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This October, in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, do something that will really help save lives—contribute only to health charities that don’t fund inhumane, irrelevant animal experiments.

Many charities, such as the American Cancer Society, the National Foundation for Cancer Research, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, fund useless animal tests that drain money from relevant, effective, life-saving projects.

Humans and animals both feel pain, fear, joy, and love, but there are many physiological differences among rats, rabbits, dogs, cats, pigs, and people, and meaningful scientific conclusions cannot be drawn about one species by studying another.

Former National Cancer Institute director Dr. Richard Klausner has stated that “the history of cancer research has been the history of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades, and it simply didn’t work in humans.”

Compassionate, modern charities, such as the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, American Breast Cancer Foundation, The Cancer Project, and The Breast Cancer Fund, know that non-animal methods are the best way to combat cancer. If you want to make a donation to help beat breast cancer, please see CaringConsumer.com for a complete list of cruelty-free charities. After all, your contribution should help stop suffering, not cause it.

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You don’t have to live in a big city to get a great vegan meal. Many nationwide restaurant chains offer tasty vegan options. Here are five of my favorite veg-friendly restaurant chains (in no particular order). I like to take my nonvegetarian friends and family members so they can see how easy it is to find delicious meatless meals in mainstream places. It’s usually not hard to convince them to try the vegan dishes—and they always rave about them.

Not only does P.F. Chang’s have an array of already vegetarian options, like the sautéed spinach, coconut curry vegetables, and savory tofu-stuffed lettuce wraps, everything on the menu can be made with tofu instead of meat too.

At Johnny Rockets, the diner with the old-time jukeboxes and the dancing wait staff, you can get a vegan Boca burger (called the Streamliner) with grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, ketchup, and mustard. Order fries and a cherry or chocolate Coke, too, if you want to get in the diner spirit.

The blueberry, chocolate chip, cinnamon sugar, cranberry orange, pumpernickel, and rosemary olive-oil bagels at Bruegger’s Bagel Bakery are vegan. Bruegger’s also sells hummus and several vegetarian sandwiches (just order them without cheese or dressing, and add some vegan fixings).

Although Denny’s is known for its traditional all-night, diner-style meat-based fare, it also has some vegan options. You can get a vegan Boca burger patty for any burger on the menu and order it with seasoned French fries, a garden salad, or a baked potato with vegetable toppings. For breakfast, try the vegan oatmeal, bagels, grits, or fresh fruit.

You can substitute tofu for meat in the tacos, fajitas, salads, and burritos at Moe’s Southwest Grill. You can order whatever ingredients you like, so just ask for a vegan tortilla and tell them to skip the cheese and sour cream.

Mmmm mmm, my mouth is watering already. If you know of any other chain restaurants that serve veg options but aren’t listed in the link above, let us know.

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In a previous post, I was singing the praises of Pangea and all the vegan chocolates, cakes, and cookies it sells. Well, I’m not done raving yet: Pangea just started selling the yummiest, “creamiest” vegan mac ‘n’ cheese ever. It’s called Leahey Macaroni and Cheese, and it’s the best “boxed” mac ‘n’ cheese I’ve had since I went vegan 17 years ago.

It comes with a powdered sauce mix, but it isn’t an unnatural fluorescent orange like other boxed macaroni and cheese. It’s only 97 calories per serving, too—and it’s cholesterol-free, of course. Plus it’s only $2.99, which isn’t bad considering how delicious it is.

A few years ago, Tofutti added a macaroni ‘n’ cheese dinner to their expansive line of dairy-free foods. It was rich and gooey—not bad at all—but they stopped selling it, so it must not have been one of their more popular products. Some people like Road End Organics Mac & Chreese, although I personally wish it were a bit “cheesier.”

But back to Pangea … when you order this fabulous mac ‘n’ cheese —do it now, you won’t regret it—you should also get some vegan caramels for dessert. They’re chewy and delicious on their own, but they’re even better covered in dark chocolate. I just melt dairy-free chocolate chips in a double broiler (you can melt chocolate in the microwave too) and dip the vegan caramels in. Place them on aluminum foil, and put them in the fridge for a few minutes for the chocolate to harden.

Serve the mac ‘n’ cheese and the chocolate caramels with a salad, some fruit, and whole-wheat bread, and you’ve got dinner—simple but scrumptious.

If you know of a vegan mac ‘n’ cheese that’s even better than Leahey’s, please let me know. And I’m always looking for new recipes.

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Does your child dread going back to school? After months of playing with the dog or cat, swimming, and tabling at fairs and festivals, sitting in math class probably doesn’t sound like much fun. Perhaps you can help “ease the pain” by encouraging him or her to look at it as an opportunity to teach other kids about animal rights issues. That will make any blossoming activist eager to get back to class.

Here are six easy ways that students can help animals. Show them to your child or tween and urge him or her to come up with other ideas—after math class, of course!

1. Decorate your locker and folders with free animal rights stickers from PETA—that way you’re spreading the message every time you’re at school or in class. You can even order PETAKids stencils to design a T-shirt or backpack.

2. Homework isn’t all bad. If you have to write an essay or give an oral report, why not incorporate animal rights issues, such as animal testing, spaying and neutering, or vegetarianism, into the assignment? Your classmates—and your teacher—can learn a lot from you.

3. Set up a donation jar in class (with the teacher’s permission) and encourage other students to put their change from lunch in the jar. When it’s full, give the money to a local animal shelter with a nice note signed by all the students.

4. Ask your teacher if your class can do one of the activities in the Share the World humane education program.

5. If your school carnival or fair has contests that give away goldfish as prizes, get a group of caring students together and politely complain to the principal. Explain that a frightened, lonely goldfish is no prize, and suggest stuffed animals as prizes instead.

6. Say “No!” to mystery meat. For lunch, pack a sandwich made with vegetarian deli slices from Yves or Tofurky slices. Fake meats are sold in most grocery stores now. When friends ask what you have for lunch, tell them proudly.

For “extra credit,” ask the school lunch server to offer more vegetarian meals. Circulate a petition to show that other students want healthy, humane fare. PETA’s youth division, peta2, has a pack of resources to help you out. You may want to ask your mom or dad to help out too.

For more ideas, activities, success stories, quizzes, facts, and jokes, check out 50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals.

Make your own
Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

Got a sweet tooth? Most supermarkets sell Oreos, Goldberg’s peanut chews, Ghirardelli chocolate chips, and other vegan goodies, but if you really want to treat yourself (or a friend), the following companies offer ooey, gooey vegan desserts that will tempt your taste buds.

Vegan Honey: This Brooklyn-based bakery offers delicious coconut cream-filled cupcakes, fruit turnovers, cinnamon buns, cherry “cheese” Danishes, chocolate “dessert cups,” and “Fauxtess” pastries that are reminiscent of popular Hostess products. My dog, Carly, gives the homemade peanut butter doggie treats two paws up too! A portion of Vegan Honey’s sales benefits animal rights and environmental groups.

Pangea: In addition to selling cruelty-free cosmetics, nonleather shoes, animal rights T-shirts, and mock meats and dairy-free cheeses, this vegan superstore has an array of super snacks, including Whitman’s Sampler-esque Belgian chocolates, donuts, fruit tarts, frosted cakes, and more. If you place your order through the PETAMall and designate PETA as your charity of choice, 5 percent of your purchase will be used to help animals.

Allison’s Gourmet Bakery: Alison’s, which supports PETA through the PETA Business Friends program, offers vegan cookies and brownies—in mouthwatering flavors like mint chocolate chip, coconut Key lime, cinnamon snickerdoodle, peanut butter swirl, and classic walnut—as well as heavenly fudge, truffles, caramels, and other chocolate-y creations.

Sticky Fingers: If you’re in Washington, D.C., you can stop by this vegan bakery for “cheese”-cake, carrot cake, chocolate almond cake, strawberry shortcake, and other drool-worthy desserts. But don’t despair if a trip to D.C. is not in your future—you can still enjoy Sticky Fingers’ brownies, blueberry muffins, chocolate chimp bread, Little Devils (chocolate cake with cream filling, coated in a chocolate shell), and more, via mail order.

Chocolate Decadence: If you’ve got a craving for chocolate-covered cherries, pretzels, nuts, raisins, coconut, peanut butter, and other simple yet scrumptious snacks, you can’t go wrong with Chocolate Decadence. Kids and adults alike will love the solid chocolate dinosaurs, classic cars, sea shells, and more.

Harbor Candy Shop: Check out Harbor Candy Shop for its selection of delectable vegan chocolates. Harbor Candy Shop donates 20 percent of the sale of its Vegan Favorite Samplers to PETA. What could be sweeter than that?!

Many other companies offer mail-order vegan goodies, and as a full-fledged chocoholic, I’m eager to try them all. Tell me about your favorites!

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It’s a great time to be vegan. Not only are we saving animals, the environment, and our own lives by eating healthy, nutritious plant-based foods, in general, we’re also saving money at the supermarket.

The prices of meat, milk, cheese, and eggs are rising steadily because of the skyrocketing costs of animal feed. For example, Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, says its hog-raising costs have increased by more than 20 percent in the past year, largely because of the high cost of pig feed. Meat-eaters can expect to foot the bill by paying higher pork prices.

Comparison Shopping: Meat vs. Veggies
Why spend your life’s savings on animal products when you can eat healthy, humane, and inexpensive vegan foods? Some of the most versatile vegan foods—including beans, rice, vegetables, tofu, and pasta—cost relatively little compared to animal products.

According to a 2007 MSN MoneyCentral article, the cheapest cuts of beef, such as ground round, average $3 per pound; boneless chicken breasts cost $3.40 per pound; and canned tuna costs around $2 per pound. In comparison, dried beans and lentils cost less than $1 per pound, and rice is cheaper than $1 per pound. Tofu usually costs less than $2 per pound. Even vegans who buy costlier products like soy sausage and nondairy ice cream can still spend less than people who load up on beef, chicken, and fish.

Funneling Food Through Farmed Animals: Wastefulness at Its Worst
Farmed animals are fed more than 70 percent of the grains grown in the U.S. It takes 4.5 pounds of grain to make 1 pound of chicken meat and 7.3 pounds of grain to produce 1 pound of pork. Approximately 700 calories worth of feed are needed to produce just one 100-calorie piece of beef.

It is more efficient and economical to eat grains and soybeans—and all the foods that can be made from them—directly rather then feeding them to farmed animals so that we can eat those animals. Around 1.4 billion people could be fed with the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. cattle alone. A 2002 E Magazine article estimated that the amount of feed needed to produce just one 8-ounce steak would fill 45 to 50 bowls with cooked cereal grains.

Vegans Save Money and Lives
Everyone makes different food choices, so there’s no guarantee that you’ll save big if you buy vegan foods, but wholesome plant foods are fairly cost-effective. If you factor in all the money you save on hospital bills, medications, and weight-loss plans by avoiding unhealthy, artery-clogging animal products, you’ll see why a vegan diet is downright economical.

Of course, the most important savings of all can’t be put in a bank—each vegan saves more than 100 animals every year! If you haven’t already gone vegan, why not order a free copy of PETA’s “Vegetarian Starter Kit” right now?

This morning, I received a call from a woman who was soliciting donations for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Normally I don’t waste any time getting telemarketers off the phone—especially when they interrupt my breakfast—but before I hung up on this woman, I told her that one of my best friends was a breast cancer survivor, so the issue was very important to me, but I explained why I would not contribute to any charity that funds cruel, unscientific experiments on animals.

It just isn’t ethical to harm one species in an attempt to help another. Animals feel pain every bit as much as humans do. My friend wouldn’t want an animal tortured and killed in her name, and neither would I. You could say that I’m a Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) “survivor.” CMT isn’t life-threatening like breast cancer is, but it’s no fun nevertheless. Many people with CMT have difficulty walking, and some require foot surgery, as I did.

Animal experiments won’t help me or my friend. We’re humans, not cats, rats, or rhesus monkeys. Our systems are different physiologically, and data taken from one species cannot always be correctly applied to another.

Fortunately, as I told the telemarketer this morning—and anyone else who has ever asked me to give money to a charity that’s stuck in the Dark Ages—there are ethical and effective ways to help people with diseases and disabilities. Many modern, caring health charities help people without hurting animals.

If someone asks you to support a “killer” charity, tell them why you only support progressive, cruelty-free health charities like the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade, American Breast Cancer Foundation, and Easter Seals. That way, they’ll understand that you care about both animals and people.

When I was a teenager, I participated in WalkAmerica (now called the March for Babies) to help the March of Dimes raise money to fight birth defects. Since then, I’ve learned that the charity funds cruel experiments on animals and I won’t raise a foot for the March of Dimes until it stops supporting animal research once and for all.

I will help more progressive, compassionate health charities like Easters Seals and Birth Defect Research for Children fight, however. I know how important it is to help people with diseases or disabilities. I’ve had three surgeries to correct foot deformities that doctors suspect were caused by Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a hereditary progressive nerve disorder.

The March of Dimes’ inhumane treatment of animals causes me greater distress than any genetic defect ever could. It is simply unethical to cause harm to one species under the guise of helping another—unethical and ineffective. Humans and nonhumans can both feel pain, fear, sadness, joy, love, and other emotions, yet there are many physiological differences among rats, rabbits, dogs, cats, pigs, and people. Meaningful scientific conclusions cannot be drawn about one species by studying another.

So, if someone asks you for a donation to help the March of Dimes, tell them that you won’t give the charity a penny and explain why.

Pledge to give instead to a forward-thinking charity that spends its funds on humane, effective methods of fighting birth defects, such as a national birth-defect registry, improved prenatal care, counseling and education, clinical research, and treatment for pregnant women addicted to nicotine, alcohol, and drugs.

After all, your donation is supposed to help humans, not hurt animals.