From chocolate and bacon to staying away from MEN! The secrets of living until you’re 100, according to centenarians
Living to celebrate your 100th birthday is largely down to genetics and pure luck.
But there may be some simple ways to increase your chances. At least, if you heed the advice of people who have made it this far.
From eating bacon every morning and binging on chocolate, to playing board games and avoiding men, these are some of the habits the oldest humans ever swore by…
Keeping the brain active is the habit that 119-year-old Kane Tanaka in Japan (above left) swore to before she died. But Jessie Gallan from Aberdeen (above right) says staying away from men has helped her live so long. San Francisco native Maria Branyas Morera (top center), aged 116, has prioritized a quiet existence, while Susannah Mushatt Jones (bottom left), who reached the same age, was known for her love of eggs and bacon. Jeanne Calment (bottom center), who reached a record 121 years, enjoyed chocolate and red wine, while Juan Vicente Pérez (bottom right) spoke about the importance of making time for vacation and relaxation
Kane Tanaka lived in Fukuoka, Japan until the age of 119. She said her favorite foods were chocolate and fizzy drinks
Keep the brain active
Playing board games and solving puzzles were favorite pastimes of Kane Tanaka, who was born on January 2, 1903 in Japan’s southwestern Fukuoka region.
In 2019, she was ranked as the oldest living person by Guinness World Records and in April 2022, she died at the age of 119.
In her earlier years, she owned several businesses, including a noodle shop and a rice cake shop.
But then asked by Japanese National Tourism Organization in 2020 about her ‘ikigai’ – the Japanese concept that refers to one’s reason for getting up in the morning – she said: ‘I would say talking to a lot of people.
‘For me personally it also means playing Othello, the board game, and doing math puzzles.’
A large number of studies have shown that keeping the brain active by encouraging activity and socializing protects against mental decline.
Tanaka also revealed that her daily routine involved waking up at 6am and spending the afternoon studying math and practicing calligraphy.
And although she talked about her love for soft drinks, coffee and chocolate, she never said whether she thought this helped her become a centenarian.
Despite her love of sugary drinks and chocolate, she did recommend a few favorites from her home region of Fukuoka, including Hakata ramen, motsu nabe (offal stew), mentaiko (fish roe) and mizutaki (chicken stew).
Stay calm
San Francisco native Maria Branyas Morera has prioritized a quiet existence and avoiding “toxic people” throughout her 116-year life.
San Francisco-born Maria Branyas has become the world’s oldest person at 115 years old
The “super centenarian” – a title given to people once they reach 110 – told Guinness World Records that she owes her longevity to “order, tranquility, good connection with family and friends, contact with nature, emotional stability, no worries, no regrets,’ lots of positivity and staying away from toxic people’.
Despite her age, she is active on social media and regularly posts on X, formally known as Twitter, with the help of her daughter.
In December 2022 she has shared tips on nutrition and touting the health benefits of a particular food.
She wrote on At a time when diets and miracle foods for well-being and health are constantly on the rise, it is necessary to save yogurt, a lifelong food with an infinite number of positive properties for the body.’
Yogurt is a good source of calcium and protein, which the NHS says is good for bone and muscle health. But there is no evidence that eating yogurt helps you live longer.
Avoid men
Staying away from men and eating lots of porridge is the recipe for living past your 100th birthday, according to Jessie Gallan.
Before she died in 2015 at the age of 109, the centenarian told all her secrets from her care home in Aberdeen.
Jessie Gallan attributed her longevity to eating porridge every day and staying away from men
She said: ‘My secret to longevity is to stay away from men. They just cause more trouble than they’re worth.’
‘I also made sure I got enough exercise, ate a nice warm bowl of porridge every morning and have never been married.’
Porridge is a whole grain that is thought to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes by up to 30 percent when consumed regularly as part of a healthy diet, the study said. British Dietetic Association.
Eat bacon and eggs
Four strips of bacon, eggs and ground corn a morning may not sound like the healthiest breakfast, but it did make Susannah Mushatt Jones live to be 116 years old.
Before the Brooklynite died in May 2016, she dedicated her old age to good food and early nights.
Susannah Mushatt Jones lived to be 116 years old and she attributed it all to her love of bacon
The super-centenarian, who went to bed at 7 p.m. every night and got 10 hours of sleep, swore by eating bacon and scrambled eggs for breakfast every day, according to an employee at the Brooklyn senior center where she lived.
“She eats bacon all day,” they told the police New York Post.
However, processed meats such as bacon, sausage and ham have been shown to pose a health risk. The NHS warns that eating lots of red and processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer.
Processed meat refers to meat that has been preserved by brining, smoking or salting or by adding preservatives.
But it wasn’t just bacon that kept her going, Jones was also known to enjoy small luxuries.
Her niece, Selbra Mushatt, told the story TIME in 2014: ‘Once when she had to have an ECG (heart scan), the doctors and nurses were surprised to see her wearing that lingerie, and she said, ‘Oh yes, you can never get too old to wear nice things ‘.’
Eat chocolate
Jeanne Calment is officially the oldest person who ever lived.
But she did not follow strict diets and did not worry about her health. Instead, she smoked, drank red wine and ate chocolate, according to the archives of her colorful life.
Jeanne Calment died in 1997 at the age of 121, saying she ate a lot of chocolate, drank red wine and smoked.
Besides having a sweet tooth, she also enjoyed fois gras and a rich local stew.
She died in 1997 at the age of 121 and it wasn’t until she was 117 that doctors suggested she give up smoking and stay away from wine.
Calment, who enjoyed playing tennis and roller skating in her youth, claimed to have met Vincent van Gogh in 1888 when he visited her family’s shop to buy a canvas, describing him as “very ugly.”
However, there are indications that chocolate, especially dark, can be good for you because it contains a lot of flavanols.
Studies suggest that eating foods rich in this natural compound, which also includes apples, berries and green tea, could improve vascular health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Make time to relax
Juan Vicente Mora from Venezuela starts his day with a cup of coffee and a glass of aguardiente
The world’s oldest living man celebrated his 114th birthday in May – and he says he’s made time to relax and enjoy a local sugar cane for his longevity.
Juan Vicente Pérez, from Venezuela, starts his day with a cup of coffee and a glass of aguardiente, a spirit made from sugar cane.
Aguardiente means firewater in English and contains a minimum of 29 percent alcohol, although some contain as much as 60 percent.
On his 113th birthday, Pérez advised to “work hard, rest during holidays, go to bed early, drink a glass of aguardiente every day, love God and always carry Him in your heart.”
However, it is not recommended to drink alcohol every day. In fact, according to the NHS, men and women are advised not to drink more than 14 units per week. This amounts to six pints of beer or ten small glasses of wine.