HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?
The "newest" oldest person in the world may have just been found! She is 116 years old, lives in Peru and may have beaten the previous "oldest person" record.
Her name is Filomena Taipe Mendoza. Her identity card shows that she was born on December 20, 1897, just three months before Japanese lady, Misao Okawa, who holds the Guinness World Record for being the oldest person in the world. (Click on this story to read all about Misao Okawa.)
Here is the identity card of Filomena Taipe Mendoza, stating she was born on December 20, 1897. AFP PHOTO/MIDIS/HO
Ms Mendoza lives right in the middle of the Andes mountain range in Peru and is extremely poor. She has never left her village and has lived a very hard life. Her husband died when she was very young and she was left with nine children to look after.
What is her secret to living such a long life?
Ms Mendoza says it is her natural diet.
"I always ate potatoes, goat meat, sheep milk, goat cheese and beans. Everything I cook comes from my garden. I never had canned soft drinks."
Guess what her one wish is. It is this:
"I wish I still had teeth."
116-year-old Filomena Taipe Mendoza with her family members outside her home. AFP PHOTO/MIDIS/HO
Looks like eating healthily and staying away from canned soft drinks is a good way to keep healthy. What do you do to eat a healthy diet? What types of food and drinks can you remove from your diet so that your diet can be even better?
Featured image: 116-year-old Filomena Taipe Mendoza eating at her humble home in Huancavelica, Peru. She is the oldest in a list of 400 Peruvians over 100 years. AFP PHOTO/MIDIS/HO
