Explaining why you're off meat can often be an unnecessarily  emotional process but  you might not have to justify the benefits of your lifestyle anymore.  The man, who claims to be 118 years old, says the longevity of his life is all thanks to a strict vegetarian diet of "fresh green vegetables and pulses" - no meat, no fish. Premsai Patel, who lives in a remote village in India, claims to have been born on 11 May, 1896 which could make him the oldest person alive.

Misao Okawa, the current record holder who lives in Japan, is 115 years old.

Although the teacher's claims lack any legal records, a medical officer claims that the correct age of a person can be verified through a bone test. Vegetarian diets have been linked in prior research to a lower likelihood of developing chronic diseases like heart disease or diabetes, while red meats have been found as a potential culprit of a shorter life span because of its high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can clog up arteries.