This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
When we’re stuck on a rickety elevator, or on a plane landing in turbulence, or in a taxi driven by an Nascar reject, we never think to ourselves—well, if this is it, I’m so glad I ate all those salads. Because at some point in the scheme of things, a life well-lived is measured by the things that made us happy. Is this terrible medical advice if taken literally? Definitely!
But in that spirit, let’s look to the world’s oldest people, who when interviewed, always have pretty particular, and surprising, eating and drinking habits. Take this as inspiration:
Advertisement
Since Morano was a teenager in Italy, she’s eaten three raw eggs a day—now it’s just two. She also likes a bananas, ladyfingers, and brandy, “But I do not eat much because I have no teeth,” she has said. Her other explanation for a long life that I’m just going to throw out there: she’s single.
Advertisement
Yisrael Kristal, World’s Oldest Man, 113
Kristal, who was the only member of his family to survive the Holocaust, owned a candy shop in Poland before the war, and reopened one after it. His daughter credits his longevity to his love for God, a simple life, and being “someone who takes happiness in everything.” She also told the New York Times that he eats to live rather than lives to eat. That said, he has pickled herring every day, and in his younger years drank wine and beer.
Advertisement
Susannah Mushatt Jones, World’s Oldest Person Until May 2016 at 116
Adele Dunlap, Oldest American, 113 (114 in December)
Dunlap, who lives in New Jersey, has always eaten whatever she wanted, enjoyed the occasional martini with her husband, used to smoke, and “never went out jogging or anything like that,” her son told USA Today. Right now she likes to eat oatmeal, and insisted to USA Today she’s merely 104, despite what records show.
Misao Okawa, Oldest Living Person Until 2015, 117
In Japan, where there are over 65,000 centenarians, Okawa held the record for world’s oldest person until her death in 2015. She told The Guardian, “You have to learn to relax,” in order to hit those digits, but also get plenty of sleep. Her favorite food was sushi, especially mackerel on vinegar-steamed rice.
Advertisement
Dharam Pal Singh,Probably Not 119But Still Very Old and a Runner
Even if he’s not 119 as the New York Times and aging experts suspect, Singh is probably still super old and he runs a lot, which is why he’s included here. He says his long life is thanks to “cows’ milk, herbal chutney and seasonal fruit that ripened in sunshine” and avoiding “butter, fried food, sugar, tobacco, alcohol, even tea and coffee.”
Täo Porchon-Lynch, 98-Year-Old Yogi
Porchon-Lynch started doing yoga when she was eight in India, because her uncle told her it wasn’t ladylike. After an incredible life that includes marching with Gandhi, dancing for soldiers, and acting for MGM, she founded the American Wine Society with her husband—and only drinks tea and wine. No water. She also wears only high heels because they “elevate her consciousness,” which is a physical feat all its own.
Agnes Fenton, General Hero, 111
We’re including Fenton here because she made news for her remarkable key to longevity: three Miller High Lifes and a shot of Johnnie Walker Blue Label a day, until last year when she had to give them up per doctor’s orders. The New Jersey resident’s favorite foods include chicken wings, green beans, and sweet potatoes.
Jeanne Calment, 122 (!!), World’s Oldest Person Until 1997, Longest Confirmed Lifespan
Calment’s obituary said she “used to eat more than two pounds of chocolate a week and treat her skin with olive oil, rode a bicycle until she was 100,” and had smoked nearly all her life, until her doctor made her cut that and her Sunday glass of Port at age 120. The French!
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.