The food we eat and the choices we make on a daily basis have a huge impact on us in the long run. That’s evident in these centenarians and their eating habits. The centenarians attribute their long and healthy lives to their eating habits, reports CNBC Make It. But it’s not just about food choices. They also stressed that staying active is crucial for health.
Elizabeth Francis, who lived to be 116, is the oldest living person in the U.S. When she was 114, she said in an interview with TODAY, “Try to do the best for everybody. Love everybody.” Her granddaughter, Ethel Harrison, talked about her grandmother’s healthy habits. She said she ate fresh, home-cooked meals. “She always grew her vegetables in the backyard. I never saw her go to a fast-food restaurant like Chick-fil-A or all the other places I liked to go. She never did that,” Harrison told ABC13. She added that she always cooked when someone came to her house. “So I think that had a lot to do with it too,” she added. The granddaughter also talked about how Francis never drank alcohol or smoked, but always went for walks until her early 90s.
Deborah Szekely, 102, on the other hand, works out at her fitness spa and resort three times a week, according to CNBC. She has also been eating a plant-based diet since she was a child. “I’m a pescatarian. And I was lucky enough to never eat meat thanks to my parents,” she said. Her diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet, which focuses mainly on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, etc. For breakfast, she usually prefers yogurt, bananas, and whole grains. For lunch, she “always” has a salad, and for dinner, she often goes out, so she prefers to have fish, salad, a baked potato, or try something new.
For 106-year-old Shirley Hodes, staying in touch with her sister is a must, so she talks to her three times a week. Aside from that, Hodes makes sure to walk 10,000 steps a day to stay active. “When I lived at home, I would go for walks with friends by the reservoir. It was just wonderful. A five-mile walk that I would do every morning. Up and down, so it was really a workout,” she said. She told CNBC last year that she still does her laps indoors and outdoors whenever she can. As for food, she said she eats “pretty well” and that she says she has lived a long life because she has never smoked or drunk alcohol.
Daisy McFadden, who turned 100 in 2010, told Forbes that she was able to live so long because of her eating habits. She said that for years she ate oatmeal for breakfast, cranberry juice and a banana. For lunch she chose a salad with vegetables such as beets, cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as chicken or fish. For dinner she ate lean meat and steamed vegetables and for dessert only vegetables. She also mentioned that she doesn’t drink soda and always opts for milk, water, juice or iced tea.
