The moral part is trickier. It's quite arbitrary that in certain societies, it's considered okay to eat certain animals, like cows and pigs, but not other animals, like, say, dogs and horses. But, travel around a bit, and those lines become pretty blurry pretty quickly. Part of my decision was to just say no to any food derived from an animal product. Moral issues resolved.
Doing this has been the hardest thing I have ever done, and I can't recommend it for everyone. You see, I love meat. I really do. I grew up eating it, cooking it, and enjoying it. So, giving up animal products has been quite hard. Especially dairy. It's frustrating to not be able to dig into a vegetarian pizza that's covered with great cheese. Yes, I know I can make my own, but that's not really an option when you go out for a slice with a few friends. Giving up fish has been hard, too. I suppose some vegetarians group food items and rank them according to sentience, and some things just aren't "aware" enough to make it over the threshold, so they are fair game. I wonder, how do things like oysters rate? Do Vegans eat oysters? Mussels? Are those things on the table, so to speak? I don't know. If an animal dies a completely humane death, without pain, is it okay to eat it? Suppose you watched a bear fish a salmon out of a river, and eat half, and then leave. If I was hungry, could I eat what was left? Is that okay? I honestly don't know. I would appreciate insights from others on these subjects.
There's also the environmental impact of eating meat, too. Apparently, going Vegan knocks a tonne and a half off of your annual carbon footprint. That's not too bad at all. Mind you, it's important to realize "eating vegan", "eating organic", and "eating local", are three different things. It's entirely possible to live off of pretzels and soy milk and call yourself Vegan, although I doubt that you will be very healthy. It's also possible to become self-righteous about the whole thing, and think you're doing yourself and the environment a favour when you buy organic produce. In fact, you're probably not doing anyone any real good - those organic carrots were probably grown in California and were shipped four thousand miles in a refrigerated truck to get here, so they are basically coated in crude oil. Buy local if you can, and wash your food before you eat it. You'll spend less, and support the local farmers and economy. That's the best advice I can give. The other thing here is that you can talk to the local farmer about the product you're about to buy. The "organic" label is not really regulated, although it is getting better. There are local farmers here who probably grow healthier, cleaner products than what you'd consider "organic" in a supermarket, but don't pay licensing fees to call their stuff organic. I don't need a label on my food in order to feel good about it.
If people want to eat meat, that's their decision. The thing I dislike about some of the vegetarians and vegans that I've met is their tendency to wave Veganism around like it's some sort of Grail, and accuse anyone who eats meat of being "wrong" or "inhumane" . It's not worth getting up in someone's grill about it. Convert through food and compassion, not through anger or confrontation. Cook for your friends and family, show them that vegetarian and vegan dishes are tasty and healthy, and maybe someone will come around. Be nice to people, and be nice to animals. Remember, it was Ghandi who once said that "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated".
I don't pretend to have any answers. I'm doing this for myself and I love to talk about this, but don't expect any massive amounts of insight. The best I can offer is encouragement and my own experiences so far.