Hint: It’s not a secret — it’s a lifestyle.
Here’s a concise, fluff-free explanation you won’t find anywhere else.
In brief: In Costa Rica, the sun feeds your spirit, the soil feeds your body, and the rhythm of life slows to something human again – like nowhere else on the planet. Before long, you notice what’s missing: the stress, the pills, the aches. You sleep more deeply, laugh louder, and start to feel like yourself again. The unique climate, culture, and clean living offer real, lasting healing — with no artificial ingredients.
Top Three Reasons in descending order:
3. The People: Ticos and Their Peaceful Way of Life
Costa Ricans—known as Ticos—are different from their neighbors. Unlike surrounding nations with a history of ritual violence and ongoing military presence, Costa Rica chose a peaceful path. In 1948, the country abolished its military and redirected resources toward education and universal healthcare.
The result? A nation grounded in peace, well-being, and community. Ticos live by the phrase Pura Vida—“pure life.” It’s more than a greeting; it’s a lifestyle built on simplicity, gratitude, and joy. Rather than living to work, they work to live. Big distinction.
Costa Rica is home to one of the world’s few Blue Zones —regions where people live longer, healthier lives than anywhere else on Earth. (More on that below).
2. The Climate: Nature’s Prescription
Costa Rica offers a year-round temperate climate, with no winter, snow, or harsh conditions like those encountered in all surrounding countries. (extreme heat/humidity, hurricanes.) It seems to be located in a “latitudinal sweet spot” characterized by a very unique blend of fresh mountain air, abundant sunshine, lush greenery, and clean, breezy days that uplift both body and spirit.
This naturally healing environment helps reduce stress, improve sleep, and support the body’s detoxification and recovery processes—without you having to lift a finger.
1. The Food: A Nutritional Powerhouse
Costa Rica’s nutrient-rich soil and clean growing conditions produce some of the purest, most potent foods on the planet.
Fresh tropical fruits, organic vegetables, and whole, unprocessed ingredients fuel your body as nature intended.
No wonder the country once used the tourism slogan: “No Artificial Ingredients.”
Real Results
Over the years, many of my clients have excitedly reported dramatic health improvements. The most remarkable example I encountered is a client who arrived in Costa Rica on a regimen of eight daily medications. One year later? Down to just one, without major changes to diet or exercise.
He credited the clean air, fresh whole foods, and a lifestyle free from the stress and toxins of industrialized living. He also swapped sugary drinks for natural options like pipas—fresh coconuts with a straw.
Ready to Heal Naturally?
Costa Rica isn’t just a destination—it’s a path to wellness. With its peaceful culture, healing environment, and powerful nutrition, you’ll discover that living naturally isn’t just possible—it’s profoundly transformative.
… a brief trek into basic biology…
Protecting The Protectors: Natural killer cells (NK).
We all have them — tiny bodyguards working around the clock.
Each NK cell has about 50,000 receptors, constantly scanning for trouble.
When they spot something off, like a virus (yes, even COVID) or a cancer cell, they take it out fast.
The stronger your immune system, the more of these defenders you have — and the better they do their job.
(BTW: Statistics have revealed that the vast majority of those who perished with COVID already had exhausted immune systems from battling at least three other chronic diseases.)
Factors that Enhance NK Cell Function / Immune Health:
- Sleep: Rejuvenates NK cells.
- Sunlight Exposure: Especially red wavelengths.
- WHOLE, fresh, unprocessed foods.
Factors that Suppress Immunity:
- Stress.
- Lack of sunlight. (Northern winters significantly contribute to increased incidence of illness.)
- Processed foods, chemical additives, alcohol, drugs, dyes, preservatives, sugars, and foods that break down into sugar in the body can trigger inflammation. (IE, over-processed grains.)
Meet Ramiro G. from Nicoya, Guanacaste, one of Costa Rica’s most remarkable citizens, who, this month of October 2025, turns 105 years young.
The same Ramiro featured in the 2021 NETFLIX documentary, How to Live to 100: Secrets of the World’s Blue Zones.
Through my relatives in Guanacaste, I located Ramiro in 2022, who welcomed me warmly. To describe the experience as remarkable is an understatement. During the three visits when we spent hours together, I had to constantly remind myself of his actual age. His mental acuity is stunning. We conversed on many subjects, big and small. His responses were without hesitation, thoughtfully articulate, and always in context. He was sharper than most people half his age. Simply astounding.
In the NETFLIX documentary interview, Ramiro is asked this simple question.
“If you were to tell your great-grandson how to get to 100 years old, what advice would you give him?”
“I hope that he eats what I eat.”
During our conversations, I reminded Ramiro of that comment in the documentary and asked him what exactly his daily diet has been.
“I eat two meals a day. Brown rice, beans, whole grain tortillas, and some scrambled eggs in the morning. That mixture digests slowly and keeps my energy up until early afternoon. Then, vegetables and many different types of root plants, such as carrots, onions, yucca, and especially sweet potatoes, for a late lunch/supper. A little bit of fruit in between those meals. Aside from eggs, everything I consume is only from whole plants. No sugar. I drink a small coffee in the morning and again in the afternoon. Lots of water.”
“And I always have a nap.”
Then he added: “I begin each day with a prayer. I ask for guidance and protection throughout the day. This is the most important thing of all to me. I then have my breakfast, saddle up, and then ride my horse 7 kilometers to my fields for a full day of work. This is my life.”
As you can see in the photos and the NETFLIX documentary, there is not an ounce of fat on Ramiro. As a wiry, authentic cowboy, he still moves with agility and power.
I also asked if he had ever been laid up.
“Yes. Four times and seriously. All from mishaps from falls, or encounters with large animals. Broken bones. But never any serious sickness. Ever. When I do eventually die, it will likely be due to an accident out here in the fields. I am good with that.”
Ramiro was also eager to tell the story of his beloved wife of 47 years, whom he lost in 2017.
“She was such an important part of my life. Upon our first meeting, I loved her immediately. I waited 12 years to be able for us to finally marry. I was 56 years old at the time. She was my best friend, excellent business partner, and devoted mother to our four children. I think of her always. I continue to do my very best each day because I feel her watching me from close by.”
Eventually, we got around to the subject of dancing. I asked if he still got out on the dance floor during the local celebrations. He said he did, but also indicated that he needed a little Tragito (shot of whiskey) to loosen up his feet and work up the nerve to get out on the floor. He then offered to show me his “moves,” and we danced by the barn. (see the photo below).
What a unique and delightful human being.
Ramiro with one of his prized bulls that he raised from birth. It came up to him like an affectionate puppy.
Ramiro is also pictured in the Blue Zones Nicoya poster. They sell a wide variety of quality natural products. Well worth an online visit here: https://bluenicoya.com/
Like Ramiro, I was raised on brown rice and beans, root plants, fresh veggies, fruits, clear, deep well water – and no sugary drinks. We were always encouraged to play soccer or work out in the nearby park or school gym. I was a national track star in my teens, and my daughter became one decades later. Sickness remains a very infrequent occurrence.
As a spry and delightful widow in her 91st year, Mom now lives with me. I am returning her the favors.
Living in Costa Rica presents one of the most robust defenses against all viruses or common chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, or arthritis.
I remind you again of all those Blue Zone Costa Ricans – the oldest living folks on the planet. (No need to be living in a Blue Zone. You can create your own.)
98% of us are born with a brilliantly resilient autoimmune system. This system relentlessly and automatically defends against anything threatening our health.
Feed it unmolested whole foods and then leave it alone to do what it does best.
Costa Rica offers something superior to any other country due to its unique natural elements. It has an optimal blend of meters-deep volcanic soils, topography, heat units, breezes, and near-perfect rainfall/sunshine patterns between two oceans. Violent storms are rare. All of it is compressed in a small country for local access or rapid transit of produce to your locale. The Blue Zones testify to how these unique elements affect the population’s health here.
It’s been going on for thousands of years!
For many, stresses lodge deep inside, driving them to poor dietary habits and pharmaceuticals. Yet, the fundamentals of human health will never change. Most diseases and viruses can never prevail over an adequately supplied immune system. Period.
Please read on and connect the dots.
Something to sink your teeth into.
Costa Rica’s countless farmers’ markets offer fully ripened produce, available only hours after being harvested from the field. The longer a veggie or fruit ripens in the soil, the higher its nutrient load. That is even more significant here in Costa Rica because its meters-deep topsoil is laden with minerals sourced from volcanoes. Billions of years in the making, the optimal cycles of sun and rain, growth, decomposition, and re-growth in the country’s central agricultural sections also contribute to abundant year-round supplies of the best produce on the planet. Field to the table, fully ripened, in the shortest time frames.
An ironic truth
Many top supplement companies source their raw ingredients from Costa Rica, only to process them heavily into expensive, often ineffective pills
Why not go straight to the source? Enjoy the fresh, tasty, nutrient-rich produce instead!
Why So Many Expats Choose Costa Rica
There are many reasons expats choose to move to Costa Rica, but one of the most compelling is the ability to stretch their healthcare dollars, especially as they age and their medical needs grow.
The surprising part? Many discover that their overall health and well-being improve dramatically, often within just a year of relocating. In simple terms, they’re not just healthier; they’re happier.
It’s more than a change of scenery.
It’s a measurable, often life-changing boost in quality of life.
Shockingly, this aspect of Costa Rica is often overlooked.
Some may take it for granted, while others have no idea just how profoundly it supports vitality and strengthens the immune system.
Motivated by perverse incentives, mainstream media and the “sick care” industry rarely spotlight immune health, mainly because there’s little profit, power, or prestige in prevention. Big Pharma outspends all other influence peddlers in Washington, D.C. by a wide margin.
In the U.S., 75% of all TV ads push drugs that treat symptoms of conditions caused by lousy diets, drugs to combat the first type of drug, and lawyers to sue drug companies for unintended drug outcomes.
FYI: The third leading cause of death in the U.S.A. (behind heart disease and cancer) is improperly prescribed drugs. Tort lawyers love this situation. It’s very profitable.
When truth-tellers like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his team of credible scientists expose this calamity and these toxic alliances, the establishment strikes back—twisting facts, distorting motives, and falsely labeling them “anti-vaccine” to protect its power and prestige.
The real issue isn’t vaccines—it’s transparency, accountability, and the freedom to pursue genuine health.
There has been and remains a much better way to stay healthy and immune.
You may ask yourself: How does an Immigration Expert know so much about nutrition?
Answer: Take a short trip over to the following and find out how easily accessible a high quality of life is for you. This site is based on the incredible work of Dr. T. Colin Campbell, whom I have personally gotten to know since my first visit to his home in 2006. I again visited him and his wonderful wife, Karen, in July 2022.
Laura Gutierrez with Dr. Colin and Karen Campbell – July 2022
Shortly after our visit, Dr. Campbell (then 88) and Karen both tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time while attending a conference. Neither experienced serious symptoms. They credit their quick, full recovery — in just five days — to the lifestyle and nutrition principles they’ve lived by and taught for decades. (As of this writing, Dr. Campbell is a vibrant 91 years young.)
With over 64 years of research, best-selling books, and a widely viewed Netflix special, Dr. Campbell has demonstrated how nature holds the key to lasting vitality.
He has also advised high-level health leaders, including U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., providing expert insights on nutrition and public health policy.
Once you explore the principles shared at nutritionstudies.org, you may even begin to see Costa Rica — and your own health — in a whole new light.
