This Was The Go-To Diet Of The World's Oldest Person

If you've ever wondered which area in the world has the longest life expectancy, it's Hong Kong, closely followed by Japan, where the average life expectancy for a woman is 88 years and for a man is 82 (via Worldometer). Over the years, we've heard a lot about how healthy the Japanese diet is: Utilizing fresh, unprocessed ingredients and a minimum of sugar, the traditional diet is packed with health-promoting ingredients such as fish, pickled vegetables, and green tea (via BBC Good Food) — no doubt a contributor to its long-lived population.

As reported by NPR, the world's oldest person died in Japan last week. Kane Tanaka, a woman who was born in Fukuoka in 1903, was 119-years-old, a "supercentenarian," as people 110 years or older are known (via Merriam-Webster), at the time of her death. But if you're thinking that Tanaka had sushi and tofu to thank for her longevity, think again: The world's oldest person preferred to snack on different foods altogether.

On April 19, the world's oldest person, Kane Tanaka, died at her nursing home in Fukuoka, Japan. Born in 1903, Tanaka was the seventh child of Kumakichi and Kuma Ota. At 19, she married Hideo Tanaka, who ran Tanaka Mochiya, a family business that produced and sold sticky rice, the sweet red bean soup called zenzai, and udon noodles (via Guinness World Records). In January 2019, Guinness World Records recognized her as the oldest woman living — and one with a sweet tooth, at that.

In an interview with the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) — in which several accompanying photos show her cradling a Coca-Cola — Tanaka told the organization that far from crediting healthy eating and exercise for her longevity, her favorite things were "fizzy drinks (especially Coca Cola), but also coffee and chocolate."

"I think the secret to long life is to do the things that you like," she told the outlet. "Eating the things I like, doing the things I like, I've been able to enjoy each and every day. "