Dan Buettner, author of the book The Blue Zones, has traveled the globe searching for places where people live the longest.  He has identified a handful of such locations, one of which is the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, which boasts an extraordinary number of people who reach and exceed the age of 100.  Recently an article in La Nación addressed the same issue, stating that there are now 937 Costa Rican centenarians.  This is an astonishing 300% increase over the number recorded in 2000, when there were only 231 registered centenarians.  It is projected by the year 2050 there will be some 8,000 persons in Costa Rica to reach this milestone.  Two centenarians were featured in the story, both Guanacastecos, the area with the highest longevity of Costa Rica.  One of them is Graciela Flores Orozco, born October 26th, 1907 in Nicoya.  She is a mother of ten and has lived on the Nicoya peninsula all of her life. She claims that her diet is primarily responsible for her longevity.  A diet which consists of yuca, tiquizque, milk, chicken, and tortillas.  On his web site and in his book Buettner divulges the secrets of longevity in the world’s Blue Zones.  Diet certainly plays a major role, but it is the overall lifestyle that people lead in these areas that really makes the difference.  It is a lifestyle filled with cherished activities, lots of time sharing with family and friends, a strong commitment to spirituality and lots of healthy non-processed foods.  

Read More About The Blue Zones

Tags: costa rica blue zone, dan bluettner, nicoya, the blue zones

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