The oldest family in the world ate the same meal its entire life and even experts swear by it.
Forget eating out at New restaurantscoming up with crazy recipes or trying to expand your palette, the Melis family from Italy has apparently found the secret of a long and… healthy life – and it all comes down to this one meal.
Who is the Melis family?
The nine siblings were known as the world’s longest surviving family and in 2012 they were given the Guinness World Record for Highest Combined Age of 818 years.
The Melis family received a lot of attention in 2012 (AFP/Getty)
In 2023, the Melis siblings were seen in the Netflix documentary series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones.
The performance followed American author Dan Buettner visits five ‘blue zone’ areas of the world, including Sardinia in Italy, where the Melis family lived.
A blue zone is a part of the world where people are claimed to live longer than average and Sardinia is one of the most famous.
Buettner, an expert in tips to extend your life healthy meansshined a light on the Melis family’s lunch that they ate every day.
What is the meal?
So what is the meal that the Melis family ate every day? You may want to reconsider your lunch options.
It is vegetable and contains foods full of vitamins. Buettner explained the meal: “Every day of their lives they ate the same meal for lunch.
“A sourdough loaf, a three-bean minestrone soup – a thick minestrone with garden vegetables.
“There were always three beans in it: a garbanzo, a pinto and a white bean.
‘And then they had a small glass of red wine. I’m talking about a two to three ounce glass.
“This wasn’t because ‘my diet requires this of me.’
“No, they loved it.”
Samantha Cassetty Cassetty, a New York City-based dietitian, told Today.com, “People who live the longest and healthiest tend to eat half a cup to a cup of beans daily.
“It is also remarkable that the soup uses three types of beans and several vegetables.
“Research suggests that eating 30 unique plant-based foods per week can improve gut diversity, a sign of a healthy gut.
“Your gut regulates health functions such as blood pressure and cholesterol, inflammation, mood, weight and nutrient absorption, so you’re more likely to live a longer, healthier life if you have a healthy gut.”
This is why soup is so good for you (Westend61/Getty)
Why was the Melis soup recipe so healthy?
The pinto beans are packed with nutrients, protein and fiber and contain no cholesterol. Garbanzo beans are the same.
White beans are known as a “nutritional powerhouse,” according to Healthline, because they are packed with fiber and protein and are a good source of micronutrients, including folic acid, magnesium and vitamin B6.
Where is the Melis family now?
Members of the Melis family have passed away in recent years. Consolata Melis died in 2015 at the age of 108 and was her city’s longest-living citizen, The Guardian reported in 2021. She was the eldest in the family of nine. Her sister, Claudina, died in 2016 at the age of 103, Maria died at the age of 100, and Antonio died at the age of 97.