A South Philadelphia woman who just turned 106 says there are just two secrets to living a long life.
Dorothy Nedd, who celebrated her 106th birthday on Friday, said that it was God and Big Macs that kept her alive for so long. When asked by Fox 29 how she feels on most days, Nedd said, "I feel fine."
But what keeps her going for more than a hundred years? "Serving the Lord!" the centenarian said.
Nedd is now a great-grandmother of nine and a great-great-grandmother of one. She credits her long life to God and her favorite McDonald's meal. Zulema Nedd, the centenarian's granddaughter, recounted how the elderly woman would take her to church and then following the service would "sometimes go to the McDonald's and my grandma got a Big Mac."
"She was getting Big Macs for a long time," Zulema said of her 106 year old grandmother, who is under her care. But she admitted that the COVID pandemic has been hard on the centenarian.
"Because our family would come over every Friday until the pandemic happened. We're no longer doing that, so it's just FaceTime, and they miss her, but nobody wants to jeopardize her," Zulema shared. When asked what Nedd wanted for her 106th birthday, all she said was "Sweet living!"
Not the Bee reported that despite being labeled as "fast food" that is "unhealthy," many in the younger generations have "lost the knowledge that folks from earlier years understood: That if you eat healthy and well for the majority of your meals, you can regularly enjoy a Big Mac-even for 'a long time!'-without sweating it."
Long life and odd food choices
Meanwhile, The Sun reported that another centenarian who shares the same birth year as Nedd, also credits some strange food choices for her long life. 106-year-old Mary Nicholson from St. Helen's, Merseyside in England said last year that drinking full fat milk, cream and butter, and a "tipple of whisky at night" has contributed to a very long life.
Both Nicholson and Nedd have lived through two World Wars and three flu pandemics. But Nicholson beat COVID twice in her 106-year lifetime.
Another centenarian by the name of Lucia DeClerck also credited her faith for her long life. According to Food & Wine, DeClerck said that prayer and refraining from eating "junk food" has served her well, living up to 105 years of age.
She also ate nine gin-soaked raisins everyday as well as drank what was described as a "mysterious drink," a combination of "aloe vera juice, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and 'a little bit of gin.'" DeClerk is also weeks away from her 106th birthday.
It's not unusual for centenarians to have a favorite food or drink ritual that may have contributed to their long lives. In fact, Jack Reynolds of Derbyshire, England who was 105 in 2018 said he takes some whiskey with his tea every morning and lemonade every night before bed.
Reynolds passed away in 2020 at the age of 108 and was known as "Britain's oldest daredevil" for breaking records after his 100th birthday. BBC reported that he was known for being "the oldest person to get their first tattoo, go on a rollercoaster, ride a zip wire and perform as a supporting actor on a TV show."
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Editor's note: Opinions and personal experiences expressed in this article, particularly with regards to alcohol consumption, do not necessarily reflect Christianity Daily's views. Thank God for long life!
