No matter what your idea of a healthy diet is, we all need to accept that as humans we have basic nutritional needs that need to be met. 39-year-old influencer Zhanna Samsonova is a testament to this, and her fateful story might just be the most ‘influential’ thing she could have left to her millions of followers.
According to her friends and family, Zhanna “died of starvation” after subsisting exclusively on a diet of exotic fruit in Malaysia. The Russian national — who promoted raw foods to millions of people on TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram as her alias Zhanna D’Art — died July 21 after seeking medical treatment during a tour in Southeast Asia.
One of her friends told the NY Post:
“A few months ago, in Sri Lanka, she already looked exhausted, with swollen legs oozing lymph. They sent her home to seek treatment. However, she ran away again. When I saw her in Phuket, I was horrified.”
Another friend claimed that for the last seven years, Samsonova had only eaten jackfruit and durian, a spiky, mace-like fruit known for its custardy meat and noxious odor.
“Zhanna’s idle stagnation was causing her to melt before our eyes, but she believed everything was fine. Only her eyes, merry eyes, and gorgeous hair compensated for the dreadful sight of a body tortured by idiocy. Forgive me if it sounds harsh.”
Just goes to show – you can’t live off Haribo and Monster Munch, and you can’t live off jackfruit and durian either (as good as that might sound). That’s not veganism, that’s just an eating disorder.
And yet, not only did Zhanna feel like she was doing a healthy thing, she also felt like she was doing a moral thing too. Although it’s amazing to think she could feel that way when she was dealing with swollen legs, oozing lymph, and feeling exhausted 24/7.
So, let this be a warning to us all. Eat a healthy, balanced diet. Sensible portions of a variety of foods. Don’t let the mega money corporations brainwash you into devouring Big Macs every day and don’t let the influencers shame you into eating nothing but lettuce either. RIP Zhanna – with the greatest respect.
For the Subway boss who taunted a vegan worker by waving meat at her and saying ‘eat like a man’, click HERE.
