Meet Michel Lotito, the Man Who Ate an Entire Airplane piece by piece

Gastroenterologists supposedly confirmed Lotito was able to consume 2 pounds of metal per day, though not without consequences.

While taste is certainly subjective, it’s generally agreed that metal, glass, and rubber aren’t typical menu items. However, Michel Lotito was far from typical.

Starting at age 9, Lotito began consuming glass and metal, a practice he continued for the rest of his life. Recognized by Guinness World Records for having the “strangest diet,” Lotito, or “Monsieur Mangetout” (Mr. Eat-All), discovered his unique ability when he accidentally began chewing on broken glass from which he was drinking.

Throughout his life, Lotito reportedly ate an astonishing array of items including “8 bicycles, 15 supermarket trolleys, seven TV sets, six chandeliers, two beds, a pair of skis, a low-calorie Cessna light aircraft, and a computer.” He even consumed an entire coffin, hardware included. Guinness confirmed that he held the record for the “Strangest Diet” since he started eating metal and glass in 1959. Although gastroenterologists reportedly X-rayed his stomach and found he could consume 2 pounds of indigestible material daily, no such X-ray was available for independent verification.

Lotito’s diet extended to other bizarre items. One of the most peculiar was a Cessna 150 airplane, which he claimed to have eaten from 1978 to 1980, as noted by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. Alongside this, he consumed “100 razor blades, two plates, and a glass,” using about 10 bottles of mineral oil and 25 gallons of water to help everything go down.

His unusual eating habits started as entertainment but soon became a lucrative profession. By 1980, according to The Madison Courier, Lotito was earning up to $1,000 a day for public performances where he would also allow audience members to throw darts at his back, light matches under his fingernails, and use pliers on his skin.

However, consuming such materials came with serious health risks. Metal and glass are not digestible like bananas or eggs (which, ironically, Lotito found sickening). There’s the risk of heavy metal poisoning, and the sharp edges could cause severe internal damage, including bleeding or perforation of the esophagus and gastrointestinal tract.

To mitigate these risks, Lotito would lubricate his digestive system with mineral oil, take his time eating over several days, grind his metal into small pellets, and drink large amounts of water. He also limited his bicycle consumption to three per year to manage his intake safely.