Going in line with my last post about the oldest dog, I decided to check out some of the more interesting "oldest people" award winners and their dietary habits. Here are my findings after about fifteen minutes:
Jiroemon Kimura (116), the oldest person in the world, eats 3 meals a day (usually consisting of “rice, pumpkins and sweet potatoes”) until he is only “80% full” a practice known as hara hachi bu,” doesn’t smoke and only drinks a “modest” amount of alcohol.
In 2009, Gertrude Baines of Los Angeles died at 115. Her diet? “A steady diet of crispy bacon, fried chicken and ice cream.”
The oldest person who lived in India, Kareng Teronpi (120), supposedly lived on “a daily diet of bland boiled rice, vegetables, and, of course, a regular bottle of moonshine to keep her spirits high.” She also had a “passion for rice beer,” drinking at least two glasses of it (also called “Hor”) a day. Oh, and she avoided spicy food. Which is shocking considering she’s in India.
Other notable contenders for most interested diet for a centenarian:
- Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the age of 122, gave credit to her longevity to “olive oil, which she poured on her food and used on her skin, drinking port wine, and eating about two pounds of chocolate every week.”
- Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, 115: “funche”: a stew made of boiled corn, codfish, and cream
(There are a lot more interesting centenarian stories on the Yahoo link, but I wanted to focus primarily on the ones that included their dietary habits.)
Thinking about old people always makes me consider my own mortality. Particularly, how I want to go and when. As for the how, my only request is that it's painless and quick. One long, hard-fought battle with cancer taught me that I don't want my own death to take any longer than it has to, and, if I have my own way, will include no disease and nothing painful. That might be asking a lot, but I'm hoping for an answered prayer when the time comes.
As for the when, I have a few requests there, as well. Mainly, I want it to happen before I become that old, decrepit man who requires constant care and attention. I'm too independent to allow someone to wait on me while I slowly degrade in a bed in some hospital or hospice care. I'd rather be put down before that could even happen. I know that's a lot to put my family through, if the unfortunate opportunity comes to make a decision between a vegetable-like life and a peaceful death. But I never want to be a burden, and I'd rather my memory remain as a person who could remain upright, walking, and taking care of himself. No feeding tubes, no wheelchairs, and no constant attention, thank you very much.
I'll take a quick death after a short walk, than a long fade in the supine position.
not 
-JJ
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