Claire Caffo, Age 91, Hermosa Beach
I met Claire Caffo, aka “Nana,” at a Hermosa Beach boot camp during the pandemic. What struck me about this tall, spry, 90-year-old woman with great posture was her positive mindset, radiant smile, sharp mind and flowing laughter. I never heard her complain. When asked how she was doing, she’d typically reply, “Oh, pretty good!” before asking about someone’s child, work or recent vacation.
One day, as we jog-shuffled backward up a neighborhood street, I asked if I could spot her. “Oh no,” she laughed. “It’s good for my balance and mind!” As I watched her, it was clear she had no arthritis or joint issues, and amazing mobility.
Today at 91, the Swiss native is still in fabulous shape. Claire attends her son-in-law’s boot camp two mornings a week, walks, goes to the gym, gardens religiously—and skis. When we spoke, Nana was packing for a ski trip. When I said how remarkable that was, she shrugged and replied in her soft accent, “Oh, yah, well, I only ski three hours a day now.”
We walked onto her deck to get some sun, and I noticed pots of all sizes overflowing with herbs, lettuce, Swiss chard, kale, tomatoes, and orange and lemon trees. She pointed and smiled like that was her secret to health.
Q: What do you think is the key to your remarkable, youthful energy, well-being and vitality?
A: I eat lots of herbs and mostly fresh veggies from my garden-never junk food. I have always believed in fermented foods and make my own kefir and sauerkraut. I learned to be healthy from my grandmother. My parents were away and traveled because of the war (WWII) so I lived in Northeast Switzerland near St. Gallen. My grandmother taught me about herbs. She sent me up into the hills to pick 20 different herbs and shoots so we could make tea! We gardened, canned foods, dried herbs, fermented foods, cooked together. I learned from her.
Q: Have you always exercised?
A: In Switzerland I had to walk everywhere, or bike daily. As a teenager, I hiked in the mountains too.
Q: It sounds lovely. Have you always been healthy?
A: Mostly. But when I was 65, I was diagnosed with lupus. I was in a relationship with emotional abuse. That stress caused the lupus. I cured myself after I got rid of him [she laughs]! Seriously, stress is awful for the body. Now I’m in good shape, but I do have osteoporosis, so when I ski, I go slow.
Q: Walk me through a day of your life now—from what you eat to what you do.
A: Breakfast: I make a smoothie with kefir and garden herbs—dandelion, basil, garlic, chives, oregano, rosemary. I add berries, a banana, cranberries, a little orange juice, beet juice, chia and flax seeds, turmeric, and ginger. If I’m going to boot camp, I’ll have a soft-boiled egg too.
Lunch: I eat a salad with garden lettuces. On bread I spread coconut butter - that’s good for my brain - and mix it with dried garden herbs.
Dinner: Once a week I eat liver with a potato and applesauce. Very simple. Sometimes I cook chicken or homemade soup. Yesterday I made a quiche with herbs, chives and mushrooms. I eat European portions, so not too much.
Activity: I stretch first thing in the morning—balance exercises. If I don’t go to boot camp, I walk, garden, go to the gym and lift weights, relax in a sauna. It’s important to stay active!
Q: What brought you to America?
A: The Olympics in California [in 1960] had a big impact on me. I wanted to meet Americans. After my grandmother died, I was 26 and decided to move. We had family friends in Sacramento, so off I went. I met my husband at a church dance, and he drove a group of us on a ski trip. He was extremely kind, loving, honest and trustworthy. We got married and raised our children: Nicole, Marc, Tom and Simone, who I now live with in Hermosa Beach.
