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Welcome to THE MAIN INGREDIENT a place where Food News, Food Politics, Food Culture, Food Fashion & Food Humour meet. Each week you can preview topical foodie matter from my 'Gourmet Lifestyle' radio show called (wait for it) THE MAIN INGREDIENT. Food for the belly & the brain, I hope you'll enjoy the journey with me. Regards Kel

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Eat and Drink NOTHING and Lose Weight!!


Bit of a bizarre story in the Daily Mail this morning...... A German professor claims that he has survived for the past 6 years on nothing but sunshine and fruit juice. He doesn’t eat anything at ALL..... Nada!! (Not even the garnish.)

In fact, the last item of food that passed his lips was a huge helping of potato salad and a slice of cake on New Year's Eve 2001. The 58 yr old professor claims he gets all the sustenance he needs from the sun. Oh, and the occasional coffee, fruit juice or a glass of wine if he and his wife are enjoying a night out. he calls it LIGHT nutrition. Known to 5000 other food minimalists across the world as ‘Breatharianism’ the belief that the elements contained in air - nitrogen, carbon dioxide, oxygen and hydrogen - can sustain a body. He says it takes three weeks, to get your body used to the LIGHT diet. "The first week is really strict - eat nothing, drink nothing.” (Not much shopping to do then) “Every doctor will tell you this is not possible, but it is. It sounds hard, but living without water for seven days is very possible - it's all about being in the right frame of mind. The crucial factor in this 21-day process is self-belief. If you believe you can do this then you won't give in to the hunger.” Apparently on the eighth day you can have some watered down fruit juice - to cleanse your body with the antioxidants. In the third week, you can move on to stronger, more concentrated juices. And in the last seven days, your body stabilises and gets used to its new regime. Of course any self respecting food lover is thinking about the ‘H’ word by now but the nutty professor says "You won't feel the burning hunger if your mental attitude is right. This isn't about dieting, but respecting your body." Not surprising to hear that he admits to losing more than two stone and looking "like a dried out tortoise" at the end of the first three-week period. Sorry but I just cant get my head around anything that tells you not to drink water, and experts DO differ as to the absolute maximum time that human life can continue without water, but most say its somewhere between seven and ten days. (Of course if your stranded in the desert, forget what the experts say cause you could be dead within hours) Although there is a silver lining, Dr Werner says his ‘Light’ diet has been great for his libido. He still LOVES being with food, to see and smell it, particularly fried, in a cafĂ©, he says “Now and again I get an appetite - when I might eat a couple of grapes or a nut. But these days I can take it or leave it." ….6 years without food!!! What a tragedy!!!

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