During an interview, Jessie Gallan, who was then Scotland’s oldest woman, shared her advice on how to live a long, happy, and healthy life. She had two simple secrets to share, which were also a bit humorous.
According to Jessie, if you want to live a long and healthy life, you should eat porridge for breakfast every day. Additionally, she emphasized that it’s important to start avoiding men.
Jessie was born in the early 1900s in a small farm cottage. She had five sisters and one brother, and they all slept in one room on a straw mattress, with their heads at one end and their feet at the other.
When Jessie turned 108, she shared her secret to a long life: she ate porridge every day. Porridge is made by boiling grains in water or milk, and oatmeal is one type of porridge. But on her 109th birthday, Jessie added another secret: she believed that avoiding relationships with men was important for a long life.
“The secret to a long life has been staying away from men. They’re just more trouble than they’re worth,” Jessie said in an interview.
She reported that she also, “made sure that I got plenty of exercise, eat a nice warm bowl of porridge every morning and have never gotten married.”
The lively and somewhat amusing 109-year-old Jessie had always been self-sufficient. She had been working hard since she was a teenager, leaving her home at the age of 13 and supporting herself. She started working as a teenager and made a decision to never get married.
“I worked hard and seldom would I ever take a holiday,” Jessie said.
“She’s absolutely amazing,” a caregiver at Jessie’s nursing home said.
According to Daily Record, In 2015, Jessie’s health deteriorated and she died peacefully in her own bed with family by her side at the age of 109.
A recent study in the United States surveyed individuals who are over 100 years old and discovered that spending time with loved ones and being dedicated to physical health are important factors for living a long life.