Cruceños just love their steak, so I was afraid I wouldn't find many vegetarian restaurants or meat-free fare here. However, research led to a surprising find! There are several very good ones! The upside of living here is that this tropical paradise produces an amazing variety of fruit, vegetables, and grains, and for those of you who do eat eggs and dairy products, it is also the dairy capital of Bolivia. So if you can cook you’ll find plenty of healthy, organic produce to choose from.

In addition there is a really great organic and health food store in Santa Cruz, just a few blocks South of the central plaza called Naturalia. My friend Cecilia Zbinden sells all natural, organic foods and even has her own all organic-bred chicken farm. At Naturalia you can find tons of books and recipes, music, candles, handcrafts and other items. She occasionally has super chefs give cooking classes to her customers, and if you’re into yoga, Reiki, meditation, and other healthy lifestyles, you’ll find what you need at Naturalia. She has a small café inside – try the wheatgrass juice! Choose your ingredients and they’ll make you a sandwich. Sample the ice creams and yogurts, organic jams and jellies, free range chicken eggs, etc. So although Naturalia isn’t strictly a restaurant, you actually can have a meal there.

Finally, this may seem like an odd recommendation, but some of the best places for vegetarians to eat are Bolivia's outdoor restaurants and steak houses because they usually offer a buffet style meal with a wide variety of vegetables, salads and sides. Here are some of Santa Cruz' great vegetarian restaurants: