Raw meat must first be cooked at a minimum safe temperature for a certain period of time before it can be safely eaten Cost effectiveness is very important to consider when choosing a diet plan. Excluding meat will reduce the average grocery bill by approximately on third. Compared to vegetables, meat is extremely expensive. For the cost of one 12 oz. Steak, you can buy enough food to make salad, stir-fry, and bread for three people.
Vegetarianism only excludes meats and fish and still provides for a well-rounded diet.
Much of the protein and nutrients found in meat can be found in vegetarian foods such as beans and grain. A large-scale comparison that can be made of vegetarianism and a meat inclusive diet is the amount of land used for the production of animals vs. the production of crops. The same amount of land needed to graze cattle can produce approximately twenty times the amount of plant crops. Crops are also much less expensive to grow and maintain compared to the cost of producing animals. On a global scale, much could be done about the problems of world hunger by devoting more resources to crop production.