Vegan ‘World of Dance’ Judge Ne-Yo Says Eating a Plant-Based Diet Cured His Tendinitis

American singer-songwriter and “World of Dance” judge Ne-Yo has revealed that switching to a vegan diet cured his tendinitis.

Tendinitis is the painful swelling of tendons, which can sometimes require surgery. In an interview with Essence magazine, Ne-Yo explained that his condition had gotten so bad, he could no longer bend his legs after rehearsing. His friend, the publication states, convinced him to give plant-based eating a try. After 2 weeks, the musician was cured.

It wasn’t just his friend’s advice that caused Ne-Yo to give up the animal products, though. Back in August, the musician revealed he had been watching the vegan documentary “What the Health.” “I wasn’t trying to make a major statement or anything. A friend was urging me to watch ‘What the Health’ on Netflix; I was running from it for a long time,” he told the Herald.

However, veganism hasn’t been an easy ride for Ne-Yo, a self-confessed meat-lover. “I think I might have been a T-Rex in another life,” he said. “I was a lover of meat. But the second I watched [What the Health] I instantly ran to [my] refrigerator and threw out all the deli meats. This was not something that was planned, it just happened.”

He continued, “I was supposed to watch the film and here I am. I can’t know what I know and still eat that stuff. I just can’t. It’s not an easy diet at all. But now just thinking about the alternative is the focus. Meat literally makes you sick. It’s harder for me because I’m not really a fruit and vegetable kinda guy, I never have been, even from childhood, but I gotta do what I gotta do.” 

Fellow musician Will.i.am experienced a similar epiphany after a visit to his doctor regarding his high blood pressure and cholesterol. The star transitioned to a plant-based diet quickly after and has been outspoken about the benefits of veganism and the dangers of eating meat ever since. “For many years I would go to sleep and wake up tired, and that’s cause my body was processing god knows what type of crazy wicked sh*t that was approved,” the star said on Instagram. “There’s a force, a dark force out there, that is doing a very good job of keeping us all sick.”