My dear grandma just celebrated her 102th birthday in October 2018. She lives in Qingdao, a coast city in Shan Dong Province of China.
Many people have asked me what kinds of foods my grandma likes to eat since they want to learn the "secrets" of her longevity. As a nutrition PhD, I can't help but observed closely on my grandma's favorite foods, and her daily routine. Here are a few "secrets" to share with you based on my observations.
1. Milk
My grandma’s breakfast always include a bowl of milk. She has been drinking milk every day since she started to having children. My grandma gave birth to six daughters. In certain a period of Chinese history, there were short supplies of foods such as milk, which was only available by quota. In order for my grandma to have nutritious food intake during child-bearing years, my grandpa even bought a goat to raise in the backyard. He would take the goat everyday up to the nearby mountain to let it graze on the grass there, so that he could milk the goat to get goat milk for my grandma to drink. My grandma hated the goat milk smell, and to overcome that she had to put in a piece or two biscuits to cover the strong unpleasant taste. I feel that this milk-drinking habit of my grandma was developed with the help of my grandpa. This habit shows how much my grandpa loved my grandma. My grandma has been drinking milk every day ever since. I believe that this helped her to maintain her bone strength over these years. My grandma’s bones have stayed strong without hunched back or fractured hips. These days, one homemade yogurt has also been added into her daily food intake.
2. High Quality Protein - Similar to Okinawa Diet
Grandma eats one egg in her breakfast every day in addition to her bowl of milk. Egg is a high quality protein source, a complete protein that can support growth of a new life.
Since grandma has lived near sea all her life, she has been eating plenty of fish and seafood in season. Fish is a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as omega 3 fatty acids, which is known with many health benefits for eye, brain, heart, joint etc. to reduce the risks of heart disease and inflammations, and improve vision and cognitive functions. Seafood is not only a high quality protein source, it is also a good source of zinc, a factor can boost immune function and also good for brain's cognitive function. She has fresh fish and seafood regularly in her diet, once every few days. On the days not having seafood, she will have some different types of meats. She eats a variety of protein containing foods, which I believe have helped to keep her muscles. Losing muscles have been one of the main health concerns during aging.
Okinawa is known to have the longest life expectancy in Japan. There are more than 400 centenarians in Okinawa. Although there are many factors that could account for differences in life expectancy, cuisine could be the largest factor. People from all around the world have tried to emulate the "Okinawa diet" to reap its health benefits, believed to be because it is nutritionally dense yet low in calories. Seafood was one of the major components of Okinawa diet.
It is easy to see that there are many similarities between the diets of my grandma and those lived in Okinawa, all live next to ocean so that they can always eat plenty of fresh seafood.
3. Sweet Potato - Also a Center Food for Okinawa Diet
Grandma ate a lot of sweet potatoes when she was younger. Sweet potato was one of the main crops the family cultivated on the farm land they owned. Grandma said that she had eaten a lot of sweet potatoes whenever it was the harvest season, and even body weight could gain a few pounds as a result of indulgent eating. The excess sweet potatoes at harvest would be sliced and air dried, so that it could be preserved and eaten all through the winter days to the next harvest season. Sweet potato is rich with carotenoids i.e. beta-carotene, which have antioxidant and anti-aging properties, a very nutritious food to eat often.
Interestingly, the center of the Okinawa diet is also sweet potato. The sweet potato provides a large source of energy while keeping calories low. Contrary to the regular potato, the Okinawa sweet potato does not have a large effect on blood sugar.
4. Tea
My grandma would drink one or two teapots of tea every day. She put in a good amount tea leaves, so it is quite strong in taste. Tea is known to have good amount of antioxidants such as polyphenols, which are beneficial for anti-aging. Plus the plenty of water consumption along with the tea would help to hydrate the body and cleanse the waste out of the system. My grandma drinks mostly green tea, but she has many varieties to drink from since people often bring tea as gifts when they come to visit her.
5. Garlic
My grandma is from Shan Dong province in China, a region known for consumption of garlic. She loves to eat garlic. She has a small dish with fresh garlic in on her dining table all the time. She said that she would feel missing something if she did not eat one or two garlic with her meals. Garlic can kill bacteria in the gut, which would have benefited grandma to have a healthy gut function. I think that this habit has also contributed to her longevity.
6. Eating with Portion Control
Since my grandma started to have some glucose/insulin issues in her 70s or 80s years of age, she started to follow the instructions carefully for meal portion control in order to keep her glucose level in check. If she was supposed to eat half a fruit, she would not eat the whole fruit. If she was supposed to eat breakfast at 7 am then she would follow the schedule. She is a self-disciplined person in her eating. She has never been overweight in her life as part of her ability to take control.
It has been known through scientific studies that energy restriction could extend life expectancy and reduce risks of many chronic diseases. The habit of not overeating is another contributing factor to my grandma's overall health status and longevity.
7. Eating with Variety
Grandma eats variety of foods, which are fresh in season usually from farmer's markets. Family has been paying attention to what type of foods to add into her diet. There would always be some fish, some seafood in season, some meat, plenty of vegetables, a very balanced approach, and never boring. After my grandma’s teeth falling off too much, she started to have difficulties chewing on hard or big pieces of food, then the family started to cook them softer and to blend the foods into puree forms, and make more soup and porridge, etc. to accommodate her dental situation so that she would still have plenty of healthy food intake. She also takes a multi-vitamin and other dietary supplements per day.
8. Mental Stimulating Activities Everyday
Healthy aging is not by foods or diets alone, it takes emotional and social well-being into the picture. We have a big family, there would always be people coming in to visit grandma and to talk with her. These days family member are rotating to care for her 24/7. Grandma is surrounded by her beloved flowers and plants, her computer video games which she still can play to the highest level of "killing the bugs" (打虫子）game, her drawing supplies which she draws often with, and her latest hobby is making little sculptures with mud (newest works in the pictures), and most importantly, she is surrounded by people who care and love her.
Note: This blog was originally written in December 2018, when my grandma was 102 years old. It is 2021 and my grandma is 105 years old. She is still healthy and sharp. In addition to her favorite video game, she also regularly plays MahJiang with friends and family. She often wins. The photos are of various small clay sculptures made by her.
Note: My grandma passed away on January 3, 2023, at the age of 106. Let's learn from her the secrets of living a long and healthy life.
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