Former Blink-182 rocker Travis Barker has started eating meat after 25 years as a vegetarian - to help him recover from his plane crash ordeal.

The drummer is on a protein-packed diet after he suffered third-degree burns in the horror last month - and he has had to go back to eating meat to speed up his recovery.

Barker and his pal Adam 'DJ AM' Goldstein were the only survivors after the Learjet they were passengers on failed to clear a runway in South Carolina and burst into flames. Four passengers died in the crash, including Barker's assistant Chris Baker.

The star, who is receiving treatment at a Los Angeles hospital, tells Us Weekly magazine, "I need protein from food rather than just protein supplements. I changed my diet. I would do anything I possibly could if they said like, 'There's a possibility you might heal faster if you do eat meat or just change your eating habits'. So I did. I don't regret it at all, I feel so much better."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)