The singer has recounted how his intention to annoy his vegetarian friends by eat only meat backfired.

Recently, singer James Blunt admitted he once developed scurvy after eating a meat-only diet for 2 months at a stretch.

The 46-year-old made the revelation on Jessie Ware’s podcast Table Manners recalling the bizarre tale of how he as a student once decided to live on chicken and mince ‘out of principle’ to irritate his vegetarian and vegan classmates.

‘Out of principle’

The British singer, who studied aerospace manufacturing, engineering and sociology in university said: “On the sociology side of things there were 170 girls and only three boys, of which all the girls were vegetarian or vegans.

“So out of principle I decided I’d become a carnivore and just lived on mince, some chicken, maybe with some mayonnaise.”

‘Very unhealthy’

However, within 4 months, he fell sick and the examining doctor diagnosed extreme vitamin C deficiency, a symptom of scurvy. Other symptoms of this disease include weakness, fatigue and sore arms and legs – and is easily resolved by eating fruits and vegetables.

“And it took me about six to eight weeks to get very unhealthy and see a doctor, who then said “I think you’ve got the symptoms of scurvy,” he continued.

‘He said you are really lacking in vitamin C so I took it upon myself to drink orange juice every night.”

However, this overdosing only left him feeling worse.

The singer recounted, “then I nearly developed acid reflux.”

‘Nutritionally adequate diet’

While overdosing could lead to several unpleasant side effects and even toxicity, experts advise against excluding any food group since it heightens the risk of developing a deficiency of “essential nutrients”.

Azmina Govindji, a British Dietetic Association spokesperson said: “Completely taking away fruit, vegetables, beans and other plant-based foods can set you up for low levels of vitamin C, fibre and potassium: not having enough vitamin C can leave you feeling tired and lethargic.

“Certain types of fibre such as oats and barley can reduce your blood cholesterol levels; and potassium helps your heart muscle to work properly.

“Conversely, a well-designed plant-based diet, with the addition of vitamin B12, can be nutritionally adequate.”

• Read: Kelly Osbourne sheds 85 pounds following a plant-based diet

Share this story to let others know about the benefits of a whole-food plant-based diet.