Everythign has atman, yes, that is the spark/ part of the god... (soul.. whatever you want to call it).. so this atman also resides in trees and plants.. however, as the basic nature of this world, we do what we need to survive...

there is a story of a snake, who was notorious for biting innocent passerbyes in the forest. One day he met a sage, and vowed to be a saint himeself and became a "chela". One day a bunch of kids saw the snake and started stoning it, the snake just sat there..  afterwards, almost dead, the snake barely made its way to the sage and asked him what he had done to deserve this.. he had after all follwed the advice of teh sage and had not bitten anyone.. the sage replied "I asked you not to bite, but did not say to not defent yourself, you can still hiss.. it is your nature"

so in the same light, humans need food to survive. Plants provide that food in abundance. Back in teh day when the kshatriyas used to fight, they needed meat to sustain their stature and size, however the hunted animal was only eaten to sustain a diet and was asked for forgivenes.. The Geeta, states that one SHOULD NOT eat meat, or drink etc. etc.. key word being SHOULD NOt.. so it is not forbidden.

Hindutva (the ism equates to doctrines), is actualy a way of life, a tool of understanding, a wide amount of knowledge passed down from our ancestory. From what the sages have learnt, they teach, but does that mean you have to follow it? no..... doing rituals, and wearing sari etc. etc.. ahs a lot of cultural aspects mixed in, thus these are not dogmas per say, but just ... well culture :)