The power of porridge
World’s oldest family credits longevity to their daily double dose of oatmeal
With a combined age of 1,075 years, the 13 Donnelly siblings of County Armagh in Northern Ireland can proudly lay claim to being the world’s oldest family.
Indeed, their ability to defy the passing years has seen them achieve a Guinness world record. But what can now be revealed is the secret behind the family’s longevity — traditional porridge oats.
Having grown up on a farm, their diet has always been made up of locally sourced ingredients; freerange pigs and chickens for bacon and eggs and vegetables grown in their backyard.
But the Donnelly clan are convinced that what has really guaranteed their long life is their habit of eating porridge, not just for breakfast every day but for supper, too.
“The key is that you need to get
your oats at night,” said Leo Donnelly, who at 72 is the youngest of the siblings.
“We’ve always followed Daddy’s habit of that nice warm bite before sleep. Porridge at around 10 p.m., then porridge again for breakfast at 7 a.m. “Cooked oats, milk, perhaps a spot of jam on top. It has always stood us well, porridge before sleep and after sleep. People thought it was unusual, but now the proof is there for all to see.”
The family’s reliance on oats and their apparently beneficial effect on their health and years have prompted scientists at the International Longevity Centre to launch a study of the Donnellys’ diet.
Oatmeal has been shown to lower blood pressure, combat diabetes, reduce cholesterol and protect the body against heart disease.
Oats are naturally high in vitamin B-12, a crucial component in regulating the body’s melatonin levels and sleeping patterns. The grain is also naturally loaded with beta-glucan, a “magic genie” that lowers “bad” LDL cholesterol and
reduces heart disease.
Oatmeal was labelled a superfood when it was discovered that avenanthramides, antioxidants that are found only in oats, minimize plaque buildup in artery walls and reduce the hardening of arteries.
But for the Donnellys, tucking into a bowl of porridge is just part of their fundamentally wholesome diet and lifestyle, which also sees them steer clear of alcohol.
“The farm oats in our porridge were always local and of the finest quality,” Donnelly said. “Our diet has never been from processed or polluted foods.
“We worked with nature, everything eaten was either grown or reared by us.
“There was never a fat Donnelly raised.”