Letter: Diet for a healthy life

Sir: According to a report by the Wellman Clinic in London, men who eat red meat are healthier, fitter and less prone to exhaustion than those who don't ("Veggies who can't resist the pleasures of the flesh", 15 September). I only wish they'd interviewed me!

I am 38 and have been a vegan (no meat, fish or dairy products) for the last eight years; I have eaten no meat at all for 10 years. I run regularly (10km time: 34 minutes), swim regularly (5km front crawl time: 1 hour, 40 minutes) and often cycle to work (a 16-mile round trip that takes me 50 minutes in total). I also do karate training twice a week, plus some general weight training. My work is manual, involving lots of lifting, fetching and carrying - and no sitting down. After all that, I still find time and energy for regular nights out.

The pallid, exhaustion-prone vegetarian is as much a stereotype as the obese, cholesterol-stuffed meat-eater. There are junk-foodies and couch potatoes on both sides. With either diet - as with much else in life - you only get out what you put in.

KEVIN MARMAN

Herne Bay, Kent