At114, a Texas woman becomes the oldest American citizen. What keeps her hidden?
According to Business Insider, Elizabeth Francis, who was born in 1909, is now the oldest person in the country. Her family attributes her longevity to leading a healthy lifestyle.
The distinction was previously held by Edie Ceccarelli, a 114-year-old native of Louisiana who immigrated to Texas in 1920. Edie Ceccarelli passed away last week at the age of 116 from an undisclosed illness.
According to an article from Today this summer, she has been living with her 94-year-old daughter, Dorothy Williams, since 1999.
Williams reports that although Francis, who is currently bedridden, has some memory issues, she is intellectually alert and recognizes her family.
She held court for four hours in July when researchers from LongeviQuest, an organization that confirms the ages of supercentenarians, paid her a visit in honor of her 114th birthday.
Francis believes that the “good Lord” is the reason for her long life, but her family believes that certain aspects of her lifestyle have extended her life.
Eat Healthy
Ethel Harrison, Francis’s granddaughter, claims that her grandmother kept her health intact by walking frequently and abstaining from alcohol and tobacco until she was ninety-nine.
She never ate fast food and instead prepared with veggies from her garden, including carrots, okra, mustard greens, and collard greens.
“She was always cooking, no matter what day of the week you visited her home. Harrison remarked, “I just think that had a lot to do with it,” regarding the lifespan of her grandmother.
Dietitians usually advise people to focus their diets on whole foods; one study found that eating a diet higher in plants and lower in processed foods could extend a person’s life by ten years.
Family time
Francis also makes a lot of time for her loved ones. Harrison said to Today that she spends most of her days at her mother’s and grandmother’s house where they are “always doing things together as a family unit”.
Strong relationships and socializing are linked to a longer, healthier life, according to research.
Hard Work
Harrison disclosed that Francis, a single mother, exhibited a strong work ethic and continued to assist her family by performing household chores even after she retired.
According to LongeviQuest researchers, a prevalent trait among supercentenarians they had encountered was working as long as possible. However, a 2016 study indicated that quitting early was associated with an increased risk of mortality.
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