The Eating Habit the World's Oldest Couple Followed Every Day
Ecuadorian couple, Julio Cesar Mora Tapia and Waldramina Maclovia Quinteros Reyes, were declared by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest married couple in 2020. With Mora Tapia being 110 and Quinteros Reyes at 104, they had a combined age of 214 years. The happy couple was married for 79 years until Tapia passed away at home from dementia.
Couples who have been together for years know how to make their love blossom time after time. Along with this couple's "secret formula" of love, maturity, and mutual respect, they shared one particular eating habit that played a big role in their marriage. According to Guinness World Records, the couple had big family and friend dinners that brought all of their loved ones together.
This habit ties in with the Blue Zone Diet—guidelines based on the diet and lifestyle of the world's longest-living people in 5 different parts of the world. Although types of food and what you eat play a role in living to be 100 years or older, how one lives is also important.
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One part of the lifestyle aspect of the blue zones is to have strong social connections with a sense of purpose and community. Another is to do work by hand whether it's in the kitchen or garden.
In the instance of the world's oldest couple, spending quality time with close family and friends was a big part of their lives. According to the couple's daughter, Aura Cecilia, the family always enjoyed each other's company. Aura Cecilia also tells Guinness that the couple loved planting and harvesting plants. They would spread that love by sharing the fruits with family and friends through big dinners.
Although sharing family moments was of big importance in the couple's life, it was not that way at first. The couple's families originally did not get along, leaving them to marry in secrecy.
"It was not easy because our relatives did not have a good relationship, but with time and patience we were able to unite them and we became an example and the best reference for the younger generations," the couple told Guinness.
However, it was the couple's strong love that conquered all conflict. They've carried their love with them in 79 years of marriage. This included 5 children, 11 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and 9 great-great-grandchildren. According to Guinness, they believed that life was better when the foundations of the family were built on love and respect. They also believed family unity was everything.
The recent pandemic made it more difficult to see their family and loved ones. However, they continued to fill their lives with optimism and happiness.
