I've not eaten meat for 25 years, fuck putting a dead animal in your mouth, that shit is just nasty.
I really don't think you need to ask. All the vegetarians I know adhere strongly to the old joke "How do you know if someone is a vegetarian? Don't worry, they'll tell you."
On a serious note though, I find that there are two reasons to stop eating meat, and neither is because of the entire health reasons you are asking for. The only two reasons I've heard that are legit are:
A) Don't like the taste of it.
B) Disgusted at the way slaughterhouses operate.
You don't become a vegan/vegetarian to become healthy, you become one for one of the above reasons - trust me if you do it for any other reason you will be back on the delicious meat-eating wagon very fast.
Neither a nor b, I think it is immoral to consume another sentient being. People sneer at the third world when they hear tales of eating dogs, and even closer to home the public are aghast at the fact they have eaten horse without their knowledge or consent, but they go and eat a cow, pig, sheep.. stupid fucking people living in a bubble, not knowing why they chose any path in life, just sheep themselves, following the script as dictated by their ancestors.
I was speaking to a woman the other day who was saying that they wanted to be vegetarian, but they kept eating chicken, bacon (the lighter meats, the more delicatessens.) and were worried about failing as a vegetarian.
I simply told her, not to class yourself as a vegetarian, don't put yourself into that 'box' eat what the fuck you want to eat, if you have to force your self to stop eating animals, then you have a problem.
It's the same as people who say "i'm going on a diet" - yeah right - whatever. "ahh i couldn't stick to my diet", "i fell off the wagon" "couldn't help myself" you see, these people fail because they try and conform to an ideal which they never will achieve. The woman who weighs 25st will never be the size 10 carrot munching health freak on a running machine, so will fail dismally if she sets this as her goal.
Essay over, in a nutshell - just eat what takes your fancy.
Usually people understand that there are specific nutrients we require in order to survive but even less people understand that some of those come from animals, birds or fish. It's not possible to be a true vegan because anyone who tries has to take supplements. You also can not say that one diet is healthier than the other because it would be a lie and you should never believe anyone who says one is. This is why anyone with half of a brain can understand why it's suggested to have a diet containing both meat and greens.
