Any wellness expert will tell you that a good diet is essential for living a long and healthy life. But before you completely overhaul your pantry, you may be able to start working towards longevity with one simple swap. Pearl Taylor, a 103-year-old woman who lives in Ohio, has gained popularity by sharing her secrets on TikTok, where she's known as the "Jamaican grandma." In a new interview with Today, Taylor reveals the green juice recipe that she credits for her good health.
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The 103-year-old's granddaughter Taylor Bernal has been posting clips of her grandmother on her TikTok account @taygusta for some time now. In one video, Taylor said the secret to living a long, healthy life is "love."
"I really love myself," Taylor said in the video that her 34-year-old granddaughter posted. "I think most people have a problem because they don't think of themselves—they think of everything out there, you know? But you have got to think about yourself first. You have to help yourself first."
@taygusta My grandma is always keeping it 💯 Wisdom from a #centenarian! #jamaicatiktok #grandmasoftiktok #jamaican 🇯🇲🙌🏽
Of course, there are some more tangible factors that have contributed to Taylor's long and healthy life. Aside from still living alone, the 103-year-old is able to navigate the stairs of her two-story home, has never had cancer, and was able to walk without a walker until recently, Today reported.
“A lot of her longevity stems from her hyper independence, the fact that she has lived on her own all these years, has eaten really healthy and stayed fairly active … in addition to her positive mindset,” Bernal told the news outlet.
Taylor typically cooks her own meals centered around fish, vegetables, and salads. But even her eating habits aren't always as "healthy" as they could be. Taylor indulges in some guilty pleasures from time to time, like ice cream, sweet wine, and chips.
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The 103-year-old also told Today that she had an acquaintance who owned a health food store and "taught [her] a lot of stuff" that she wasn't 100 percent on board with. "She didn’t have a pot in her house—everything was raw. I tried, but I couldn’t do it," she said.
But there's one recipe that Taylor has held onto from her health food store-owning acquaintance. Every other day, she still drinks a glass of green juice that contains fresh aloe vera chopped into cubes, kale, parsley, ginger, celery, one teaspoon of powdered greens she buys from a health food store, water, and sweetener for the taste—Taylor uses Splenda, according to Today.
"My digestion is really great," the 103-year-old said in regards to the green juice. "And I’ve been doing it for about 30 years."
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