New York: Russian influencer Zhanna Samsonova’s death at the age 39 from starvation has caught many vegans off guard.
At least a lot of people begin to understand that avoiding extremism in diet is important.
Samsonova, who is known by Zhanna D'Art, has gone to the extreme of not even drinking water for six years.
Perhaps, she must have been ingesting what she thought necessary fluids from fruits she ate.
Samsonova subsisted on a raw vegan diet , which included coconut, jackfruit, and sometimes even exotic variety too.
However, people who knew her thought she was risking her life with her food fad.
One friend, who was living an apartment above hers, feared that she might find Samsonova’s ‘lifeless body in the morning’.
This friend tried convincing Samsonova to seek medical help as her body deteriorated into just bones.
Samsonova spent at least a decade eating all-raw vegan diet, and encouraged others to follow it.
She had a huge fan fallowing, who thought that the diet will enable them to remain young for long.
Samsonova herself held this belief which has taken her to the extreme.
And then she ate mostly jackfruit, durian, fruits, seeds, sprouts, fruit juices, and smoothies.
Her mother told New York Post that Samsonova died of a ‘cholera-like infection’.
Further she said her daughter was suffering from exhaustion from the stress due to all-vegan diet.
She ran an Instagram page where her bio said Samsonova was “Raw food Creation by Zhanna D'art Chef.”
‘Eating a healthy diet is not about strict limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it's about feeling great, having more energy, improving your health, and boosting your mood’, she was quoted as saying.