Regular exercise, managing stress levels, and getting enough sleep (the National Institute on Aging recommends adults get seven to nine hours each night) are some of the more obvious secrets for longevity. However, a well-balanced diet is arguably one of, if not the most important ingredients to sustaining a long and healthy life. In fact, a 2023 study published in Nature found that people with healthy dietary patterns that restrict processed meats and sweetened beverages can increase longevity by up to 10 years. And the proof is the pudding—just look at supercentenarian Louise Jean Signore, who recently celebrated her 112th trip around the sun.
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Signore is the second oldest person living in the Big Apple. She was born on July 31, 1912, to Italian immigrants in Harlem, New York, per her profile in the New York Post. She’s lived through World War II, which her brothers served in, the Prohibition era, the Great Depression, the events of 9/11, and a global pandemic—and also outlived her five younger siblings.
And yet, she still lives an active lifestyle at the ripe age of 112 years old. “It’s my body. Nobody tells me what to do. I do what I think is best. It works,” she told the NY Post.
As a kid, Signore was into ballroom dancing, swimming, playing bocce, and biking. While some of her favorite forms of physical exercise have taken a backseat in recent years, including line dancing, Signore still prioritizes her daily walks, even if it’s just a light stroll up and down her apartment building’s hallways.
However, her initiation into the supercentenarian club (an elite group who live to be 110 years old and over) is all due to her diet, she told the NY Post.
“It starts when you’re young,” explained Signore, giving kudos to her Italian-American heritage.
“We had salad, fruit, and vegetables every single night, and we always had wine on the table,” she recalled. Signore and her siblings were only allowed to indulge in “cake and soda on Sundays,” she added.
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As for her current meal plan, Signore enjoys eggs and toast as a light breakfast and “doctors up” her lunches and dinners with “tomato sauce, or garlic and olive oil.”
“I don’t have much. I have eggs. I have bread with jam and tea, but that’s it,” she said of her ideal breakfast.
However, there is one popular morning beverage she skips. “No coffee, I don’t drink coffee,” she quipped. Signore has also made a point to avoid smoking and alcohol.
At the end of the day, though, Signore said it really boils down to Italian food. Speaking with the NY in 2019, Signore credited her longevity to her healthy relationship with food, especially authentic Italian cuisine, and the instrumental part it played in her upbringing.
“Italian food is very good for you,” she said. “I was brought up with very good food.”
Aside from Italian food, Signore claimed that the reason why she’s outlived her siblings and most of her friends is because she chose to stay single.
“That’s why I am living. That’s why I am okay, because I didn’t get married…no marriage, no children. I’d rather be single,” she said days after celebrating her 112th birthday. “When you are married you have a lot of trouble.”
