One of the questions that I ask these people in an interview is about their diet. What do they eat? Are they on special diets or do they eat everything in moderation? One interview I remember more than most, was with an incredible centenarian, Ruth Frith.
Ruth became famous for two things – winning gold medals at the World Masters Games, and not eating vegetables! In this month’s article, you’ll not only learn about Ruth’s inspiring story, but how regular movement seems to trump the best diet when it comes to aging well.
“Another gold medal for Australia!” Ruth Frith (b. 1909) had just won one of her six gold medals in athletics at the 2009 World Masters Games in Sydney. Sitting down to do an interview with the ABC shortly after, Frith was asked about her workout routine.
“Monday I do weights, pushups, ride the bike and do some stretching. Tuesday I do that again. Wednesday I do practical training on the field. Thursday I do the same again and Friday I do weights again.” Asked if she thought she had an advantage over her competitors because of her workout regime, Frith replied: “Well when I’m with them I find out they don’t do anything. A lot of them don’t even train!”
When asked for her recommendations for movement, Frith insisted: “Even if you only do three days a week, you must. You can’t expect to keep going forever doing what you once did. I started (athletics) when I was 74. What I did when I was 74 you can’t do when you’re 84.”
Frith wasn’t lying; she really did begin her Masters athletics career at 74. Her daughter, Helen Searle, is a Commonwealth Games silver medallist and represented Australia at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games, and continued on into Masters athletics when her professional career ended. For years, Frith would go along and mind the bags for Helen and her fellow club members, until one day she had her epiphany, as she told me on 100 Not Out: “Enough of the bag minding, it’s my turn to give this a go!”
Frith, who lived to 104, was so exceptional that she won some of her gold medals purely because she was the only competitor in her age group, and she still holds some of the 25 world records she set. Like many centenarians, Frith was regularly asked the perennial question, “What’s your secret?” to which she replied, “It’s not diet, because I don’t eat vegetables, so it doesn’t have anything to do with the diet!”
Frith’s comments can come across as flippant and some health professionals might be squirming at the idea that movement trumps diet for healthy longevity. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that whilst a great diet is wonderful for improving quality of life and can be a great healing aid, it doesn’t contribute to longevity in the same way movement does.
Countless Exceptionals have shared with me their daily diet on 100 Not Out. Lavinia Petrie (b. 1943) runs 10km in 40 minutes on her way to gold medals for Australia. She celebrates with a “hamburger with the lot” and a trip to the bakery.
Sister Madonna Buder is partial to a pastry, whilst octogenarian Ruth Heidrich (b. 1938) is a vegan athlete who’s run over 60 marathons and multiple triathlons. Alan and Janette Murray ran 366 marathons in 366 days in barefoot runners, eating nothing but raw fruits and vegetables.
Longevity cultures all have a wholefood-based diet with considerable differences. The Okinawans thrive on rice and fish and consume very few fruits, whereas the Loma Lindans are largely vegetarian or vegan. Corn is the staple of Nicoya, Costa Rica (the South American Blue Zone), whilst the Greek Blue Zone of Ikaria enjoys a Mediterranean diet that differs from the Sardinian version. And of course, Australian Ruth Frith didn’t eat vegetables! If you’re looking for anything in common food-wise, Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner says the only food all longevity cultures have in common is the consumption of beans. While The Exceptionals may not share the same diet, they all have a love of moving their bodies.
