James Blunt Discloses his Battle with Scurvy- Exploring the Importance of Proper Nutrition for the Human Body

Most people feel better after changing their diet plan but, for the ‘You’re Beautiful’ singer James Blunt, the decision to make changes with eating patterns turned out to be “very unhealthy.”

Blunt gave an interview recently on the singer, Jessie Ware’s podcast, Table Manners, where he revealed that in 1990, changing to an all-meat diet led to him being diagnosed with scurvy. He told Ware that while studying at the University of Bristol, where he was majoring in Sociology and Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering, he only had non-meat eaters all around him- mostly women.

Deposit Photos | James Blunt performing in Shanghai

He also explained on the podcast that on the socio side of things, there were only three boys amongst 170 girls who were all vegetarian or vegans. So, Blunt had decided to start his own diet and make a statement to exert his masculinity, basically becoming a carnivore, living on mince, some chicken, with maybe some mayonnaise!

After about two months of his extreme diet, the results of this eating pattern were not so great. It took 6-to-8 weeks for the then university kid to get really sick, to the point that he couldn’t put off seeing the doctor any longer. That’s when he found out that he was having the symptoms of scurvy.

The doctor figured that the solution was easy; he just had to increase the intake of a specific Vitamin that was missing from his diet. Doctors told him that he lacked in Vitamin C, so, he started drinking orange juice every night, until he almost developed acid reflux.

But, what is Scurvy, though?

Nowadays, scurvy happens to be a very rare disease in the US. However, in the time of Vasco da Gama and Christopher Columbus, this disease was a common one. According to Atlas Obscura, it is estimated that 2 million sailors have died from this disease within 300 years!

Deposit Photos | Vitamin C is the only cure for scurvy

According to GUARD (the Genetic and Rare Disease Information Center), scurvy is actually a deficiency of Vitamin C, which occurs when a person’s diet does not include a sufficient amount of the vitamin. Even though it is not common in the US, unfortunately, it still appears to be an issue in malnourished populations around the world.

Symptoms of Scurvy;

GUARD says that the earliest signs of scurvy include:

-fatigue,

-weakness,

-aching limbs.

However, if a person lacks Vitamin C for about three months or more, the symptoms that are more serious and problematic, for example:

-gum disease,

-skin hemorrhages,

-anemia,

-red spots,

-poor wound healing,

-discoloration of the skin,

-skin thickening.

Deposit Photos | If you experience any of these symptoms, visit the doctor immediately

Scurvy might not be a common disease anymore, but that doesn’t mean you can contract it. Nutritionists have been stating for years that the key to perfect health is a proper diet. It is impossible to understate the importance of Vitamin C, and other vitamins for your body; hence, it is your responsibility to care for it properly.