What Old People Eat

Have you ever wondered if it really matters if what you eat really has anything to do with living a long life, or if it's just all in the genes? As I have spent a great deal of time, especially over the last several years, being involved in the care of both my mother in law and grandmother-both now 93 years old, watching their eating habits makes me think about this. Two women of different ethnic backgrounds share in this amazing longevity. Is it diet? Are there any connections? My mother in law is Japanese, and my grandmother has an Eastern European background, but indeed, I have obeserved so many similarities in what they include in their diets, that it makes me wonder if it is more than the genes. I'd like to share some of those similarites. Maybe it does make a difference.
Oatmeal- daily. My mother in law (Grandma H.) would eat what she called her unromantic breakfast every day- oatmeal with a teaspoon of sugar and a little powdered milk, a small apple banana, and half of a papaya. My grandmother (Grandma S.) also eats oatmeal daily. She prefers hers made with chicken broth, sometimes in the morning, or as a light dinner, but still daily.
Fish- In general, a Japanese diet includes eating fish frequently. Grandma H. would enjoy her sashimi, but also a variety of other seafood- salmon, butterfish, mahimahi, various small reef fish, and sardines, at least a couple times a week. Grandma S. eats fish every morning for breakfast, especially sardines, but often salmon or white fish.
Pickled vegetables- This seems a bit strange, since picked foods tend to have more sodium than what I would expect to call a health food, but they both included pickled vegetables regularly. For Grandma H. perhaps some namasu (Japanese pickled cucumber) even kim chee ( a Korean pickled cabbage with chili pepper), and for Grandma S., sauerkraut or pickles- and since living in Hawaii, she has also acquired a taste for kim chee, only she adds a little vinegar because she thinks it cuts some of the salt.
Spicy Foods- They both love their garlic- lots of it, and hot spices too- chili pepper, wasabi, horseradish.
Fresh fruit of all types, but most important the banana. Grandma H. especially enjoys mango when its in season. Grandma S. loves when watermelon is in season- with a little feta cheese!
Cabbage, Mushrooms and Onion- Grandma H. always had cabbage, won bok, or mustard cabbage to add to a variety of dishes, as well as shitake mushrooms, onion or green onion. Grandma S. also is a cabbage lover, especially head cabbage and she spent years picking her own mushrooms when she lived in Pensylvania. She has sliced onion every morning with her fish.
Olive Oil- Both know that Olive Oil is a healthy choice, and although they could enjoy spurging on fried foods cooked in not so healthy fats, those foods are special treats, not part of the regular diet.
Starches are an area of difference- the staple for Grandma H. is steamed rice, and for Grandma S. hearty whole grain breads, preferably a bakery multigrain or rye- never soft fluffy bread.
Calcium is also from different sourses mostly because of cultural differences. Grandma H. eats lots of soy products. She doesn't agree with dairy products. the small fish soft bones also are a good sourse of calcium. Grandma S. enjoys dairy products, especially yogurt, which she eats at least several times a week.
So, are these the amazing foods for longevity, or is it the genes? Maybe both! Perhaps a little lesson is here for us to learn to eat like old people!