‘WE LIVE ON AIR’
‘Breatharian’ couple claim they have barely eaten for NINE YEARS and think they only need ‘the universe’s energy’ to live
The couple say they survive on a piece of fruit or vegetable broth just 3 times per week
A “BREATHARIAN” mum-and-dad of two claim to have barely eaten for nine years, alleging they live off “the universe’s energy”.
Husband and wife Akahi Ricardo and Camila Castello claim food and water, which is essential for human existence, is not necessary for them and that people can be sustained solely by the energy of the universe.
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Camila and Akahi – who have a five-year-old son and two-year-old daughter together – claim that all they have eaten since 2008 is a piece of fruit or vegetable broth just three times a week.
NHS guidelines state a man needs about 2,500 calories a day and a woman 2,000 - an apple has just 52 calories.
And Camila claims she even practised being a Breatharian during PREGNANCY – insisting she didn't eat anything during the entire nine months she carried her first child.
Official NHS guidelines state a balanced diet with a good mix of fruit, veg, protein, carbs and dairy is essential for pregnant women, who should eat 200 more calories per day in their last trimester.
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The married couple-of-nine-years claim that their “food-free lifestyle” has improved their health and emotional well-being.
Many people are sceptical about their claims, suggesting that they simply blend food and drink it for energy rather than eating in the conventional way.
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Camila, 34 who lives between California, USA and Ecuador with her husband, bizarrely claimed: “Humans can easily be without food – as long as they are the connected to the energy that exists in all things and through breathing.
“For three years, Akahi and I didn’t eat anything at all and now we only eat occasionally like if we’re in a social situation or if I simply want to taste a fruit.
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“With my first child, I practised a Breatharian pregnancy. Hunger was a foreign sensation to me so I fully lived on light and ate nothing.
“My blood tests during all three trimesters were impeccable and I gave birth to a healthy, baby boy.
“Since Breatharianism, I feel healthier and happier that I’ve ever done before. When I was younger, my weight fluctuated but now after having two children, my body bounced back to its natural shape immediately.
AN EXPERT VIEW ON LIVING AS A 'BREATHARIAN'
WE asked the Sun's nutritionist, Amanda Ursell, if living off "the universe's energy" is safe
“I would strongly disagree with it,” she said.
“We have nutritional guidelines because we need nutrients every day."
Amanda said she strongly advises against following a “breatharian” diet as “no one can defy the laws of physics like that”.
She added: “We need protein for maintenance and growth of muscles and tissue in our body, we need vitamins, we need minerals.
“Sailors got scurvy in the 1700s because they didn’t have enough vitamin C.
“So if you don’t eat vitamin C your teeth fall out and your wounds don’t heal.
“There would be very visible signs – we have all seen those tragic pictures of children with malnutrition in countries where they have famine.
“If they were surviving on very little food they would have deficiency symptoms, it is just fact.
“It is not possible to survive as a breatharian.”
Amanda added that a lack of vital nutrients and minerals and malnutrition causes a woman’s periods to stop, preventing her from becoming pregnant.
“Your body would have protected itself against a pregnancy because you wouldn’t be able to sustain one,” she added.
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“I never suffer from PMS symptoms anymore and I feel more emotionally stable.”
Husband Akahi, 36, believes that Breatharianism is the ideal way to slash people’s food shopping bills.
Akahi – who teaches courses about Breatharianism with his wife, Camila – explained: “There is a freedom that comes with not being attached or dependent on food.
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“Obviously, our living costs are a lot less than most families and that has allowed us to spend our money on things that really matter like travelling and exploring together.
“It’s given us a clear sense of what we want in life. Anyone can live a Breatharian lifestyle and feel the benefits. It’s not about never eating food again, it’s about understanding cosmic nourishment (not just physical nourishment) and living without limits.”
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The couple met in 2005 and got married three years later in 2008, later the same year they discovered Breatharianism through a friend.
The pair had to slowly work their way from vegetarianism to a vegan diet and then to just eating fruit before starting the “21 Day Breatharian Process”.
They claim this saw them only have air, water and diluted juice.
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Akahi said: “The 21 Day Breatharian Process was a powerful one and stepping stone into realising the infinite potential that lies within.
“It led us to explore the breath and its presence within our lives, showing us that we could easily be without food as long as we had air.
“I used to eat a lot - but I haven’t felt hungry since that process in 2008.”
For the next three years, the couple claim they didn't eat solid food at all.
These days they have relaxed the rules slightly, occasionally eating so that they can share the experience with their two children.
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Camila claimed: “I was completely open to changing my food-free lifestyle when I first became pregnant because my child came first.
“I didn’t feel the need or desire to eat solid food during the entire nine months and so I only ate five times, all of which were in social situations.
“And I knew my son would be nourished enough by my love and this would allowed him to grow healthily in my womb."
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“Now, Akahi and I eat very sporadically – perhaps three or four times per week at the most. I might have a few vegetables, a juice or a bite of an apple with my children. Sometimes we have a glass of water too.
“Whenever I eat now, it’s not because I’m hungry – I just don’t remember that sensation.”
The couple’s children aren’t forced to practise Breatharianism – although the couple insist that their kids understand the practice.
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Akahi said: “Our children are aware of Breatharianism and the energy that exists in the universe and in themselves.
“But we would never try to change them and we let them eat whatever they want – whether that be juices, vegetables, pizza or ice-cream!"