This sect of whackjobs claims to be able to survive off nutrients in the air so that they don't need food or, in extreme cases, water. (Good luck with that!) It seems as though this small group of Westerners was inspired by Eastern ascetics and I'm all for spirituality, but let's just say... I'm skeptical.
Jasmuheen (born Ellen Greve) was probably the most famous advocate of breatharianism during the 1990s. She claimed "I can go for months and months without having anything at all other than a cup of tea. My body runs on a different kind of nourishment."[2] Several interviewers found her house full of food, but she claimed the food was for her husband. In 1999, she volunteered to be monitored closely by the Australian television program 60 Minutes for one week without eating to demonstrate her methods.[3][4] Greve claimed that she failed because on the first day of the test she had been confined in a hotel room near a busy road, saying that the stress and pollution kept her from getting the nutrients she needed from the air. "I asked for fresh air. Seventy percent of my nutrients come from fresh air. I couldn’t even breathe", she said. On the third day the test moved to a mountainside retreat where she could get plenty of fresh air and live happily. After Greve had fasted for four days, Dr. Beres Wenck, president of the Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association, urged her to stop the test.
According to the doctor, Greve’s pupils were dilated, her speech was slow, she was "quite dehydrated, probably over 10%, getting up to 11%." Towards the end of the test, she said, "Her pulse is about double what it was when she started. The risks if she goes any further are kidney failure. 60 Minutes would be culpable if they encouraged her to continue. She should stop now." The test was stopped. Dr. Wink said, "Unfortunately there are a few people who may believe what she says, and I'm sure it's only a few, but I think it's quite irresponsible for somebody to be trying to encourage others to do something that is so detrimental to their health."[5] She challenged the results of the program, saying, "Look, 6,000 people have done this around the world without any problem."[6] Though she claims thousands of followers,[7][8] mostly in Germany,[9] there is no evidence that any have lived for long periods of time without any food at all.
I know this is an old post but anyway...I read this fantastic short story by Jim Crace about a restaurant where nothing is served. It starts as an art installation and becomes the hippest place in town before suffering from its own success. The story is in the Devil's Larder.