"Eat This Every Morning" Peruvian Man Celebrates His 125th Birthday This Year

A balanced diet with vegetables and fruits
"Requests avocado every morning"

Marcelino Abad Tolentino, an unofficial world’s oldest man from Peru, celebrated his 125th birthday. He credited his longevity to a diet accompanied by vegetables and fruits.

Recently, the US 'New York Post' reported that Tolentino held a 125th birthday party with caregivers at a nursing home near Hu?nuco, Peru. According to an ID issued by the Peruvian government, Tolentino was born on April 5, 1900. He is 13 years older than Jo?o Marinho Neto (112), the world’s oldest man officially recognized by the Guinness World Records.

The unofficial world's oldest person, Marcelino Abad Tolentino (125)

However, Guinness World Records has not yet recognized him as the world’s oldest man. To receive the title, he must first undergo verification by experts. The Peruvian government announced last year that it intends to officially submit Tolentino’s record to Guinness World Records.

Tolentino, a poor farmer by origin, has lived a life full of hardships. Born in the Chaglla district of Peru, he became an orphan at the age of seven after losing his parents. He then made a living by working as a farmer. The area where he lived was so poor that people had to live self-sufficiently through barter of agricultural products, and he never attended school. Having worked on farms all his life, he neither married nor had children.

His secret to longevity is said to be a healthy diet accompanied by vegetables and fruits. According to the Peruvian government, he has adhered to a diet of fruits and vegetables since his youth, eating vegetables and fruits grown in his own garden along with lamb meat.

In particular, Tolentino’s favorite food is avocado. The nursing home chef in charge of his meals said, "Tolentino requests avocado every morning. He cannot live a single day without avocado." Additionally, Tolentino chewed coca leaves to boost his energy while working in the fields and gathered herbs and medicinal plants from the wild to maintain his health.

Tolentino was able to join the Peruvian government’s national pension program for the first time around the age of 119. Although he did not have a birth certificate, he was issued an official national ID at that time and became eligible for pensions and various welfare services.