A 115-year-old woman has revealed the secrets of living a long life, which includes eating beans in abundance.
Helena Pereira dos Santos, who is a mother of 15 children, recently celebrated her birthday with her family, Mail Online has reported.
The Brazilian native was born in 1908 – four years before the Titanic sank and six years before WW1 began.
Despite her advanced years, Helena’s family say she is still active, sane and independent.
She often goes shopping with her grandson and enjoys going for walks.
Likewise, every year she still makes the 170-mile long pilgrimage to the National Sanctuary of Aparecida, the largest cathedral in the world, in Aparecida, Brazil.
Helena retired years ago but used to work as a midwife and seamstress.
Granddaughter Adriana told the magazine that she still repairs clothes and remains a dabbler in making dolls.
She recalled how one day she visited a psychiatrist in her youth where the doctor allegedly told her: ‘Grandma, you can continue to work in peace. You will last more than 100 years.’
Helena was married to her husband, who died in 2004 at the age of 103, when she was 26 years old.
The couple went on to have six children, 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Sadly, most of the couple’s children have passed away.
According to Guinness World Records, the oldest living person is Maria Branyas Morera of Spain, who turned 116 on March 4.
Maria previously revealed her secret to living a long life is ‘regularity, stability, good relationships with family and friends, communicating with nature, emotional stability, not worrying, no regrets, having a lot of hope and staying away from toxic people, ‘ she told Guinness World Records.
When interviewed in 2020, the only medicine Helena took, was for her high blood pressure, Helena said her bean-rich diet had made her strong and she added that sleeping well, exercising and joy were also important, she also believes it comes down to ‘being lucky ‘and ‘good genetics.
