Quote Originally Posted by War Angel
An you're very much mistaken in thinking that to be a vegetarian an eat well you need to be rich.
Without protein, B12 and iron, the human body collapses. Vegeterians must provide themselves with these ingredients, normally found in meat, through supplements. Those supplements cost money, and a good deal of it too. The poor cannot abolish meat from their diets, as they cannot afford, say, B12 pills.
We can get B12, iron, and protein, from other foods. Iron, protein, an B12, are not only present in meat.
Certainly it would be a lot cheaper. People would be a lot more susceptible to disease, would live less, the natural abortion rates would sky-rocket, etc etc... But that's a third-world existence I wouldn't want to live in.
You should really read the research I've already posted on the evidence that vegetarians are healthier an less susceptible to disease than meat eaters. Vegetarians also live longer. An vegetarians have a lower risk of miscarriage than meat eaters actually. You should read this:



A report by the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, indicated that vegetarian mothers-to-be are less likely to suffer a vitamin A deficiency than their meat-eating counterparts. This is of particular importance since vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy has been associated with miscarriage. Along the same lines, folic acid deficiencies have been linked to some birth defects. Why are vegetarian mothers less likely to develop such a deficiency? Because their diet is composed of the richest sources of folic acid--whole grains, legumes, and green vegetables.

"…While a [ vitamin B12] fortified food source is fine for the health of the mother, the nutrient will not be readily available to the fetus in this form. Therefore, during pregnancy and while nursing, the mother should be sure to take a B12 supplement equal to 4 mcg (micrograms) a day. During breast feeding, it is the B12 that will make its way into the breast milk and nourish the growing infant. The consumption of a prenatal supplement has become increasingly common among expectant mothers. If the mother is taking a prenatal supplement already, vitamin B12 will likely be included in the formula. It is always a good idea to verify this on the label. Also, be sure that the B12 is derived from plant sources.

" Animal bodies concentrate all of the hormones, chemical pesticides, antibiotics, and sulfa drugs they ingest during their lifetime. When humans eat animals, they ingest these contaminants that have been stored in the animal's fat. Whatever an expectant mother eats, her baby will be exposed to as well.