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What is sunshine diet? Food routine that caused toddler’s death, got influencer arrested

A Russian lifestyle influencer, Maxim Lyutyi, wanted to “experiment on his toddler and make him like Superman” by putting the baby on the sunshine diet.

Published on: Apr 18, 2024, 08:55:29 IST
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A Russian man was sentenced to eight years imprisonment for causing “intentional infliction of grievous bodily harm” to his toddler. As per reports, the 44-year-old father and a lifestyle influencer, Maxim Lyutyi, starved his son to death by putting him on a 'strict sunshine diet'. He allegedly stopped the baby’s mom from breastfeeding him as he believed that the toddler mostly needed the sun as his nourishment.

The image shows Russian influencer Maxim Lyutyi, who starved his son to death after putting the toddler on the sunshine diet. (Insatgram/@yarilo_drug)
The image shows Russian influencer Maxim Lyutyi, who starved his son to death after putting the toddler on the sunshine diet. (Insatgram/@yarilo_drug)

Lyutyi previously tried to blame his partner and the mother of the baby, 34-year-old Oxana Mironova, claiming that her dietary choices caused the toddler’s death, reported the Sun. He said that Mironova’s vegan diet resulted in iron deficiency, which in turn caused the baby’s death. The court ruled that she, too, shared “some of the responsibility” and found her “guilty of failure to fulfil her parental responsibilities”, as well as failure to provide proper care and assistance to an infant.

Also Read: Baby dies after mother in US mistakenly puts her in oven instead of crib

“He wanted to experiment on the child, feed him purely with the sun, and then advertise it to others that this is how you can eat,” a source told the Sun.

What is a sunshine diet?

As per a report published by the Times of India in 2019, it is a routine that promotes living only on sunshine. Also known as Breatharian-ism or Pranic Nourishment, this plan includes the importance of getting sunlight along with a proper diet.

Also Read: Baby slips out of man's hands, falls to death in Raipur mall | Shocking video

However, over the years, this diet has raised several health-related concerns. There have been instances where people started “living on sunshine” without consuming proper food along with it. If not followed properly, it can cause several issues, including dehydration, blood pressure problems, and blurry vision.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Trisha Sengupta

Trisha Sengupta is a Chief Content Producer at Hindustan Times with over six years of digital newsroom experience. Specialising in high-engagement storytelling, she blends viral trends with traditional journalism to cover the intersection of technology, finance, and human emotion. Her reporting spans real estate and personal finance struggles in hubs like Bengaluru and Gurgaon, the NRI experience, and corporate shifts like tech layoffs. Trisha also frequently tracks global figures and writes human interest stories. Offline, Trisha is an avid reader, history enthusiast and solo traveler. She balances her journalism career with family life while actively integrating AI tools into her modern storytelling approach.

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