Eat well and wash it down with a glass of wine.

[Samuel]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/12/AR2005081200810.html

French Couple Celebrates 81st Anniversary. Their advice: Eat well and wash it down with a glass of wine.

The Associated Press
Friday, August 12, 2005; 12:23 PM

CHATEAUROUX, France -- A French couple who celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary Friday offered this advice on love and longevity: Keep arguments to a minimum, eat well and wash it down with a glass of wine.

Andre and Marguerite Debray met shortly after the end of World War I, in which he served, and got married on Aug. 12, 1924.

Mr. Debray is now 107 years old and his wife is a few years younger at 101. Retired for several decades, the Debrays spent their careers as teachers.

To celebrate the anniversary, the couple planned a family lunch with a champagne toast at their home in the village of Chateauroux, in central France, Mrs. Debray said in a telephone interview.

The couple has two children, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

Asked for the secret to staying together so long, Mrs. Debray replied: "Love and respect for the other person."

Their fondness for each other has grown over time.

"Life trained us. We never fought. We lived together so long that we have the same tastes, the same habits," Mrs. Debray told Le Parisien newspaper, adding that her husband might not be perfect but his faults lessened over time. "It's been so long, I got used to them."

Mr. Debray still enjoys a glass of wine with lunch.

"I also like a good wine," said Mrs. Debray, adding that she never followed a diet. "I don't know what that is. I eat everything that is edible."

[tie_guy]

I remember at least a couple of times them asking a very old person what the secret to long life is and they say things like "I eat a half a pound of bacon a day." Most people just think that the silly old person got lucky, but it makes you wonder. By everything that is edible I wonder if they mean lots of fatty traditional food for their area.

Years ago they used to put fat back in everything. Of course they also got more exercise. I am wondering if my body does better on LC because LC is closer to the food that my ancestors ate. Maybe some of us evolved to eat a diet rich in meat and low in carbs.

Actually I think that evolutionarily it may have been an advantage to be super sensitive to insulin. I am sure that there are parts of the world where the only time carbs are around are during specific parts of the year (spring time when all of the fruit is ripe.) During those times it would be a good thing if people were hungry all of the time so they can gain weight for the long winter where the only things to eat are Atkins type food.

Well I just went way off on a tangent. Not sure if there is any truth to that at all just some wild theory I have been working on.

[Dodger]

There have been several people who have researched the super elderly to determine the magic rules for long life. The conclusion is have good genes and don't die. Centenarians seem to have nothing in comon with each other other than they lived a long time.

[kevinm]

Also noted is that this couple lives in France. French cooking uses a lot of butter and heavy cream along with fresh meats and veggies. They don't eat as much processed food as we Americans

[Samuel]

Mrs. Debray: "Eat well and wash it down with a glass of wine."..
Mr. Debray still enjoys a glass of wine with lunch.
Liquer is always claimed to be a cause for obesity because it's a high calorie food which also makes people eat more.

Somehow I doubt that this claim is based on true facts. Most of the people that I know who drink a lot are either skinny, average or moderately overweight. None of the obese people that I know drinks much.

I don't have a full explanation. However, drinking makes us feel calm so it may prevent overeating which is caused by tension.