She is said to have had the gift of inedia, living solely off the Eucharist for months.

Later, Straubinger starts research on the internet and subsequently has the desire to meet people practising inedia.

Inedia (Latin: "fasting") is the alleged ability to live without food.

P. A. Straubinger worked on inedia for ten years.

The phenomenon is also known by the name inedia prodigiosa ("prodigious fasting").

The terms breatharianism or inedia may also refer to this philosophy practised as a lifestyle in place of the usual diet.

Straubinger visits several people who supposedly nourish themselves with "light" and tries to find possible explanations on how inedia might work.

Her followers said that she had inedia, the ability to survive without food, and that she had stopped eating in 1926.

Straubinger also consults different people from esotericism, medicine and science and looks for explanatory models for inedia.

Inedia (Breatharianism)

Hindu religious texts contain account of saints and hermits practicing what would be called inedia, breatharianism or Sustenance through Light in modern terms.

The Roman Catholic Church has neither confirmed nor denied the inedia (from which she suffered according to her critics), nor her stigmata.

In the Beginning There Was Light is a documentary film by Austrian director P. A. Straubinger on the subject of inedia.

On the other hand, waidan (外丹 "external alchemy") techniques for immortality included alchemical recipes, magic plants, rare minerals, herbal medicines, drugs, and dietetic techniques like inedia.

P.A. Straubinger first encounters inedia in a television documentary about Nicholas of Flüe, who lived in the 15th century and was believed to have nourished himself with "divine light".

Proponents of sungazing claim increased energy levels and decreased appetite; as with other forms of inedia, this claim is not considered credible due to the lack of scientific studies confirming it.

According to scientists on the documentary, an average person would be expected to die from kidney failure after four days without drinking any fluids (although cases of inedia lasting for a whole week have been observed).

A relatively high percentage of stigmatics also exhibit inedia, living with minimal (or no) food or water for long periods of time, except for the Holy Eucharist, and some exhibit loss of weight.

Some supporters believe that claims of inedia are less relevant than Bomjon's undisputed ability to remain nearly motionless in the same position day after day, with no regard for extremes of weather including cold winter and monsoon rains.

Avoiding "grains" has been diversely interpreted to mean not eating particular foodstuffs (food grain, cereal, the Five Grains, wugu, or staple food), or not eating any food (inedia, breatharianism, or aerophagia).

This implies that she had remained alive until she imparted her curse onto the tape, meaning that she also had superhuman endurance and longevity, as well as inedia (the ability to live for extended periods without nourishment).

Chinese interpretations of avoiding gu "grains; cereals" have varied historically; meanings range from not eating particular foodstuffs such as food grain, Five Cereals (China), or staple food to not eating anything such as inedia, breatharianism, or aerophagia.