It’s a story we’re familiar with. People come to Huatulco for just a vacation and end up moving here permanently or purchasing a second home. Why? A long list of reasons come to mind. The amazing climate, incredible quality of life, advantageous cost of living, and many more precise, definable reasons.

Research shows the key to happiness is to stay present and embrace the gifts around us.

We’ve come to realize that there are many more both tangible and intangible reasons that draw people here. All of those reasons boiled down, we feel more alive here. We’re not trying to find a feeling. We’re feeling a feeling that’s already here. Why? Huatulco stimulates the senses.

In this “Awaken Your Senses to Huatulco” series, we’ll explore how the elements that make up this magical place stimulate our senses, promote our overall well-being and boost our immune system, naturally, every day. The COVID pandemic changed the world. In Huatulco, it just made us appreciate ours more.

The Taste of Huatulco

Huatulco provides the opportunity to make key lifestyle choices that serve you. Nutrition is at the top of our list because what you eat not only affects your physical body, it also affects how you feel.

Eating good quality food improves your mood, gives you more energy, and helps you think more clearly. It is easy to eat well in Huatulco.

We often associate Mexico with vivid, happy colors. Vivid images of markets, fresh fruits, vegetables and home-cooked dishes come to mind.

Fresh, market ingredients

In Huatulco we are completely spoiled with fresh market ingredients. From our neighborhood stores to the town markets to the organic open-air market on Saturdays, fresh ingredients are always just a few steps away. We get to enjoy the picture-worthy, carefully composed fruit and veggie stands every day. We get to take home market-fresh ingredients to make our new favorite Mexican dishes or our native home comfort foods.

The Saturday organic market in Santa Cruz showcases local products and creations. In high season, the market is held every weekend and in low season on the 1^st and 3^rd Saturdays of every month. You can taste, enjoy, have lunch and socialize (something not so easily afforded in bigger cities). At this market and other markets and small shops in town, you’ll find non-processed foods, raw ingredients and locally-sourced products. Besides having high quality products and making a positive ecological impact, we also participate in a direct local economy. In many cases, spending goes directly to families who produce our food.

“In-season” is year-round

You will always find a vast selection of “in-season” fruit, veggies and fish. Being able to buy produce at their different peak seasons guarantees it is vitamin-rich and delicious. Ripe because you can enjoy it in season and not tasteless being unloaded from a refrigerator truck. Imagine the access to the fresh fish and seafood. Eating healthy proteins and fats from oily fish improves our brain function and boosts our mood. That is a huge component of a luxury lifestyle. We take the time to cook and we are proud of what we make.

Fuel up with quality food

Nutritional psychiatry explores how what we eat affects how we feel. Not only what we eat is important but the quality of what we eat is important. About 95% of the neurotransmitter Serotonin, responsible for regulating sleep, appetite, moods, and inhibiting pain, is actually produced in the GI-tract. So keeping our “good” stomach bacteria happy by fueling them with good food is essential to feeling good. You can read more about the scientific explanation here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626

A huge variety of local products

Many of our products are local: world-renowned Pluma cafe, tasty tostadas, spicy, hand-made sausage, farm cheeses, vegan cheeses, fresh greens (salad mixes, arugula, swiss chard, bok choy, spinach, kale), baby eggplants, baby onions, English cucumbers, herbs (basil, parsley, cilantro, dill), homemade chocolate from beans just up the road in the backcountry. The list is so long that we are constantly discovering new things.

Learn to cook new dishes

We get to explore new dishes and learn tips and tricks from friends and neighbors. We always have the opportunity to take a creative cooking class with Jane at Chiles and Chocolate Cooking Classes. Different themes can be discovered throughout the week. And a “Village to Table Dinner” is held once a week where an 8-course dinner is served using local ingredients.

World-class restaurants

We also get to enjoy world-class restaurants. We have incredible chefs and cooks in town who take pride in making traditional to artful dishes. Slow food is not a buzz word here. Slow food is life here and how cooking is really supposed to be: slow, homemade, quality ingredients, made to order.

In most cases, we dine outside, on a terrace or under the star-filled sky. Another luxury element that we never take for granted. Where else can you have a freshly made, chef-prepared meal sitting by the ocean at an affordable price?

Huatulco provides the opportunity to design a lifestyle based on the whole-person approach including nutrition as well as exercise, connection and cultural events. Eating well makes us feel good. It nourishes our body, makes us happy and creates a moment of social connection. Sharing delicious meals with friends and family is a deeply meaningful part of life and is one of our highest priorities.

Curious about creating your healthy lifestyle in Huatulco? If you’d like to know more about purchasing property in Mexico, consider joining us for a webinar.