Pam! For crying out loud! Get a sense of humor! I didn't write that stuff to hurt your feelings....geez...It's just that another person, who started this whole thing came on and started preaching to us about how bad our diet was and that she had all sorts of scientific proofs...which she hasn't yet posted, incidentally. If you want to be a vegetarian, so be it. I believe in letting people live in any way they feel that's best for them. But, when somebody comes on this forum and starts preaching to us about how bad our diet is, when it's pretty well proven that it isn't, well...
As far as eating vegan for humanitarian reasons, here's food for thought (get it? HA!). The primary reason for the extinction of so many species in the last 10,000 years has been monoculture agriculture. In order for a farmer to make a field to grow his/her crops, he/she has to irradicate the beasties who might eat the crops. The pesticides used today are killing off entire fauna, and flora, ruining the soil and the crops are depleting the soil of whatever nutrients are still there. Farmers add in nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium...that's it...because it makes the crop yield better. No more micronutrients, etc. The near extinction of wolves, and Grizzly bears, for example has been caused by the need for farmers and ranchers to protect their herds.
How is it humanitarian to kill off entire species so we can eat grains, dairy, and nightshades? This is not meant as a slight against you for your moral convictions...just something to think about.