Needless suffering

Jordan Rubin’s advice on diet (S2 Health, 18 May), should be taken with a pinch of salt. There is no doubt that his advice on "filling up" with whole grains, seeds, fruit and vegetables is laudable, but his advice that we should eat "clean" meats and fish no long-er has any spiritual currency.

In biblical times there were clean and unclean animals; now there are only unclean animals. Every piece of flesh eaten today is eaten at the expense of needless animal suffering. Advances in nutritional science insist we no longer need to kill animals to maintain our own health.

The reasons for not killing animals are many: it is unneces-sary; meat is associated with in-creased heart disease and cancer; many diseases, such as E coli and vCJD, are found in meat; and meat requires ten times as much land for production as plants.

Also, in reply to Professor JP Duguid (Letters, 21 May), who is "doubtful" as to whether hu-mans can live on a diet without meat or other animal products, he need doubt no more. Any medical nutritionist will offer the advice that people can prosper on such an animal-free diet.

JAMES BOYLE

Eastwoodmains Road

Clarkston, Glasgow