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Two over-easy fried eggs, bacon and an English muffin make up a regular breakfast for Natalie Groeger, who turns 101 in October. Ask what explains her century of life and she says she has no idea. Her daily routine hands researchers plenty to examine, from pantry staples to pastimes, and one item on that breakfast plate has drawn a famous verdict from health authorities.
Brooklyn Switchboard Operator Born in 1925 Spent 68 Years Married and Now Plans a 101st Birthday Party
Brooklyn is where Natalie Groeger came into the world in 1925, in a house on one of its streets. At 21 she married, and the job she loved most was running a telephone switchboard. She and her husband spent 68 years together and raised two children, who added four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren to the family. Today she lives in an assisted living community in Englewood, New Jersey. Her birthday menu includes one drink order she was quick to clarify.
Mushroom Pizza and Soda Headline Groeger’s Birthday Menu, While Another Englewood Centenarian Credited Beer and Whiskey
Mushroom pizza, another of her favorites, anchors the celebration, along with a drink she insists be soda. She told TODAY.com she does not drink alcohol. Englewood once had a resident with a very different philosophy. Agnes Fenton reached 112 and credited three bottles of Miller High Life a day plus a glass of whiskey, a routine she gave up after her doctors objected. Groeger’s breakfast plate would raise more eyebrows at a checkup.
Groeger Says She Probably Shouldn’t Eat Bacon, and Eats It Anyway
Bacon sits on her breakfast plate next to the eggs, and Groeger knows its reputation. She says she probably shouldn’t eat it, and she eats it anyway. In 2015, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, estimating that 50 grams eaten daily, about two slices of bacon, raises colorectal cancer risk by roughly 18 percent. Individual risk stays small, the agency noted. One scientist who has met plenty of bacon-loving centenarians has a theory about them.
Longevity Researcher Says Centenarians Need About 130 Genes Aligned in Their Favor
Dr. Thomas Perls, founder of the New England Centenarian Study, has told TODAY that people who get away with habits like bacon past 100 probably carry protective genes. He describes a favorable combination across roughly 130 genes that slows aging and lowers disease risk. Smoking, heavy drinking and frequent red meat generally catch up with most people in their 50s and 60s, he says. Groeger’s mornings also include a food nutrition experts rank near the top of the produce aisle.
Blueberries Open Every Breakfast, and a Dietitian Calls Them the Healthiest Fruit
Blueberries come first at breakfast, and Groeger eats plenty of them. Registered dietitian Samantha Cassetty ranks them as the healthiest fruit, citing links to lower heart disease and Type 2 diabetes risk and better cognitive performance. Apples have been a lifelong favorite, avocados make regular appearances, and her chocolate of choice is dark, the type richest in cocoa solids. She follows no formal diet. Sunday mornings in her old home once revolved around a record player.
Sunday Records and Living Room Ballroom Dancing Kept Groeger and Her Husband Moving
After Sunday breakfast, Groeger would set a record spinning and dance with her husband through the living and dining rooms, a skill she taught him herself. At 20 she danced at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, with high kicks that made her feel like a Rockette. Chair dancing keeps her moving to music today. Dancing works the heart and bones together, and research ties it to better balance, brighter mood and lower dementia risk. A quieter hobby filled her other hours until her hands forced her to quit.
Knitting Blankets, Hats and Sweaters Filled Decades Until Hand Trouble Ended It
Groeger’s mother taught her to knit as a girl, and she went on to make blankets, hats and sweaters for most of her life. Hand problems ended the habit only a couple of years ago. These days she plays solitaire on her iPad and Canasta with friends. Researchers have linked yarn crafts to calmer moods, and card and board games to sharper thinking skills in older adults. Her approach to life’s rough patches takes a single sentence to explain.
Centenarian Who Never Dwells on Her Problems Calls Herself a Definite Optimist
Groeger rarely discusses her troubles, and she says that makes life easier. She describes herself as a happy person who loves to laugh, joke and tell stories, including the dirty kind. She calls herself an optimist despite some hard years. A 2019 PNAS study of two long-running groups found the most optimistic people lived 11 to 15 percent longer on average and had 50 to 70 percent greater odds of reaching 85. The researchers found an association and could not say exactly how optimism helps.
Groeger’s Answer to a 100-Year Question Is Simpler Than Any Research Paper
Science supplies several pieces of the puzzle: rare protective genes, blueberries, dancing, hobbies and an optimistic outlook all appear in the research. Researchers caution that nobody should copy the bacon, which Groeger’s genes likely forgive. Her own explanation skips the lab work entirely. Stay open-minded, accept life as it arrives and enjoy it. In her words: “You have to take and enjoy living.”