Simon Cowell has added animal protein to his diet to reportedly aid in the recovery of his broken back.

Music mogul, Simon Cowell, who recently broke his spine in a freak bike accident, has ditched his vegan diet to gain weight and ‘rebuild his strength’.

While his girlfriend Lauren Silverman fed him traditional English comfort foods such as cottage pie with turkey during his hospital stay, Cowell has now added calcium and upped his protein intake to aid his post-op recovery.

Celebrity singer Sinnita, a close family friend, told The Sun: “I spoke to him last week and he sounded so much better.

“He wasn’t dazed, sedated or weak. He was really bright, happy, and clear. 

“He’s gained a bit of weight and is looking healthier. He said he had to start eating protein, calcium and break his vegan diet to rebuild his strength.”

The 61-year-old had initially swapped to eating a plant-based diet after a fainting spell in 2017 due to low blood pressure had his doctor examine him and advise: “You can’t have red meat, dairy, sugar, bread or gluten.”

Later in an interview with the Sun, he revealed: “Within 24 hours I changed my diet and I’ve not looked back since. You feel better, you look better.

“I cut out a lot of the stuff I shouldn’t have been eating and that was primarily meat, dairy, wheat, sugar — those were the four main things.”

While Cowell’s lifestyle overhaul not only helped him shed around 60 lb in just 12 months, he admitted to feeling more energetic, sharper and sleeping better.

Don’t need meat for muscle

Although Cowell has switched to eating meat, Dr Justine Butler of Viva! says: “Contrary to popular belief, you don’t build muscle by eating muscle (meat).

“Muscles develop by being used, and the best diet to fuel this is a well-balanced whole grain vegan diet.”

She added: “The advantage of this diet is that it provides all the good stuff; complex carbohydrates, antioxidants, and fibre, while avoiding the baddies; saturated animal fats, animal protein, and cholesterol, all linked to a heart disease, diabetes, obesity and some cancers.”

All about your food choices

Karen Ansel, R.D.N., and author of Healing Superfoods for Anti-Aging: Stay Younger, Live Longer, told Men’s Health: “Being on a vegan diet doesn’t mean you’ll gain or lose weight, It’s all about the food choices you make.”

She advised that people looking to gain muscle should consume a diet that includes protein rich grains, plant-milks, beans, nuts, tofu, and avocados, while avoiding high quantities of carb-rich foods.

protein rich grains, plant-milks, beans, nuts, tofu, and avocados, while avoiding high quantities of carb-rich foods.

“If you want to muscle up, it’s a matter of choosing healthful, plant-based proteins and not French fries,” she added.

• Read: Simon Cowell to release vegan recipe book after losing 60lbs on a plant-based diet

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