Unfortunately, reality has it in for you. The proportion of a person's diet consisting of animal products is directly correlated with mortality and morbidity. It's true that a vegan diet is not the healthiest - as I recall, a mostly vegetarian diet supplemented by modest amounts of fish is - but I am pretty sure a vegan diet is better than a red-meat heavy diet on those same metrics. Also, vegans don't eat "nothing but salads" - just like vegetarians don't eat "just vegetables" - despite what airlines might try to serve to them.