''Avoid men, eat plenty of porridge and you'll live longer'' - 109-year-old woman

 
The oldest living woman in Scotland -- 109 -- says the secret to her longevity is this: Eat your porridge and avoid men. Centenarian Jessie Gallan, who never married, was born in a tiny two-room farm cottage where she slept "top-to-tail" with her five sisters and a brother on a straw mattress, reported The Daily Mail.
Gallan told the newspaper that her "secret to a long life has been staying away from men. They're just more trouble than they're worth." She noted that she also "made sure that I got plenty of exercise, eat a nice warm bowl of porridge every morning and have never gotten married."
Last year when she turned 108, she credited her porridge -- but not avoiding men -- as the reason for her longevity.

''I always worked hard and seldom would I ever take a holiday. I left home when I was 13 and began a job milking cows.

'I always had good jobs with very nice people. It's amazing to see how completely different the world is now from the one I grew up in.'

Miss Gallan celebrated her birthday on January 2 with lunch and a slice of cake at the Crosby House care home in Aberdeen.

Senior support worker Rebecca Streeter said: 'Jessie still takes part in the group activities, she likes her exercise.

'She goes to all the concerts and enjoys her church on a Sunday. And obviously she has led a very healthy lifestyle.'

 The 109-year-old left home at 13 years old to become a milkmaid. She said she had good jobs throughout her life

While the oldest person in Scotland, Gallan is not the oldest person in the world. That honor goes to Misao Okawa of Japan, who celebrated her 116th birthday in March. She has been a widow for 83 years (her husband died in 1931) -- suggesting that she perhaps shares Gallan's view about avoiding men if you want to live long.
Last year, a national survey of centenarians in the United States found that the secrets to long life include plenty of time with friends and family and a commitment to fitness.