Ngô Vân Nam is a 102-year-old woman from Zhejiang, China. Despite her age, she speaks clearly and intelligently. As a child, she worked diligently without any aversion to tasks. She typically wakes up at 8 am and goes to bed at 7 pm, still performing household chores and maintaining good daily habits.
Even at over 100 years old, Ms. Ngô pays great attention to personal hygiene, washing her face multiple times and spending 10 minutes brushing her hair every morning. Regular hair brushing helps promote blood circulation, prevent hardening of the arteries in the brain, and reduce memory decline in the elderly.
At this age, Ms. Ngô is still agile and performs light tasks at home, such as sweeping the floor. Her meals usually consist of porridge in the morning, lunch with the family, and a light and easily digestible dinner. One special aspect of her diet is that Ms. Ngô eats 1-2 sweet potatoes every day, often as a substitute for rice, and drinks green tea regularly. Doctors highly value her habit of consuming sweet potatoes and green tea.
What are the benefits of sweet potatoes?
Dr. Chu A Cam, Director of Traditional Chinese Medicine at Hai Nin People’s Hospital in Zhejiang, China, believes that Ms. Ngô’s habit of eating sweet potatoes is related to her longevity. This is because sweet potatoes are rich in nutrients, low in calories, and free from cholesterol. Sweet potatoes are high in potassium, beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin C, and vitamin B6, all of which help prevent cardiovascular diseases.
Nutrition expert Asako Miyashitan from Japan also praises sweet potatoes as one of the foods that the Japanese prefer to consume for a longer and healthier life. Research has shown that sweet potatoes can lower blood sugar levels and provide nutrients to combat aging.
Sweet potatoes are also rich in dietary fiber, which is beneficial for maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy digestive system. Due to their high vitamin A content, sweet potatoes help reduce the risk of macular degeneration and other eye diseases in the elderly. An analysis conducted in 2016 showed that a diet rich in the antioxidant beta-carotene, found in sweet potatoes, is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes by protecting cells from free radicals and preventing the risk of chronic diseases.
Green tea
Dr. Chu A Cam also praises Ms. Ngô’s habit of drinking green tea. According to Dr. Chu, green tea is a beverage that contributes to Ms. Ngô’s longevity. Statistics in Japan show that 80% of people over 100 years old in Japan have a habit of drinking tea, and 40% of them admitted to being addicted to it. A study from Japan also indicated that those who drink more than 5 cups of tea have a lower risk of death compared to those who do not.
Green tea contains a high amount of antioxidants, which are beneficial for the heart and have excellent anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea helps improve blood pressure and reduce cholesterol levels. Especially, the EGCG compound in green tea has been proven to inhibit the development of tumors, while the polyphenols in tea have 18 times stronger anti-aging effects than vitamin E.
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