Man says he hasn't aged in 18 years due to one habit
For those who are interested in staving off the effects of the hands of time, you might want to take a leaf out of this bloke's book, as he claims he is still getting mistaken for someone in his 20s due to one strange habit.
54-year-old Julius Abraham might be juggling three jobs and three children, but he doesn't look as though he is.
The middle-aged dad claims that people assume that he is at least 30 years younger - and now, he's shared his secret to staying wrinkle-free with the rest of us.
But before you get all excited, be warned that not everyone will be able to stomach it.
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Julius explained that over the last two decades, he has religiously supped the water from his vegetable steamer after being inspired by a YouTube creator who was doing the same thing.
The then-36-year-old spotted a video online of a woman who ate all of her produce raw as well as drinking the liquid which was left behind, so he decided to follow suit.
"She was 70 but looked about 30," Julius said.
He reckons that his decision to follow the woman's lead 18 years ago is the reason why he has aged like a fine wine.
Julius - who works as a comedian, quiz host, and car-auction facilitator in Bristol - explained that he drinks his steamed veg water 'every day without fail' after boiling up a selection of produce.
He typically chucks in a bag of carrots, half a bag of kale, a whole broccoli, half a cauliflower and a courgette.
The father-of-three said that he washes the veg in boiling water, peels the skin off and chops the grub up before placing it into his trusty steamer.
After the kitchen gadget has worked it's magic, he leaves his concoction to cool overnight as he says it allows all the steam to condense back into the pan beneath the vegetables.
By the time he wakes up the following day, Julius has got a nutritious tipple waiting for him, as well as a load of veggies for him to chow down on.
A meal prep king, some might say.
Although it may be a bit bizarre, the Brit believes it's the reason that he is mistaken for being in his 20s roughly every two weeks - rather than any expensive lotions or potions.
Julius explained: "People always think I'm younger than I am - I love it! Keeping your youth is great. My girlfriend is 27 but people don't realise we have an age gap."
He recalled how he was recently visiting a shop when he overhead two staff members complaining about the loud music playing, before they jokingly said to him: "It's alright for you - you're young!"
As you can imagine, Julius took great satisfaction in telling them both he was in fact 54.
"They couldn't believe it", he said. "People don't want aches and pains and ailments, they want the fountain of youth.
"I think I was always a bit young looking - my mum was too - but I haven't aged since I started doing this in my late 30s."
Julius continued: "I'm getting purified water with all the nutrients that come from the veg and I'm getting the vegetables too, so it's a double win. I used to add a little lemon but I've got used to the taste now - it's quite sweet."
If you fancy emulating the dad-of-three's youthful look, he swears by boiling his vegetables to get rid of any pesticides, while also swerving tap water completely and only drinking bottled or filtered water...or steamed veg water, of course.
According to Birdseye, steaming is a better alternative to other cooking methods for veg because 'the minimal added water, and gentle, indirect heat' allows the produce to preserve more of its nutrients, texture and flavour.
It explains: "Water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin B6 or vitamin B12 are amongst the most susceptible to leeching during cooking or processing. Vitamin C is so 'fragile', it can be even lost during storage or transportation.
"Steaming also saves the vegetable’s crunchy texture and vibrant colour, and it doesn’t take a long time, especially if you choose to steam in the microwave."
Topics: Health, UK News, News, Food And Drink, Weird
Olivia Burke