Studies have shown that in order to live a long and prosperous life, you need to maintain friendships, keep a positive attitude, not stress out too much, eat healthier, and just have extremely good genes.
Some of us had already planned to do all these just to live a normal life, but it seems that your “efforts do pay off,” since everything you do regularly to live healthier might help you live longer than expected.
Well, who would’ve thought? Truth to be told, some of us might have already all of the above, while others might still struggle with it. And while we’re waiting for that secret medicine that will make us live longer(and we simply can’t wait that long), we thought to ask some supercentenarians and centenarians what’s their secret for living such a long life.
- You have to drink a mysterious elixir – When he turned 108 years old, former Army Chaplain and minister Reg Dean finally told somebody the secrets to longevity, claiming there were 5 main things: good friends, a religion, looking for the best in people, and being a vegetarian for 30 years..but also another one he couldn’t remember. Two years later though, his son revealed what his fifth secret was: When he was out in India, a local offered him a drink that would help him live at least 100. However, he lived an extra 10 years, hitting 110.
- Use a lot of olive oil – Jean Calment died at the age of 122 years and 164 days old, which is still the longest confirmed human lifespan on record. Not only did she smoke two cigarettes a day for almost 100 years, but the habit was so strong that she only quit at 117 because she was too blind to light her own cigarettes. Calment believes she lived such a long life because she drank Port wine every day, ate chocolate every week, and always kept her sense of humor. Most prevalent of all was extra virgin olive oil- Calment consumed a rich diet of the stuff, using it in everything except for milk, but also on her skin.
- Mind your own business – Besse Berry Cooper-Brown was a former Georgia school teacher who lived for 116 years. Cooper-Brown believed she lived for so long because she refused to eat junk food on one hand, and on the other hand she always “minded her own business”.
- Eat bacon – Susannah “Miss Susie” Mushatt Jones was the oldest living resident of New York until 2016 when she died at the age of 116. As a way of rewarding herself for never smoking or drinking alcohol, partying, wearing makeup or dyeing her hair, Jones enjoyed eating four strips of bacon every morning, with scrambled eggs and grits. One of her relatives actually claimed that if Susannah didn’t have her chewing gum, barbeque chicken or bacon, she’d get really angry. Another relative of hers believed that only being married for “five years” and never having children was a good thing for Jones’s health and longevity.
- Booze it up – Emma Morano died in 2017, at the age of 117 years old. Before she passed away, she gave away a little secret about her longevity, mentioning that she enjoys eating chocolate from time to time. Morano also consumed three eggs and drank a glass of homemade brandy every day.
- Drink boiled water and smoke cigars – Christian Mortensen passed away in 1998 at 115 years and 252 days old. He believed he had such a long life because of his friends, no alcohol, staying positive, singing, smoking a good cigar, and drinking a lot of boiled water. He believed moderation allowed him to smoke for so long.
- Eat until you’re 80 % full – Jiroemon Kimura lived 116 years and 54 days old. He was a former post office worker, and he lived in his late years with his grandson’s widow in a two-story wooden house. He had each morning a breakfast consisting of porridge and miso soup, with potatoes and vegetables. Also, Kimura maintained a positive attitude every day and was always interested in contemporary Japanese politics. His motto was “to leat light and live long”, never smoke, and drink moderately. Even so, his secret was to eat until you’re 80% full. Unfortunately, he never got to explain how do you know when you’re 80% full.
- Eat bee pollen and honey – Maine native Fred Hale Sr. passed away in November 2004, at 113 years old. He died only a few weeks after witnessing his favorite team, Boston Red Sox, win the World Series for the first time in 86 years. At 108, he holds the Guinness record for the oldest driver. He had the occasional nip of whiskey, and every day ate bee pollen and honey. But it wasn’t a coincidence that he preferred this snack, as he retired in 1957 from being a railroad postal worker, and beekeeper.
- Eat chicken brains (?!) – The oldest known man that lived in Australia was Dexter Kruger. He turned 111 years old on January 13, 2021, and died on July 20, 2021. Kruger credited eating chicken brains for his long life. “You know, chickens have a head. And in there, there’s a brain. And they are delicious little things. There’s only one bite.” But he was more than creative when it comes to food: According to his Twitter bio, he was the oldest author of an autobiography in the world.
