As a lifelong meat eater, I decided to go a couple of weeks without eating any meat. Would this improve my health and what effect would this have on my writing? The results shocked me, because not only did I feel I had more energy and lost nearly a stone in that period, my writing output improved!
A Writer’s Lifestyle
Us writers have to keep healthy because it’s not the most active of past times. I’m sure we’ve all spent hours sat hunched over a computer typing our latest masterpiece. Balance in life is important, so I like to have a few active hobbies. For instance, I’ve started Karate and try and train at least three times a week. But what about diet? Is the mind happy on a diet of just words alone, or is there something else it’s missing?
I didn’t realise how unhealthy a writer’s diet can be. When I settle into a long writing session, I tend to have a big bag of crisps open with several cans of soda. That’s what got me wondering if there’s a link to creativity and diet. I decided to delve in with a meat free diet and see what results this would have on my output.
Turning Vegetarian
Being vegetarian isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. My main protein replacement was Quorn and I have to admit the flavours have come a long way since I remember trying it years ago. A favourite was definitely the Quorn southern fried burgers, or the nuggets. For eating on the go, I discovered there is no way of telling the Greggs Vegan sausage rolls were not meat. Then I stumbled across the vegan KFC burger and I was in non meat heaven. The taste was amazing and I’d challenge anyone to tell me it’s not meat.
I thought I’d suffer when I went out to an Indian restaurant where my favourite meal is a chicken vindaloo. They don’t have any vegetable version on the menu, so I was shocked to find they were happy to make me a vegetable vindaloo. This tasted great and made that two week meat free period a whole lot easier.
But what effect did this have on my writing? Did it improve? That’s what you all want to know, right? Short answer is: yes!
Vegetarian Effects
My output by the end of the week was triple my normal amount. I wrote around ten blogs, completing each one on my commute to work. Since going back to meat, I’ve only managed to write three in a week. It’s like the cloud has returned in my mind, meat giving me a foggy head that can’t seem to clear.
I’m between novels at the moment and I’ve been going over the idea of my next. I had the basic idea, but nowhere to go with it. About halfway through my meat free journey, I suddenly had an inspiration of how to move the idea forward. Within an hour, I had the main character worked out, the protagonist and an idea for how it will end.
My meat free brain also started firing off ideas for improving marketing and I was soon buying books on the subject, devouring them with glee. I went through stacks of books I’d never thought to read before and learnt so much. It was like all my synapses were on fire, recognising new ideas and opportunities. I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to push on and move forward with everything in my life, to get various projects going.
In this period, I also started a YouTube channel and have at the time of writing four Vlogs up, all completed in around a week. This meat free period gave me a boost of energy each day. I couldn’t believe the benefits of a meat detox, giving me a surge of creativity. You know the movie Limitless with Bradley Cooper where he takes a pill that improves the brain? It was like that. There I was, recognising opportunities I’d previously dismissed, using new ideas to boost book sales.
There and Back Again
Now I’m back on meat and the desire to write and create is still there, but my output has slowed to pre vegetarian diet levels. My energy certainly is lower and my weight has gone up slightly. I shall try the detox again and note if there are any improvements, or if it was just a lucky two weeks. For any writers out there, I’d urge giving it a go and seeing if there are any changes to your creativity. Is the meat industry designed to keep our minds dulled and make us easy to control? Are we slaves of a system without realising we are holding the key?
Thoughts in the comments and let me know what you think.
Kevin Grover is an indie author of supernatural thrillers. His books are on Amazon and his website, Indie Bookshelf, shares various tips and experiences about his indie career.
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