your suggestions on places that (can) cook "healthy". Italian using nothing but olive oil is a good start, grilled fish (not coated in butter!) is another thought, as well as most vegetarian dishes (without cream, butter, eggs, etc.)
Any thoughts? Restauranteers, please join in and put in a plug for your establishment!!
BTW, I did a search before asking this, and I came up with threads like "and they give you the HEALTHIEST pile of ribs you've ever had." Hmmmm, not what I was looking for.....

Having been on Weight Watchers for the past year and a half, I find that almost all restaurants will accomodate and modify what you need. Ask the waitstaff questions, ask for sauces on the side, ask that grilling be done with as little oil as possible. I've never had anyone refuse.

Restaurant owners can't put in a plug for their own establishment, Chuck, or their post gets deleted.

I don't know of anyone on the island that specializes in what you would call "healthy" food. I will give one general piece of advice: when you are on a dive vacation, don't worry much about it. The moment you start a dive, you immediately try to heat the Caribbean to body temperature. Won't happen, won't work, but you burn lot of calories trying. One week of higher calorie intake matched up with higher calorie consumption isn't going to hurt you a bit.

I can always recommend La Guernica. Because it serves a lot of tapas, you are able to get portion size under control, and I'm sure that some of their dishes will match whatever restrictions you decide are appropriate.

Welcome Chuck, I see you did a search for Healthy but did you do a search for Vegan.. I did and came up with this very informative thread
Vegans
Again welcome to Bonaire Talk and thank you for using the search engine before you posted...I'm sure there will be a few others that will answer your questions but this is a great start for answers..

Kevin is correct Chuck please read our posting policies

I have six words for you: Garden Cafe, Garden Cafe, Garden Cafe. Talk to the owner Raja, who is a vegetarian himself. If he's not around, ask to speak to his wife (you will need a translator unless you speak Spanish). The Garden Cafe has a primarily Lebanese menu, with a ton of vegetarian, healthy choices. Raja is the nicest man you could ever meet -- if you see a man who looks just like Santa Claus then you've found him! Ask to see his photos from ad campaigns for major companies as a Santa Claus model. Ask for the the vegetarian combo plate. Get some fatoosh or hummus or fresh made watermelon juice. MMmmmmmmm.

(Message edited by scott_phillips on March 10, 2007)

Kevin, Freddy - Sorry for asking someone to break rules- I'm glad no one did!
Thanks for the link to vegan, and thanks for the suggestions so far!

At BobbeJan's you can get grilled fish, grilled chicken satay and gato gato salad without the sauces if you ask.

Kevin, I have to respectfully disagree with telling him to just not worry about it, he's on vacation. There may be other reasons than caloric intake that he is a 'changed man'.

Trust me I speak from experience. One week of eating things that you are not supposed to eat can cause damage that doesn't involve gaining a few pounds.. Damage that can take months and months of trying to repair. I'm talking about high blood pressure, diabetes, and life-threatening seafood allergies.

Mr. Stein, enjoy Bonaire ! Be sensible and know what you are eating. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I highly recommend Cactus Blue for anything special you may need. They are very accommodating and make most if not all of their own food/sauces so they can tell you exactly what is in it ! I know a lot of places are the same way.

Glad you chose to come back to Bonaire and a giant welcome to Bonaire Talk !

Chuck, welcome to bonaire talk

The Brosserie [sic] in town is a small cafe just down from the remax sign. I had a VERY healthy dutch cheese and tomato baggette with pine nuts one day for lunch. they definitely didn't pile on any sauce or extra stuff. You may want to check them out.

I'm also hoping Alex V will pipe in, he and his wife are vegetarians and will probably have some good suggestions as well.

I'd also second Garden Cafe, very good food with a Lebanese flavor

Bobby Jan's does do a tofu salad, it did look good (although I have to say I ate those yummy ribs instead) lol!

I would imagine that Wil's Tropical Gril could customize something for you as well that would be on the lighter side. I had a fish dish that was steamed in tin foil and veggies...it was yummy!

Have a great trip and make sure you post a dining report when you get back to let us know what you found!

Yes I second Wil's... they will special cook things for you. I had a very yummy baraccuda dish with the pineapple chutney sauce that was out of this world..

Garden Cafe has great veggie pizza, too.

Ann, where are you dear? Ann knows everything about everything in Bonaire, especially food.

And Michael Gaynor might poke his head in and add some suggestions.

Kelly,
I didn't say "you are on vacation, don't worry about it." I said "if you are engaged in a high calorie burning sport, don't worry about calorie consumption." If he is avoiding particular things for specific health issues, I assume he is smart enough to keep trying to do so. If he isn't here to dive, he probably knows that, too. I maintain that restricting calorie consumption for the sake of restricting calorie consumption during a dive trip is a bad idea. It leads to hypothermia and exhaustion.

I have to agree with Kevin. Restricting calorie consumption when diving on Bonaire is not a smart move. Two years ago, one of our give party was on a "get fit kick" ate very little, ran, dove, went to the gum every day. Yes he got sick, very sick.
If one must restrict for health reasons, then do it smartly.

I will second all of those suggestions re Garden Cafe, cactus blue, etc and add a new one if I may. Vespucci is one of the genuine Italian restaurants that uses olive oil to prepare the catch of the day and he is very accessible to clients so you can practically go into the kitchen and help him cook..

Chuck, my dear client, I third all the recommendations. I love Raj's food at Garden Cafe. I have another full on vegan client who lives there, honestly. I will do an email intro for you to Wil at Wil's Grill as well as Corinna at Cactus Blue. You've got mail. Have fun!

Annie

Where is Vespucci? Is it new-have not heard of it before.

Mary, Vespucci is at Harbor Village. It's been there for two or three years

Thanks! We'll need to check it out in November.

Thank you so much for your recommendations! What a great group, and I mean that! This board is an amazing resource, linking a whole flock of amazing people!
Ann, once again, your attention to detail is second to none.
Without turning this into a health forum, let me just say I have to eat the way I do for health, not weight. Don't worry, I eat A LOT! But - by making these dietary changes I lost 8% of my body weight. What I thought was gravity and age, well, wasn't.

This board is very unusual in that there's really good information. I planned our first trip to Bonaire and it was based on recommendations from the board. Welcome, and we DO expect a trip report when you get back!!!

I agree with the calorie consumption/calorie burning comments ! I ate like a PIG last month in Bonaire and lost four pounds ! Woo hoo !

Sorry, Kevin, but I obviously completely misunderstood what you were trying to say.

I'm sure Chuck is aware of his own health issues and will act and eat accordingly.

We expect a food report when you get back.

Since Cynde dropped my name, I thought I might as well put in my 2 cents. First of all, Cynde, have you been drinking? Danielle & I are not vegetarians, we just don't eat a lot of meat. And to my best recollection, Bobbejan's does a tofu gado gado, not a tofu salad, but I could be wrong. And it's "brasserie", not "brosserie"(sic)", remember?

I second Wil's Grill(which will also ensure a very good meal). Probably Capriccio's might be a good idea as well, as might other places where they offer grilled fish. And cooking in is also an option: healthier, relaxing, cheaper and food cooked just as you like it. You can get good fresh supplies (even some organic) and more at More for Less, tofu and fresh herbs at Cultimara, etc.

I think the Brasserie, as you know it, closed about 6 weeks ago, sorry to say. Not sure what new owners are planning, new name/menu, etc., or if they've (re-) opened yet.

The new owners are calling it Brassiere Grandi and are open for breakfast and lunch m-f. Had a crab salad for lunch the other day. It seems to be a popular place judging from the folks I see when I pass by.

Alex, it was the bronchitis I'm suffering? Too much cough syrup? lol!

about the Brasserie...man, that's disappointing as I finally discovered it my last trip, and now they are gone Best of luck to the new owners.

Is Vespucci where Lucille's old place used to be? I didn't even know about it.

Good luck with the bronchitis, Cynde, and beware of the cough syrup - a lot of those have codeine in them!

Not in the States Alex. God forbid. They used to have it. Too many idiots got addicted to it.

Good. I just remembered because I read a while ago that in a few European countries (France for sure) it is still available as an over the counter drug, and that many people are addicted to it. Combined with Cynde's "hallucinations" about me (how are you now, Cynde?) I thought maybe she had a dose too many of it.

Vespucci in where Wooks used to be on the main drag just next to the Marina...had great Tuna last week!

Jim, they do still have cough syrup with codeine in it, but it is by prescription only...and yes, mine does. I sound as though I'm coughing up a lung and it feels like I am as well

Gee Cynde...thanks for sharing that on the dining thread...GET WELL SOON!

oops Ruth...sorry, again, I blame the cough syrup! lol! now back to dining [blush]