Scientific evidence shows that fasting for brief periods of time can have positive effects on our health, but one California couple say they haven’t eaten any real food in 9 years, as they live off “the universe’s energy” instead.

36-year-old Akahy Ricardo and his wife, Camilla Costello, 34, had their last real meal in 2008, before becoming “bretharians” and embracing a food-free lifestyle. They both claim that humans can easily live a healthy life without food, as long as they are connected to “the energy that exists in all things and through breathing.” Furthermore, Costello claims that this lifestyle is considerably cheaper, allowing her and her husband to spend money on travelling rather than groceries.

Photo: Akahi Ricardo/Facebook

“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,” Camilla Costello says. “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. I never suffer from PMS symptoms anymore and I feel more emotionally stable.”

The couple met in 2005, married three years later, and discovered Breatharianism through a friend. They didn’t just completely give up food one day, instead working their way up to it, by adopting vegetarianism, then veganism, eating just fruit and eventually taking up the “21 Day Breatharian Process”. This consists of seven days of not eating anything, seven days of drinking some water and diluted juice, and, finally, seven days of water and diluted juice.

Photo: Akahi Ricardo/Facebook

“The 21 Day Breatharian Process was a powerful one and steppingstone into realizing the infinite potential that lies within,” Akahi Ricardo says. “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.”

The couple didn’t eat any solid food for the next three years, which included Camila’s pregnancy. She says she was opened to eating normal food when she became pregnant but never really felt hungry, so she just went through a Breatharian pregnancy.

Photo: Akahi Ricardo/Facebook

“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,” the 34-year-old said. “And I knew my son would be nourished enough by my love and this would allow him to grow healthily in my womb. I went for regular pregnancy checkups and my doctor confirmed the above-average growth of a very healthy baby boy.”

Nowadays, Akahi and Camilla say they eat occasionally, maybe three or four times a week, but never because they feel hungry. For them, it’s just about experiencing certain tastes.

Photo: Akahi Ricardo/Facebook

“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,” Costello said. “Whenever I eat now, it’s not because I’m hungry — I just don’t remember that sensation.”

“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,” Akahi adds. “We want them to explore the different tastes and have a healthy relationship with food as they grow.”

Photo: Akahi Ricardo/Facebook

“It would be unfair to impose Breatharianism upon our children now, but maybe as they grow, they will get deeper into the practices.”

It’s important to note that both Akahi Ricardo and Camila Costello sell video courses on Breatharianism on their websites, so one could argue that their claims about the benefits of the practice and their experiences over the last nine years are maybe not entirely truthful. According to popular debunking website Snopes.com, despite their claims of a food-free lifestyle and going three years without eating anything at all, the couple have offered no proof of this. There is no way to verify that what they are saying is true, so you might want to hold off going on an air and universal energy diet.

Photo: Camila Costello/Facebook

“Throughout the profile (which was republished across the web with no additional fact checking), the couple alternately claimed to eat occasionally and to describe themselves as ‘food free,’ Snopes states. “Whether the couple claimed to eat very little or nothing at all, no apparent verification of their claims was made before pushing the dangerous suggestion one could live without food or water out to large audiences.”

In fact, breatharian fatalities have been reported several times during the last few years, in cases where practitioners tried to survive without any food or water. The broad consensus on how long a person can live without water varies between 7 to 10 days, but it depends on many factors. For example, if you’re in a desert, dehydration can kill you in a matter of hours. So to claim you survived for three years without any food or water is a little… It’s strange.