The Nicoya region is a so-called blue zone. This means that its residents live longer than average. In this case, it isn’t due only to their healthy diet.
«God provides for me, every day,» says Oleli Carillo, 90.
Esthy Baumann-Rüdiger
Oleli Carillo waves to us from afar. He is sat on a rocking chair in front of his house. The shade of a mango tree falls across his veranda. Carillo has been sitting here since the early morning. If someone he knows passes by – and at 90 years old, he knows almost everyone in the village – he raises his hand and has a quick chat. «I am content and happy,» Carillo keeps repeating during our conversation, without being asked. «Gracias a Dios» – thank God, he adds each time and smiles peacefully. For him, this is more than just a phrase.
The Nicoya Peninsula in the northwest of Costa Rica is known for its lush green hilly landscapes, picturesque palm beaches and kitschy pink sunsets. There are animals and fruits here that can only be found in this region of the country. The beauty of this area has attracted many foreigners, and parts of the coast are now lined with expensive beach houses, hip surfer cafés and American boutiques.
A few years ago, however, the region became famous for a completely different reason: It is a so-called blue zone, a region where people are said to live longer and healthier than average. According to researchers, the chance of living to be over 100 years old on this peninsula is three and a half times higher than the global average.
However, it is not the tanned surfers with their almond flat white coffees in one hand and pedometers in the other that make Nicoya a blue zone. It is people like Carillo, who have not read a single health book in their lives, and don’t spend a moment worrying about leading an active lifestyle. They simply live the way their parents and grandparents did.
What do they do differently than the rest of the world?
Family is a key factor in longevity
Journalist Dan Buettner first described the phenomenon in National Geographic magazine in 2005, and has since written several books about it. He identified five regions worldwide as so-called blue zones: Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy, Ikaria in Greece, Loma Linda in California – and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.
The last choice may come as a surprise: The Nicoya Peninsula is several hours away from the capital San José. Health care standards there are poorer, and the standard of living is lower. However, it is precisely this isolated location that has enabled local residents to live to an above-average age. External influences were very limited for a long time, and the local culture was preserved for longer. This latter point has been a decisive factor in why the residents have been doing so well for so long. But more on that later.
Carillo has spent his entire life in the region. He rarely ventures far, and has never owned a car. When he has had to go somewhere, he has usually gone on foot, or sometimes on horseback. There were no roads here in the past, «only footpaths at most,» he says. He built the house he is sitting in front of himself. «Until recently, I was still doing handiwork almost every day, but now I need a bit more rest,» he says. That doesn’t bother him, though. Although the 90-year-old has worked a lot, his life has never been hectic. «We have time here,» he says with a grin.
As Carillo talks, the sound of hammering and sanding can be heard from the house. Two of his sons live with him, and are currently renovating the kitchen. Another of his 11 children also lives in the neighborhood. «They look after me. And I enjoy the fact that I always have company,» he says.
Costa Rican culture – and especially the subculture on the Nicoya Peninsula – is very collectivist in nature. This means the well-being of the community given priority to that of the individual. In other words, an individual person can be happy only if the community around them is doing well. Which family a person belongs to is more important than someone’s individual profession, for instance.
The remoteness of the peninsula has reinforced this sense of cohesion. People have had to rely on each other. Relationships within families are so close that older and weaker people are often well cared for until the end of their lives – and hardly ever become lonely.
In his work on all five blue zones, Buettner has found that good relationships are one of the most important factors for longevity. The centenarians that Buettner focused on were all embedded in active communities. Almost all of them lived with their families and maintained close contacts within their neighborhoods. Buettner writes: «The most successful centenarians we met in the blue zones put their families first. They tend to marry, have children and build their lives around that core.»
Hardly any meat, no alcohol, but lots of beans and rice
In Nosara, Carillo’s village, 22 senior citizens meet up twice a week. They go swimming together, dance, go on excursions, or sit and chat over coffee. They call their community simply «el grupo» – the group.
Veronica Ruiz Castillo is a loyal member. At 74, she is one of the youngest in the group. She comes to our interview at the village library by bike. «I travel everywhere by bike,» she says. «I have so much energy, nobody would believe it.»
«A lot revolves around money these days. When I was a child, there was no money here,» says Veronica Ruiz, 74.
Esthy Baumann-Rüdiger
Ruiz’s lifestyle is a good example of why people in this region grow so old. Like most of her friends, Ruiz gets up at five in the morning, just in time for sunrise, and goes back to bed at eight. She eats a portion of gallo pinto, the Costa Rican national dish, three times a day: It typically consists of rice from the previous day, beans, coriander and occasionally eggs. She also eats lots of vegetables, fruit, tortillas and «a little chicken or fish now and then.» She hardly ever eats sweets, says Ruiz. «In general, our local cuisine gets by with very little sugar or fat. I only use a little lard for frying,» she adds.
Ruiz never drinks alcohol, she says. Carillo agrees: «I have never drunk liquor or wine in my entire life,» he says. «I always wanted to be clear-headed.» His diet is almost identical to Ruiz’s.
Buettner has found that people in blue zones only eat about a tenth as much meat as the average American. Instead, over 90% of their food is plant-based and largely unprocessed.
Ruiz grows oregano, lemongrass, coriander and numerous other herbs in her garden. «Nature provides us with good medicine,» she says. When she was a child, there was no doctor in the village, and the nearest hospital was several hours’ ride away. «So people had to help themselves,» she says. «We were hardly ever ill. We had all the home remedies we needed right on our doorstep.»
Being religious reduces the risk of early death
However, it is not only a healthy diet and an active lifestyle that contribute significantly to longevity. There is also the Costa Rican attitude to life, for instance, which is called «pura vida,» or pure life, and which is a deeply ingrained part of the country’s culture.
It may sound like a trite travel agency slogan, but Costa Ricans use it in all kinds of situations: when asked how things are going, for instance, or in response to a «Thank you.» «Pura vida» is not just a phrase, but a way of life. Costa Ricans know how to enjoy life in the here and now – no matter how simple it may be. «Pura vida» is the philosophy of being content despite all adversity, and of not worrying too much about the future.
For instance, if you ask Ruiz or Carillo whether they would like to live to be 100 years old, it is clear that they don’t really know what to say. They don’t plan what will happen next week or next year. What counts for them is that today is a good day.
There is another reason for the unbroken confidence of the Nicoya people: They believe in a God who looks after them – and that everything will therefore turn out well in the end. «Yes, of course I believe in God,» says Ruiz. «I pray every day, asking Him for strength and for Him to protect my family.»
A few years ago, Ruiz lost her eldest son, who was living in the U.S., to cancer. Another of her sons became addicted to drugs. But she has kept her faith in providence. Becoming bitter is not an option for her, she says: «Without my faith, I wouldn’t have made it through all of this.»
Carillo prays regularly too. «Not for material things,» he says. He prays for his family, and for patience. When asked what he enjoys, he answers: «Going to church.» Carillo is Catholic, and for him, faith is more than just tradition. It is existential, he says: «God provides for me, every day. With enough food, for example, even though I hardly have any money.»
Buettner’s research has shown that the oldest people in blue zones almost all belonged to religious communities. He has noted that spiritually minded people have a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, a lower rate of depression and suicide, and that their immune system also appears to function better. In his book, Buettner writes: «To a certain extent, adherence to a religion allows them to relinquish the stresses of everyday life to a higher power.»
Is Costa Rica’s blue zone in danger?
Carillo and Ruiz both have relatives who have passed the 100-year mark. And they, too, have a good chance of joining the ranks of so-called centenarians.
But Costa Rica’s blue zone is fragile. The Nicoya Peninsula is no longer as isolated as it was for centuries. Americanization and tourists have arrived in recent years.
Nicoya’s younger generation lives differently than Carillo and Ruiz did. They mostly travel by car or motorcycle. Instead of only eating gallo pinto, they occasionally like to enjoy fast food, and many of them work in the tourism industry, where a Western work culture prevails. They are influenced by films and TV shows that urge viewers to pursue their own dreams.
«A lot revolves around money these days. When I was a child, there was no money here,» says Ruiz. At 74, she could be one of the last people to make the Nicoya Peninsula a blue zone.
Carillo shifts back and forth in his rocking chair. He turns pensive for a moment, the peaceful expression disappearing from his face. «My sons are always here. But my grandchildren hardly ever come by to visit me anymore,» he says. The mentality has changed, he adds.
Carillo doesn’t worry about the future of Costa Rica’s blue zone. This has never played a role in his life. He is worried about something bigger: that the culture that is so dear to him, and which gives people here a meaningful life, is slowly dying out.
This report was made possible with the support of Edelweiss (www.flyedelweiss.com).
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Publish date : 2024-08-08 13:00:00
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