What nutrients are in meat that we need to function correctly (that cannot be obtained from plant sources)

Never said we can't obtain nutrients from plants that are available in plants.

Just expressing that killing animals for food isn't for waste. It's used to fill our bodies with necessary nutrients that we as humans need to live.

Okay good. I was worried I was going to have to destroy that. Why kill other beings, especially sentient ones, when you can get everything you need from a plant derived diet? Hunting for food ( and only for food , I will not comment on what I think of people who hunt for sport) is marginally better than just getting it in a grocery store because those who go out and get their own food are at least aware of where it comes from and that it is a living breathing sentient animal.

um well i think the one major one is magnesium...maybe i am guessing so dont yell at me!

Magnesium is found quite easily in plants.

Magnesium
Magnesium: What is it?

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential to good health. Approximately 50% of total body magnesium is found in bone. The other half is found predominantly inside cells of body tissues and organs. Only 1% of magnesium is found in blood, but the body works very hard to keep blood levels of magnesium constant [1].

Magnesium is needed for more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels, promotes normal blood pressure, and is known to be involved in energy metabolism and protein synthesis [2-3]. There is an increased interest in the role of magnesium in preventing and managing disorders such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Dietary magnesium is absorbed in the small intestines. Magnesium is excreted through the kidneys [1-3,4].

What foods provide magnesium?

Green vegetables such as spinach are good sources of magnesium because the center of the chlorophyll molecule (which gives green vegetables their color) contains magnesium. Some legumes (beans and peas), nuts and seeds, and whole, unrefined grains are also good sources of magnesium [5]. Refined grains are generally low in magnesium [4-5]. When white flour is refined and processed, the magnesium-rich germ and bran are removed. Bread made from whole grain wheat flour provides more magnesium than bread made from white refined flour. Tap water can be a source of magnesium, but the amount varies according to the water supply. Water that naturally contains more minerals is described as "hard". "Hard" water contains more magnesium than "soft" water.

Eating a wide variety of legumes, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables will help you meet your daily dietary need for magnesium

Ok so we can survive on plants. We'd even do better on plants. I mean, scientifically (which means half of us will believe it and have of us won't, for some reason) only 10% of the energy an herbivore consumes from plants is transfered to a carnivore who eats it. What I'm saying is that if you don't want to eat meat, don't, but it is perfectly natural to do so. Now, if it were the 1700s and we had all this space to hunt in, I think I would prefer that. Killing the animal you eat makes you appreciate your dinner. Buying it at the store just plants it in our minds that it is something that will always be there for us at a whim. However, most of us don't live in a place where the wild beasts roam where we can hunt. Human development dominates most of the area people here on PTF live in.

I am bothered by the idea of eating another sentient being. I'm not saying it is necessarily wrong to hunt your own food but I can't think of a single humane way for using other beings for my food so I don't. Those that rely on themselves and nature for their food have a much greater appreciation for the food chain (usually anyway) than those who rely on grocery stores. I mostly get my food from the grocery stores because I don't have a garden ( not even a community plot ) I do however grow as much as I can in my tiny apartment and know what it takes to grow a viable vegetable garden. I also have environmental reasons but those are for another thread.

People who hunt purely for sport are despicable. I'd like to see all who participate placed on an island and hunted. They should know what it feels like. Mind you, thats just a fantasy and not something I'd actually advocate in reality. However tempting it would be...

Okay here's a question, and it's important to me. Have you ever had a vegan alternative to ice cream cake?

I agree ice cream cake is a very important issue. I haven't seen specifically ice cream cake but it would be very easy to do. Exactly what did you have in mind?

do you not realize that a plant is alive... sure it doesn't have what we constitute as a brain... but its still a alive and breathing... so how is pulling a plant any different than killing a cow... do we know that taking a plant out of the ground is hurting it? we truly don't know... because it can not express this through verbal means.