A Polish woman who ate only fruit, and weighed less than 23 kilograms, has died of exhaustion in Bali, an Indonesian island province located in Southeast Asia.
Karolina Krzyżak refused to eat any cooked or processed food, and adopted an extreme “fruitarian” diet that left her severely malnourished.
Her death in a Bali hotel from malnutrition after eight years on an extreme fruitarian diet, showing her severely emaciated appearance in two photos amid tropical foliage.
Studies, including a peer-reviewed case of reversible dementia from B12 deficiency on a fruit-only diet, highlight malnutrition risks like osteoporosis and organ strain, contrasting with benefits of balanced fruit intake at 2-5 daily servings.
For years, Karolina Krzyzak had dreamed of moving to Bali like the digital nomads and life coaches and yogis she followed on Instagram, who had escaped the drudgery of the nine-to-five to find salvation on the island’s sparkling beaches and verdant jungles. She was particularly drawn to a group of raw-vegan influencers who call themselves fruitarians and eat only fruit.
Karolina was a firm believer in the power of clean eating: that the purity of what she put into her body translated into the purity of her mind and spirit. And as someone with a history of disordered eating and mental illness, Karolina was far more likely than most to take it to an extreme. She fashioned herself after the influencers she followed on social media, posting flawlessly composed images of cinnamon-dusted blueberries and dragonfruit bowls. As she wasted away, her loyal followers cheered her on. “Nice neck and collarbones,” a fan wrote on a photo she posted where her clavicle juts out of her skin. “It is so nice to see you so happy,” another posted on a video of an Instagram Live she did last September.
She would be dead less than three months later.
According to a report by The Sun, the woman, identified as Karolina Krzyzak, had checked into the Sumberkima Hill resort in December 2024 and requested a villa with a pool.
Hotel staff were immediately alarmed upon her arrival, as workers reported she was “emaciated” with sunken eyes and protruding collarbones.
She had grown so weak that one evening, she had to be escorted back to her room by the night clerk as she was unable to do so herself, the staff recalled.
Her deteriorating health was also evident. Her fingernails had turned yellow, her teeth had begun to rot, and her body showed signs of severe nutrient deficiency. Concerned for their guest, the hotel employees requested Karolina to seek medical help multiple times. However, each request was met with the same declinatory answer.
Then, three days into her stay, hotel workers grew concerned after receiving a message from one of Karolina’s local friends who had not heard from her since her arrival. The hotel staff rushed to check on her, but when they entered her room, they found her motionless and unresponsive.
She was later declared dead from malnutrition.
