Kirby de Lanerolle, a 'Breatharian' has claimed that he hasn't eaten anything in the past five years, but instead has only inhaled light, wind and the "vibrations of God." For those wondering what a Breatharian is, it's not some new Hollywood diet fad but rather a person who gives up food and water to live on energy in the air.
The Sri Lankan man appeared on Taboo USA to talk about his Breatharianism, saying that he is in excellent health. This is contrary to the general belief that a person can go two to three days without water and between 30 - 40 days without food. Mahatma Gandhi, in the 1940s went 21 days without food, surviving on sips of water, and David Blaine went 44 days without food, but also had water.
In his interview with Taboo USA reported by The Sun, he said: "There are energy sources out there that are greater than the food calories you are putting in your body.
"Calories come from photons and light and vibrations and wind. Anything can feed you if your energy centres are open."
If de Lanerolle does eat, it makes him feel ill. Newssnip.com reported that he has admitted that over the last 10 months he has eaten seven meals, but he made sure that they only possessed 500 calories in them.
He said: "The average human being eats three meals a day, 90 a month. Over ten months that’s 900 meals. I’ve had seven meals in ten months, and I can’t eat big amounts.”
He also added that eating real food makes him feel ill and extremely tired, stating, “In this consciousness, when I do eat food, it makes me feel very tired. And my alertness goes away when I eat now.”
What really sets the alarm bells ringing, however, is that de Lanerolle believes it could make him immortal.
The modern Breatharian movement started in the 1970s - there are two types of breatharianism, according to the video on National Geographic. One is pranic, which gives energy from the "light force around us" and the other is light energy, or spiritual vibrations.
Dietician Leann Weintraub said: "The most dangerous part about breatharianism is that these people are relying on energy and certain spiritual powers for their sustenance and this goes against what we believe in western science."
De Lanerolle says that there are greater food sources out there than the "food calories you're putting in your body". Think we'll stick with a bag of chips, if that's all the same to you.