Is vegetarianism healthy?

Second day off sick today, and a trip to the doc has turned out that I am actually genuinely sick. I've got tonsillitis, a sinus infection, two different types of antibiotics to take, and a fever.

I'm particularly impressed by my fever; I think it sounds old-fashioned and quite romantic. Feel like I should be lying on a four-poster bed, clad in a too-tight lace bodice, being passed smelling salts and fanned by a gentleman with large side-burns who looks a lot like Colin Firth.

But of course, this has prompted a bit of joshing from some quarters, particularly those of my meat-eating friends who like to point to my vegetarian diet every time I get ill. My boss has just suggested I "embark on a diet which keeps me healthy", and while I know he's just giving me a bit of gentle leg-pulling, I am aware that there are those who consider vegetarianism to be less healthy than eating meat.

So lets consider the facts. In the last six months I've actually had two bouts of illness - this current spell and a stomach bug. BUT a lot of my work colleagues have been off sick too - there seems to have been quite a few bugs going round this year, and most of them are meat eaters.

Prior to that my last illness was a very short period in hospital 18 months ago. 

I think the healthiest man I know would be one of my work colleagues. In the 30 years he's worked at the Derby Telegraph he's NEVER had a day off sick, and this man thinks nothing of going for a 10 or 12-mile run before his shift. He's so fit that he's set himself a personal challenge this year to run a half marathon in every district of Derbyshire.

So what's his secret? What does he eat?

Well actually he eats his evening meal in the office, and having done many a night shift with him I can confirm that his usual dish is the rather unorthodox "tuna surprise" - a homemade mash-up of tinned tuna, ryvita and baked beans that he heats in the office microwave. This is invariably followed by an apple.

An apple a day, as we all know, keeps the doctor away. Not sure about the tuna surprise though.

I've just Googled "foods to boost the immune system" and an article on the BBC website lists the 10 immune-boosting superfoods as blueberries, broccoli, carrots, salad greens, beetroot, Brazil nuts, grapefruit, garlic, cranberries and ginger.

And ABC website lists live yogurt, garlic, tumeric, oregano, green tea, pumpkins, ginger, oysters and broccoli.

So no meat recommended, and only one mention of seafood.

Red meat is actually linked with a whole host of health nasties, including cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. But it does contain zinc and iron, which are both vital nutrients for the immune system. Vegetarian sources of these minerals include green leafy vegetables, lentils, molasses, beans, tofu, nuts and seeds.

So perhaps eating a healthy diet is sometimes not so much about what you cut out, as what you get enough of?

For example, I take a couple of pieces of fruit to work every day. Unfortunately I then either leave them to rot on my desk or hand them over to one of my colleagues, while I trot off to the snack machine for a Twix or bag of crisps instead. 

So maybe my boss is right - perhaps it is time to embark on a better diet. By which I mean eating my fruit rather than chucking it away. Sorry boss, but it'll take a bit more than that to get me back onto bacon sandwiches.