The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica has one of the highest life expectancies in the world. I moved here in November of 2012 to manage a vacation rental in Playa Santa Teresa, and now I see why people are so healthy. Most people are active and eat unprocessed foods. I knew my diet would change.
I fully expected to live on fresh fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and beans and rice. I haven’t gone pescetarian for ethical or idealogical reasons; I just eat what is readily available, and what I like happens to be very healthy. I have always been a big seafood lover, though my intake of it depends on the geography in which I live. Luckily, I now live in a seaside town where fresh fish is cheaper than meat.
When I first arrived I discovered to my dismay that the beef in Costa Rica is very tough, and very expensive. The high end ground beef is fine, but I can only eat so much of it. The chicken breast costs twice as much as it does in the United States, and it is exactly the same. The pork is just pork, I never ate much of it anyway.
So, this leaves the best fresh fish that one can buy anywhere. Two different fish mongers drive up and down the main road every afternoon selling the fish of the day. I think this is the best delivery service I have ever come across anywhere in the world!
I like Marcos’ service the best. I can call him after lunch, he tells me what he has that day, and what time he will be passing by my house, and then he actually arrives on time. He always has fresh dorado (mahi-mahi) and yellow fin tuna, sushi grade. Sometimes, he has good fresh shrimp, squid, and octopus. One of my favorites is corvina, a fine, light white fish with a delicious flavor. Corvina is the most expensive at about $6/pound. My all time favorite, whole red snapper is harder to come by, but when he has it the price is always about $4/pound. Compare that to supermarket prices in the U.S.!
I never considered myself pescetarian until yesterday. I guess I am a pescetarian by default. So, I researched the health benefits of this diet. So far, I have lost about twenty pounds in four months on this diet. There are myriad health benefits. I found out that all the iron one needs, as well as large quantities of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids come from eating fish. It is an environmentally friendly diet too since livestock production demands so many natural resources. Eating fish is more efficient for the human digestive system, than is eating meat.
All I know is that I have a lower body fat percentage, I make delicious meals I get to share with others, I have more energy, and I am not wasting money on overpriced, low-quality meats. My town, Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is full of energetic, active, healthy people. I won’t live here until the day I die, but I will live near the ocean. If I live to be 100 it will be because I learned how to exercise and eat healthy; and living on fresh fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and beans and rice will certainly be a reason for my longevity.