As my passion for nutrition grew, I failed to realize that I had a source of information within my family. Rather than reading medical articles and health magazines, my great grandma was a pure example of how living a healthy lifestyle will increase the quality and length of your life.
I'm not kidding when I say my top goal in life is to live forever. Quite frankly, I know this may not be entirely possible but my great grandma sure put up a fight. My great grandma lived until she was 106 years old.
I clearly remember her extremely soft hands holding mine as she asked me to go on walks with her. At the time, I was too young to appreciate the strength my great grandma showed. Although my great grandma is no longer here with us, her longevity "secrets" remain a part of my life.
Eat Foods Without a Label
The rule is as simple as it sounds - eat foods with no labels. Primarily processed foods come with nutrition labels and when my great grandma was a kid, they didn't have aisles upon aisles of snack foods. She was left eating primarily fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are high in anti-aging antioxidants and vitamins that aid in regeneration of tissues and muscles in the body. Her only option was to eat these age defying foods.
Cook Every Meal at Home
My great grandma lived in a time period when UberEATS wasn't even a thought in someone's head. There was 1:00 a.m. Dominos orders, or even cute fast casual lunch spots. Instead, every meal had to be cooked at home. Cooking at home gave my great grandma all the control over what was going into her meals, and thus her body.
Restaurants often use a ton of salt and fat to make their food taste good so their customers come back. Even though we all like to eat out every once in a while, the lack of ingredient control can wreak havoc on our bodies.
Big Lunches
I know the typical saying is that breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day, but my great grandma ate a medium sized breakfast, a large lunch and a small dinner. Eating larger meals earlier in the day fuels activity while eating smaller meals at night allows your body to work on repairing cells rather than directing energy towards digestion.
Eating in Season
Grocery stores weren't as prevalent as they are today. There was no running to the grocery store to grab a quick ingredient. Farmers markets were my great grandma's traditional "super markets." The "farm to table" moto wasn't a trend, it was a lifestyle.
Everyone was forced to eat what was in season. For example, during the fall there was primarily tomatoes, cabbage, and carrots. Kind of referencing back to the first rule, you can't "grow" Pop-Tarts, so vegetables were more in abundance than any other food.
Active Lifestyles
My great grandma was around when cars were scarce and people rode horse and buggies. Fast transportation wasn't a thing so people had to walk everywhere. No one really took time out of their day to go to the gym and exercise. Rather, people lived actively whether it was gardening or cleaning the house. Achieving 10,000 steps a day was never a challenge.
My great grandma was able to live to 106 without any special diet or meal plan. Rather, she listened to her body which coincided with the seasons. She ate fruits and vegetables till she was satisfied and remained active throughout the day. If you're as ambitious as me and want to defy the natural process of aging then try some of these "secrets" out and see if you feel any different. The worst that can happen is you live to 106 like my great grandma!