Ben Squires
Retirement Life

5 centenarians reveal their surprising secrets to live to 100

It’s no easy feat to reach the milestone that is turning 100. While you might think it all comes down to diet, exercise and genes, these real-life centenarians have a few other ideas as to what their secret is to a long and happy life.

1. Ice cream

Virginia Davis (above image), 108, credits a daily bowl of her favourite Neapolitan ice-cream before bed for her long life.

2. Booze

100-year-old Pauline Spagnola said at her 100th birthday that her secret to her long and happy life was "a lot of booze." 

3. Bacon

Crowned the world’s oldest woman by Guinness World Records, 116-year old Susannah Mushatt Jones keeps a steady diet of bacon, eggs and grits for breakfast every day.

4. No men

Jessie Gallan, 109, revealed: “My secret to a long life has been staying away from men. They're just more trouble than they're worth.”

5. Raw eggs

Emma Morano, a 115-year-old Italian woman, attributes her long life to her doctor’s long-ago recommendation to eat three raw eggs a day.

Related links:

Should you “practise” retirement?

How to find a hobby you love

The benefits of living in a retirement village

Tags:
lifestyle, secret, retirement life, Centurion