If you want to live to over 100 you might want to read this
This is the story of how Emma Morano, the oldest woman in the world, reached the amazing age of 117.
Emma was born on November 29, 1899, in Italy, and she lived all the way until April 15, 2017. This made her the last person alive who was born in the 1800s! She was also a supercentenarian, which means she was really, really old, and she became the fourth-oldest person in Europe ever.
Because of improvements in technology and medicine, people are living longer than ever before. But living to 117 years old is really rare, with only 12 confirmed cases of people reaching that age.
So, how did she manage to achieve that? It seems like Emma got asked this question a lot, and anyone who dreams of living to be a supercentenarian should definitely pay attention and take some notes.
Emma had a pretty straightforward way of living a long life: she stuck to a healthy diet and avoided getting involved with men.
Emma overcame a lot in her long life. (OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)
The long life of Emma Morano
Throughout her long life, she faced many tough challenges, like being in a bad marriage, losing her only child, dealing with over 90 different Italian governments, and living through two World Wars.
The ex-factory worker thought that her choice to remain single after kicking her partner out played a big role in her reaching such an impressive age in life.
Emma shared that her marriage was never really perfect because she had truly loved a man who passed away in World War I, and she wasn't really looking to find someone new.
She didn't really get to choose when the idea of getting married was brought up to her.
In a 2011 interview with La Stampa newspaper, the oldest person in the world shared a story about a boy from her neighborhood who boldly asked her a question one day out of the blue.
She explained, “He was a local guy, someone from around the lake. I didn't want to marry him, but he made me. We lived in the same neighborhood, and one day he had his mom come to get me.”
I went to see him, and he told me, “You can marry me if you want, but if you don't, I'll have to kill you.” I was 26 at the time, and I ended up getting married.
The Italian was the last person born in the 1800s to die. (OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)
In 1938, Emma decided to kick the useless guy out of her life, just a year after her baby boy, who was her only child, sadly died when he was only six months old.
The Italian woman chose not to marry again because she wanted to be independent and not controlled by anyone.
Emma kept working until she was 75 years old and felt really good about the life she had lived. She was especially proud that she didn't need any medicine and stayed quite active even after she retired.
Even though there were a lot of crazy things happening during her life, she always stayed steady, looked on the bright side about what was to come, and stuck to her daily eating habits, which she believes helped her stay in great shape.
So, what did the world's oldest person swear by eating everyday?
Eggs. Oh, and supping on a traditional Italian alcoholic beverage, grappa.
She shared that for over 90 years, she has eaten three eggs every day, including two of them raw. This routine started after she was diagnosed with anemia following World War I.
Emma used to show off by saying, “I eat three eggs every day, and to help me digest, I make my own grappa. I mix it in a jar with seven sage leaves, some rue grass, and a few grapes. Then, I drink it with a spoon.”
She also acknowledged that her genes could play a role in her living to 117, since her mom lived to 91 and some of her sisters made it to 100 years old.
The 117 put her longevity down to two things… and genetics. (OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Before she passed away seven years ago, Emma had reduced her diet to only two eggs and a few biscuits each day. However, she was managing well since she had started getting help from a full-time caregiver just a couple of years before that.
Her doctor of nearly three decades, Carlo Bava, told AFP that his star patient rarely ate vegetables or fruit.
He said, “When I first met her, she used to eat three eggs every day—two of them raw in the morning, then she would have an omelette for lunch, and chicken for dinner.”
They don't say ‘you can't teach your grandmother to suck eggs' for nothing.
Featured Image Credit: OLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Image
