Eddie Abbew Opens Up About Past Mental Health Struggles

Eddie Abbew has revealed the depths of his mental health struggles in an honest and upfront post on social media.

The former bodybuilding champion is a big advocate for people ditching junk food and switching to a healthier diet.

He shared that making the switch to whole foods brought him back from the brink of suicide. Speaking to his 3.8 million Instagram followers, he said: “There was a time when I felt suicidal.

“I would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic attack, and it scared the hell out of me. I would get in my car and drive on the M1, sometimes for five or six hours. That was the only thing that calmed me down.

@eddieabbew
What I find most upsetting is the fact that there are many mental health symptoms that can be eased by a simple dietary change. Sugar and ultra processed foods harm us more than we realise. I saw it first hand as the nurse in charge of psychiatric wards. I removed porridge, sugar, whey protein and all ultra processed foods from my diet and my mental health dramatically improved. Even if you think I’m crazy, I implore you, please change your diet for four weeks. Take out: – sugar – ultra processed foods – high carbohydrate foods – alcohol – whey protein – all protein products – limit your fruit to just berries Introduce: – eggs – meat – fish – avocado – olives – sweet potato – wild rice – full fat Greek yogurt – cheese – nuts That’s what helped me. My advice to you if you have severe mental health problems. Even if it is from something traumatic, your ability to manage the symptoms can be improved by a simple dietary change. I would say, the carnivore diet is the best to start off with. Remember the gut brain axis. What is going on in your gut is also going on in your emotions and in your brain. You owe it to yourself to try this. What have you got to lose? @Brandon Abbew @Selina Abbew @Eddie Abbew’s Olympian Gym @Pro Prep Meals @Blabbew
♬ original sound – Eddie Abbew

“In my car, I would have pictures of my children in the passenger seat so I wouldn’t drive over a bridge. I didn’t know what it was.”

Abbew has been open about using steroids during his career as a bodybuilder, but after struggling with dark thoughts, he cycled off the drugs in a bid to rebalance his mental health.

“There was a time when I thought it was the steroids I was taking,” he added. “So, I came off everything, and nothing changed. Then I changed my diet, and all those suicidal thoughts went away.

“That’s what pisses me off right now. There are so many people walking around with mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts, and they don’t realise that a lot of it is coming from their gut.

“It was coming from my gut, guys. It doesn’t matter what anybody tells you. Whenever I bring this subject up, someone says, ‘Oh, you can’t talk about mental health.’

“I can talk about mental health—I’ve had mental health problems, and I was also a mental health nurse. It gives me authority, and I’m telling you that a lot of what is wrong with you is coming from your gut.

“Wake up, guys.”

Abbew said swapping out sugar, ultra-processed foods, and alcohol for eggs, meat, and healthy fats helped turn his mental health around.

“You owe it to yourself to try this,” he continued. “What have you got to lose?”

Next, check out this post: Why Eddie Abbew Wants You to Shop at Butchers