The World’s Oldest Woman Eats Raw Eggs Every Day

If you were waiting on one more news story to convince you that eggs, yolks and all, are good for you, I have it right here. The oldest woman in the world says she has eggs to thank for her incredibly long life. Emma Morano is the world’s oldest woman—she’ll be 117 on November 27—and she has eaten at least two eggs a day for 90 years. The daily routine came about when she was 20 years old. A doctor recommended she eat three eggs per day—two raw, one cooked—to help with her anemia. 

Morano’s current doctor, Carlo Bava, acknowledges that she has long-eschewed modern nutritional advice, like eating large amounts of fruits and vegetables. But clearly, the last person alive who was born in the 19th century could have done worse than opting for an egg-heavy diet. The trick may be to cut out just about everything else but eggs—Morano isn’t pairing her daily eggs with bacon or toast. When Dr. Bava met her, she’d eat two raw eggs for breakfast, an omelet for lunch, and chicken for dinner. And at this point in her life, Morano has pared down her food intake to just eggs and biscuits. Eggs have the added benefit of being a soft food, which means Morano can easily eat them. You see, while eggs have helped her maintain her vim and vigor, they haven’t saved her teeth. 

Morano still lives on her own in Northern Italy. As the world’s oldest woman, she has outlived her immediate family. While she isn’t planning a party on November 27, she expects well-wishers to turn up anyway—with some perfectly cooked birthday omelets, we hope.