A Solution for Consumption of Animals?

In class today, Becca made me think of something interesting. She stated that one of the major reasons that animal flesh should not be consumed is because in order to do so you are cutting that life short. We are taking away the potential for life that this animal may or may not have had, but did have an entitlement to. However, her next statement raised my curiosity, as she stated that locally grown animals are treated in a humane manner and are slaughtered as such too. Thus, taking their "potential for life" is not nearly as harshly robbed from them. Or at least I think this is what she was going for.

Now I would like to point out one thing: no cow, even those slaughtered on local farms, are allowed to live out to their prime. To do so allows for meat to lose quality and subsequent taste/value. All farms raise cattle to a peak point of youth and maturity and then kill them as to capture freshness.

Now I agree with Becca in the sense that consuming animal flesh does deny the possibility for life lived beyond the butcher's knife. That makes perfect and clear sense. What I'm wondering is if one would consider the consumption of an animal that died of natural causes alright? Could we justify that? The animal is already dead and gone, having felt no pain inflicted by humans. Thus, it would seem we might be able to.