Zhanna Samsonova, known as Zhanna D’Art, a 39-year-old vegan social media influencer who had amassed billions of views on TikTok for videos promoting her raw tropical fruit diet is dead.
Samsonova asserted that she has been consuming raw vegan food for more than ten years. Samonova stated in a social media post from September 2022 that it had been five years since she changed to a “fully fruit-based-low-fat diet,” with jackfruit and durian being mainstays. Durian is an Asian fruit with a pungent odour that has led to several public places in Asia banning it.
Samsonova reportedly died last month in Malaysia, where she had been seeking medical treatment.
In her last post on Instagram, dated June 10, Samsonova celebrated the durian season in Thailand.
“It’s that fabulous time of year again,” she wrote. “Wake Up And Smell the Durian!”
Samsonova alleged that she shunned foods high in salt, oil, and protein. Samsonova’s acquaintance also revealed to Russian media that she hadn’t drunk water in six years, preferring to drink fruit and vegetable juice. Samsonova asserted that she hadn’t been ill in years after changing her diet to include only raw fruit.
“My mood is better, my mind clearer, I have more energy, easier to sleep, easier to wake up, I feel more stable emotionally,” she wrote on Instagram.
While no official cause of death has been released, reports state that the influencer was suffering from malnutrition and infections.
Samsonova’s mother reportedly told Russian state media that her daughter had died of a “cholera-like infection,” while some of her friends pointed to malnutrition.
“It was scary to look at her, to be honest. Her hands were thin, like those of my 12-year-old sister,” a friend told 116.RU, a Russian news website. “But she was always very cheerful, like a child, she was happy when people praised her cooking.”
Another friend told Newsflash, that Samsonova had appeared exhausted when they met up in Sri Lanka a few months ago and had visible infections on her legs.
“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.”
Samsonva also claimed to clear a COVID-19 infection with “dry fasting,” where no food or liquid is consumed.
“I started to heal myself with dry fasting,” she said, The Telegraph reports. “I have been practising this method for a long time. I overcame this infection despite my unconventional treatment, which many condemn.”
Her dietary choices led to her feeling ostracized on some occasions, she noted on social media, including on visits to Russia.
“I feel like Jesus, who was not recognized for his knowledge and crucified on the cross for bringing knowledge and light to people,” she wrote on Instagram.
What is a raw vegan diet?
According to Vegnews, a raw vegan diet consists of food that is eaten uncooked or heated at temperatures below 104 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The idea is that cooking food destroys its nutrients, which is true in some cases—but not all. (More on this later.)
Raw diets tend to be low in processed foods. That means that all roasted, steamed, fried, sautéed, boiled, pressure-cooked, seared, broiled, or grilled foods are off the table—so, no roasted vegetables, grilled veggie burgers, cooked grains and beans, pasta, bread, most kinds of nut butters, jams, vegan ice cream, or pasteurized non-dairy milk. It also, naturally, means no animal products, including honey. It typically excludes table salt, but some raw vegans might use Himalayan pink or sea salt.
Proponents of a raw vegan diet tend to be motivated by health (though there can be some crossover with animal rights and sustainability ethics) and the belief that you can get all of the necessary nutrients from uncooked foods. Food preparation can involve blending, juicing, soaking, sprouting, fermenting, and dehydrating instead of traditional cooking methods.
