How to cut calories – read all about it

School sports day running race. ‘Instead of jogging for 19 minutes, just sitting and reading a book for 50 minutes would burn off the same number of calories,’ says Clarence Matthai. Photograph: Angela Hampton Picture Library /Alamy

The suggestion from the Royal Society of Public Health that activity-equivalent labelling be introduced (One chocolate bar: that’s half an hour in the pool, 15 January) showing how much exercise is required to burn off calories in food is simply ridiculous. While some form of exercise may be good for the body, it is also true that instead of jogging for 19 minutes, just sitting and reading a book for 50 minutes would burn off the same number of calories. Indeed, if one were overweight, the number of minutes of reading required to burn off the calories in the packet of crisps could be just 40 minutes. So imagine having a glass of wine and eating a packet of crisps while reading a book for a couple of hours – energy-neutral and most enjoyable.
Clarence Matthai
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

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