Most vegetarians are pacifists or committed to humane causes.
Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish and poultry where as vegans do not use animal products, animal by-products, or products tested on animals. The key issues associated with vegetarianism are nutritional, environmental, and economic as well as ethical consideration for animals. More studies are showing that human nutritional needs are best met with a vegan diet because it has been found that humans are basically a vegetarian species and require a wide variety of plant matter and diets can be supplemented with essential vitamins D, B-12, iron and calcium if inadequate. 1997 ADA Position Paper on Vegetarianism - The Vegetarian Resource Group. Both meat and dairy products contain high fat and cholesterol levels, and excess animal protein has been linked to osteoporosis, kidney disease and cancer.