‘Wake Up!’ – Eddie Abbew is no ordinary food guru

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Going to the supermarket with Eddie Abbew – a 60-year-old former bodybuilder, gym owner and food influencer – isn’t easy. At least, not in any of the supermarkets near his gym in Hemel Hempstead. He’s banned or at risk of being kicked out for filming the kind of videos that have made him a sensation. In them, he’s seen pulling products off shelves (usually sugary snacks or ultra-processed foods) and warning viewers against them in the most belligerent terms. “Wake the fuck up” and “This isn’t food” are his most famous catchphrases. His mission to “educate people about food” involves promoting single-ingredient foods (such as meat, fish, avocados, nuts) and getting people to cook for themselves rather than relying on ready-made meals. “Cooking is empowering. Cooking is synonymous with fitness and health,” he says in the first episode of The Damned Eddie Abbew Show which premiered on YouTube in February and now has over 187 thousand views.

Abbew is one of the leading voices on social media saying “you’re doing it wrong” when it comes to health and nutrition. She has 1.4 million followers on Tik Tok and 3.8 million in InstagramHe has written two e-books on muscle gain and fat loss, and runs an online community with access to meal plans, live Zoom Q&A calls and cooking videos. But his swearing videos still get the most attention.

I’m like a guy who doesn’t care about anything, he’s a bit loud and sweary but he has good advice.

The day we meet, he’s planning a video about sugar in ice cream. A 460ml tub of Häagen-Dazs salted caramel contains about 100g. Abbew pours the equivalent amount of powdered sugar into a glass and heads to the high street to film his video. “Would you eat this much sugar in one sitting? You’re a fucking idiot,” he says. Afterwards, he’s inundated with fans. Mothers ask for selfies. Teenagers come up to fist-bump, some with cans of Red Bull or Coke and Greggs pies. “We’re trying,” they shrug. “That’s all I want to hear,” Abbew replies. A father thanks him on behalf of his son, who has switched from eating “processed crap” to “real food”. “Some people might not tolerate the way you do it,” the father says, “but kids can connect with you.” Her shopping bag is full of Abbew-promoted foods, including a large carton of eggs.

Abbew was born in Ghana, educated in Kenya and came to the UK in the 1980s to train and work as a psychiatric nurse. During his 1990s heyday as a competitive bodybuilder, he ate 38 eggs a day (scrambled for breakfast, then three meals of 10 eggs each, sometimes beaten into jars to drink on the lounge). He now eats between 10 and 16 a day and champions eggs as a natural source of protein and other nutrients. He follows a largely carnivorous diet and eats his first meal of the day in the late afternoon. He says the regime has helped him repair the damage caused by bodybuilding and poor nutrition, and resolves ailments such as sleep apnoea, peripheral neuropathy and panic attacks.

Since he rose to fame last year, he has been asked on every talk show, from Good morning Great Britain to Piers Morgan uncensoredHe says he is not interested: “If I sit in Good morning Great Britain“I’ll have to be careful what I say.” He gets messages from football players and other celebrities, including Eric Trump, who told him: “I love what you’re doing.” But he’s more encouraged by the endorsements of doctors he follows, such as Dr Rachel Brown (@carnivoreshrink) and Dr. Ken D. Berry (@kendberrymd), advocates of the carnivore diet, or Dr. Eric Berg (@drericberg), an advocate of the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting.

Most of her community’s subscribers are looking to lose fat. Abbew also targets her advice at gym-goers looking to bulk up. One of her first TikToks from November 2022 took aim at “low-quality” BCAA (branched-chain amino acid) fitness drinks, and she often rails against protein shakes and other bodybuilding supplements. But Abbew’s big breakthrough has surely been changing the eating habits of teens. Even adults who question the sustainability of her advice (“It demonizes so many foods that it makes it unrealistic for most people to follow it,” she says. Joe Wicks) recognise its ability to reach a generation inundated with junk food advertising and addicted to sports drinks and other ultra-processed products. As influencer Davinia Taylor puts it, it “diminishes the appeal” of brands like Huel, Monster Energy and Burger King, and is able to take on megastars like Prime Drink co-owners Logan Paul and KSI.

“I’m like a guy who doesn’t care, who shouts a bit and swears, but who has some good advice,” Abbew says of his appeal. By his own admission, his message is simple and easy to understand. Young fans regularly tell him that their brain fog has lifted, their skin has cleared up and they’re not tired anymore. He was recently invited to speak at Eton College “because a lot of their students are eating the way I suggested. We walked past their houses and they were frying eggs and steaks.”

But some of Abbew’s claims have been questioned. Among other controversial statements, he calls veganism “nonsense” and raises concerns about grains and vegetables (because, for example, some contain lectins that could be linked to gut inflammation and other discomforts) that may be misleading. These statements echo those of another divisive figure, Dr. Anthony Chaffee (@anthonychaffeemd) which states: “Plants are trying to kill you.”

When I tell Abbew that I like whole oats in the morning, we get into a heated debate about their impact on blood sugar, fiber, and cholesterol. “Oats can never “It’s good,” she says. Many would disagree, but perhaps that’s not the point. Her claim comes amid growing confusion around oats and how to consume them, which reflects even broader confusion about a whole range of foods (including fruit, honey and brown rice) and what’s healthy.

The problem with social media as a source of information is that truth-tellers are often met with rebuttals from myth-busters. In Abbew’s case, figures such as Dr. Idrees Mughal (@dr_idz) cite scientific articles to support their counterarguments. I’m inclined to trust him as a doctor, but I can’t say I follow all the science. Confusion breeds confusion. Eating right becomes an act of faith. Who do we believe? Can anyone tell us what to do? No wonder Abbew’s message has such an impact.

@ajesh34