Is veganism wrong?

[supermousie]

For millions of years, early man hunted and killed animals for meat, bones for tools, and hides for shelter. No sympathy was shown to the animals slaughtered, as they could have been the difference between life and starvation. Because of this fight to the top(...?) of the food chain, the human body has adapted to an omnivorous diet, in which meat is a major component of.

Today, here in 2011, animal rights groups such as PETA and the Animal Defense League fight for the "ethical treatment of animals", and if they could, they would try to get the world to stave off their reliance on meat entirely. There is a major factor that would make them want to meet this goal, and it is because millions of animals are being slaughtered to drive the meat industry to feed 'normal' people- that being amplified due to recent controversy surrounding animal cruelty being practiced in farms and whatnot (see pmonibuvdi23ybgewy's thread in CC titled Why so cruel?)

I do understand why people choose to go down the vegan route, but some just go and make a big fuss out of eating what their ancestors have been eating for so long. Instead of protesting and getting in other people's way, staying quiet is a great way of not being like a Pharisee. Most vegans I know are rather jolly reasonable, and they won't drill me with facts and figures as to why the meat pie in my hand is killing me.
I can see where they're coming from- I love animals, they love me. And sometimes I do think the lamb chops on my plate were once cute, little fluffy baby sheep.

And then there are the health issues associated with veganism. Lack of protein, calcium, iiron, zinc and other vitamins and minerals definitely leads to malnutrition unless supplements containing these things are taken. I read somewhere pregnant vegans are at risk of having a malnourished baby, and death can easily result.

Umm. It's actually very late, and I'm not thinking straight. (Hey, that rhymes!) If I contradict myself, seem far too biased (I can even tell in my semi-sozzled state) or I'm not making sense, fear not, for I shall fix this post tomorrow or later this week. I needed to get this off my chest.

In the meanwhile, if you can get the jist of my incoherent hash of a CT post, please, share your views!