DADADEL
Vegan raw food influencer Zhanna D’Art followed a fruit-centric diet for a decade, including dry fasting periods, consuming fruits, smoothies, juices, and sprouts.
For over six years, Zhanna D’Art has allegedly abstained from water consumption, opting for fruit and vegetable juices as her substitute.
With 10,000 Instagram followers, the vegan influencer explored Asia for 17 years. Her cause of death remains uncertain. Amid bureaucratic delays, her family aims to repatriate her body to Russia after she died at 39 on July 21 in Malaysia.
Russian newspaper Vechernyaya Kazan claimed she succumbed to a cholera-like infection worsened by her severe dietary restrictions.
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On the day of her passing, Zhanna was set to return home to Kazan, as her mother Vera Samsonova revealed. Despite her mother’s pleas for a more balanced diet, Zhanna transitioned from veganism to an all-raw regimen focused on fruits and vegetables.
According to a friend Zhanna met in Thailand, as reported by Russian news outlet 116.ru: “It was scary to look at her, to be honest, her hands were like those of my 12-year-old sister, thin.”
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A different acquaintance encountered her a couple of months back in Sri Lanka, appearing visibly fatigued: “They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified.”
The friend continued: “I lived one floor above her, and every day I feared finding her lifeless body in the morning. I convinced her to seek treatment, but she didn’t make it.”
Another friend said: “Ms. Samsonova’s idle starvation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine. Only her merry eyes and gorgeous hair compensated for the dreadful sight of a body tortured by idiocy. Forgive me if it sounds harsh.”
On her Instagram, Zhanna D’Art frequently posted her self-proclaimed nutritious recipes.
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The influencer shared videos of meals like whole melons with carrot juice and lunches of cherry tomatoes, avocados, and avocado juice. “Although I cook fancy raw dishes, I eat very simply myself. My food is simple, no oil, no salt, no dehydrated food, and no protein,” she had written in a post.
Zhanna D’Art concluded: “Today for lunch I have delicious avocado kefir, sweet cherry tomatoes, and ripe avocado. Bon appetit.”
Despite warnings from loved ones, she persisted with her extreme diet, leading to a tragic outcome—succumbing to infection and exhaustion.
A comment on Zhanna’s recent post reads: “This is just pure starvation, not a healthy raw vegan diet. I’m sorry to hear it ended badly. I wish I could have helped you out of your eating disorder.”
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For over 15 years, the vegan raw food influencer initially embraced a vegan diet, occasionally including fish and dairy.
Yet, her eating habits evolved into solely raw fruits, veggies, and juice. With a decade on this regimen, she touted ‘perfect health’ and immunity from seasonal illnesses.
In 2021, Zhanna returned to Russia and soon fell sick with COVID-19, admitting to ignoring precautions. She believed to have self-treated it using a unique approach – dry fasting – abstaining from food and water for over ten days.
She wrote on Instagram at the time: “I was the category of people who weren’t afraid to get infected with viruses and ignored all the precautions because over the past ten years on raw plant-based diets, I was in perfect health and I didn’t even get the usual seasonal cold. And ironically… I still got sick and was in bed for ten days.”
She claimed: “I began to cure myself with dry fasting since I have been practicing this method for a long time, as I can cure all ailments. The illness gradually began to recede, already the days of dry hunger were over, and I was getting better and better every day… The most critical time is behind me I have overcome this disease despite my unconventional treatment, which many condemn.”
