If you listen to Mercola (mercola.com), he says that a lot of people are high-protein types (meaning their diet needs to be based on animal protein and fats), that the middle group are mixed types (needing a more balanced diet of animal protein and plant/vegetable carbohydrates), and then there are the minority vegetarian types, who, you guessed it, thrive on a meatless, high-carb diet.
Most people do not thrive on the latter.
A question for the ascension/spiritual types:
What do you say to people who must eat animal proteins in order to maintain decent health? IE. ketogenic diet for epileptics, there is even research suggesting higher protein diets are ideal for diabetics, inflammatory bowel disease, and check around
www.westonaprice.org for another viewpoint about meat. What about people with food allergies, who if they were to exclusively eat plants would be so limited they'd be malnourished? I am allergic to all grains, dairy, and soy - my diet would thus contain fruits and vegetables. So how do I meet caloric needs in a balanced way??
These are why I don't buy the 'vegetarianism is more spiritual' line of thought. Human health is too fragile and damaged for this to be a key to 'ascension' or 'enlightenment'.
I think there's a big difference between factory farming and being as intelligent and as humane as possible. We have responsibility, no doubt. I guess my 'beef' (ha) with vegetarians are the ones who become religious about it, trying to convert others and proclaim it is the way to heaven, the way to a better life, the way to enlightenment, etc.
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