- Nicoya, Costa Rica is one of the world's five Blue Zones, where people live longer than average.
- Nicoyans don't eat much meat and consume more whole foods like beans, squash, and corn.
- For a week, I ate like a Costa Rican SuperAger, making dishes like gallo pinto and rosquillas.
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Nicoya, Costa Rica is one of the world's five "Blue Zones," where residents live longer than average. Some Nicoyans live well into their 90s and 100s, with one 100-year-old man still riding horses and herding livestock in a new Netflix documentary about the secrets of the world's Blue Zones.
One of the potential secrets to the Nicoyans' longer lifespan is their diet, which relies heavily on beans as a superfood. Nicoyans also don't eat much meat, which felt encouraging: I'm a pescetarian and follow a plant-based diet 80% of the time, but always worry I'm still not getting enough protein.
Hearing that a more veggie-focused, whole-food diet may be linked to longevity made me want to try eating like a Costa Rican SuperAger. Of course, I won't be able to tell if it will really help me live longer — but some more energy would be nice. Because I live in Brooklyn and can't harvest my own food as many Nicoyans do, I had to make do with meal-prepping two dishes and a snack. Here's how it went.
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