Consequences of raw food diet: doctor commented on the diet of the deceased Russian blogger

Blogger Zhanna Samsonova has died in a clinic in an Asian country. She had been following a strict vegan diet for the past five years. According to official data, the cause of the girl’s death was a cholera-like infection. But her mother blames exhaustion for the tragedy. Whether such a diet could really lead to such consequences and how to avoid it, we deal with the doctor.

What’s this about?

The girl kept a blog under the nickname “Zhanna D’Art”. There she told about her life and shared her experience of vegan raw food diet. For the last four years Zhanna has been eating exclusively fruits, sunflower seed sprouts, juices and smoothies. The blogger assured subscribers that such a diet makes her healthier and transforms her mind and body.

In her social networks, she often published her photos and showed her diet, and did not hide that her weight was 41 kg.

The girl’s mother was against cheese-eating and persuaded her to switch to a regular diet. According to an acquaintance of Jeanne, who saw her in the last six months, the blogger already then looked unhealthy.

Doctor’s opinion

Nutriciologist, nutritionist, nutritionist, expert in proper personalized nutrition

“Anorexia – a serious neuroendocrine disorder affecting the hormonal sphere, metabolism. The extreme degree of anorexia – cachexia – leads to a profound metabolic disorder with depletion of fat and carbohydrate stores, increased protein catabolism, characterized by irreversible dystrophy of internal organs and, as a consequence, fatal outcome, if medical help was not provided in time.”

A balanced diet includes both animal and plant foods. Nutrients perform a variety of functions in our bodies, including providing energy and maintaining vital processes.

Protein is essential for the production, maintenance, and repair of tissues in the body. Organs, enzymes (biological catalysts), antibodies, and hormones are made up of protein and protein compounds.

Animal products tend to contain the most protein, followed by legumes (beans), grains (rice, wheat, corn), and root vegetables.

Animal protein (from meat, eggs, fish, milk) contains all essential amino acids. Protein from plants lacks one or two essential amino acids.

Protein in the diet should be present daily, the optimal protein intake is about 1 g per 1 kg of weight, the ratio of animal and plant protein is 50/50.

Vegetarian diet should be organized in such a way as to provide the body with essential amino acids. First of all, for this purpose it should not be monotonous. Quite solve the problem ovo vegetarianism and vegetarianism with the use of seafood.

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin, anti-anemic) from food products contain only animal products: liver, fish, kidneys, meat. Deficiency of this substance is widespread among vegans. First of all, the organs of hematopoiesis are affected: since the cells do not lose the ability to grow, but there is a violation of DNA synthesis in them with a stop of division, this leads to the formation of megaloblasts (large cells) and megaloblastic anemia.

Similarly develops lesions of the mucous membranes of the stomach and intestinal tract (gastritis, enteritis), glossitis. There is a deterioration of wound healing, immunodeficiencies, exacerbation of chronic infections. Muscle atrophy, changes in sense of smell and taste are possible. Severe B12-deficiency anemia is accompanied by hallucinations, seizures, coma.

Parsing the girl’s diet

A diet containing an overabundance of fruit is not healthy. On a plant-based diet, there are risks of deficiencies in nutrients such as protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, calcium, omega-3, and iodine.

Juices are high in fructose. Excess fructose intake is associated with increased triglyceride levels and hepatic insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is a biomarker of depression. The main vegan sources of essential omega-3 ALA fatty acids are considered walnuts, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, algae oil, hemp seed and hempseed oil, olive oil and avocado. The human body cannot always utilize them to their full potential to synthesize other important substances.

Regularly eating far more nuts than recommended can lead to symptoms from the digestive system, such as bloating or constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain or kidney stones. Because of the phytic acid they contain, too much of the product can also interfere with the absorption of iron, calcium and zinc from food.

Dietitian’s Opinion

Doctor of nutritionist, gastroenterologist, PhD, clinical pharmacologist

“We each have our own set of genes, we have a cultural component that greatly influences life. Imagine if your family all if horse meat and drank horse milk. There is a 90% chance that this food would be genetically correct for you. After all, your body in this case has adopted enzymes, antigens and other bodies from your mother and father, and their bodies, in turn, from your grandparents.”

If your ancestors ate meat and fat and didn’t know what dragon fruit and avocados were, how can your body recognize these foods? We all need a period of adaptation to new foods, not for everyone it goes smoothly.

So someone may have eaten seeds and fruits since childhood because they lived on an island (people from Oceania, for example), for them such a diet is normal. But if a resident of Eastern Europe grew up on beef, pork, root vegetables, milk and other products of rural industry (which were rich in the Soviet and now Russian land), the transition to seeds and solar energy can turn into a disaster.

We are all unique. Study your own species, check your body, there are now various food tests, and then build a system of nutrition.