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My boyfriend’s nonvegan brother and sister-in-law came over for his birthday last week, although Jay (the bf) wouldn’t let me acknowledge that it was for his birthday. “They’re just coming over for lunch, and we happen to be having cake for dessert,” he said. OK, whatever. I cried a little inside about not having birthday candles and moved on.

We both revel in treating nonvegans to delicious vegan food. So when Jay’s normally laid-back brother started looking a little breathless and said, “So, there really aren’t any eggs in this cake? It’s so moist,” we both smiled. I said, “No, of course not. You don’t need eggs to make a good cake,” and I grabbed my copy of The Joy of Vegan Baking to show them some recipes (everything in that cookbook is absolutely amazing).

Whenever Jay and I serve vegan food to nonvegans, he always repeats the same line like a mantra: “Nothing you’ve eaten today had any cholesterol!” It’s like we’re on an infomercial, and I try to stifle my laughter. The thing is that for Jay, it’s not really a laughing matter. His father passed away suddenly from a heart attack in his 50s, and Jay’s brother’s cholesterol and triglycerides are dangerously high. He’s not even 40 yet, and he’s on cholesterol-lowering drugs. Jay’s cholesterol, on the other hand, is 123. To put that in perspective, the average meat-eating American’s cholesterol is 210, while the average vegan’s cholesterol is 133.

When my stepfather had a serious heart attack last December, his doctor told him two things: 1) You’re very lucky to be alive (the type of heart attack he had is referred to as a “widow maker”), and 2) A vegan diet is the healthiest. While he hasn’t gone fully vegan, he’s significantly reduced his consumption of animal products and increased the amount of vegetarian foods he eats. When you consider that vegetarians live longer, have a significantly reduced risk of many chronic diseases (including heart disease), and don’t smell when they’re old, going vegan seems like a no-brainer to me—especially if you can still eat delicious cake.

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Recently, I realized that I’ve been living around vegans for too long. I used to regularly attend events where corpses and cheese-laden dishes were the norm and many people thought “veganism” was a type of rash. Several years ago, when I was still in college, you couldn’t stop me from talking to people about factory farming, how milk causes osteoporosis, and why vegans rarely have heart attacks—if it had to do with why people shouldn’t eat animals, I wanted to talk about it. Now, I rarely talk to people who aren’t already vegan, and when I do, it can be rather frustrating. I get a little exasperated when I hear “But I need protein” or “I just love steak,” and I would rather roll my eyes than engage them in conversation.

Obviously, this sort of attitude isn’t good for helping animals, so I try to muster a smile and politely explain that I eat all sorts of wonderful foods and, as you can see from my hips, I clearly don’t starve. The unfortunate reality is that after a while, it can get draining to have to explain why you don’t eat rotting flesh (as if this should require an explanation), to keep a sunny face while someone makes a disgusted frown and sniffs at your perfectly delicious tofu dish at a church potluck, and to be the best advocate for animals that you can be.

Luckily for all of us, PETA VP Bruce Friedrich wrote a great guide to being an effective advocate a few years back, and it offers a ton of excellent responses to common questions and comments. Here are my own personal responses to two common questions:

They ask: What do you eat?

I say: I eat everything! Last week I had enchiladas, calzones, and faux-chicken Caesar salad. Tonight I’m having barbecue tofu and brownies! It’s so easy to make a vegan version of my favorite foods, and my diet has way more variety now than it did when I ate animals.

They say: I could never give up cheese. How do you live without it?

I say: I’m from Wisconsin, so giving up cheese was a big deal for me. But I found that once I stopped eating it, not only did I not notice it was missing, it also started to be really unappealing. I’ve had enough cheese-free burritos, veggie burgers, pizzas, and macaroni to know that all cheese really adds is fat and cholesterol. The vegan versions not only taste better but are also better for me.

What are some of your favorite responses to those inquiring, meat-eating minds?

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At PETA, we’re very lucky to have awesome vending-machine options—Luna Bars and Veggie Crisps, anyone? Sadly, most of you are probably stuck with Bugles and Funyuns at the office, but if you’re trying to be healthy, you don’t necessarily have to succumb to the standard, tired carrot stick for your daily snacking needs. Or even worse—celery sticks. Does anyone really want to eat vegetables in stick form while at work? That’s just not the sort of world I want to live in. Try this instead:

• Edamame: Or “baby soy beans” if you don’t like fancy words. These protein-packed pods are perfect to heat up in the microwave, sprinkle with salt, and nibble on throughout the day.

• Granola: Nuts, dried fruit, and oats are undeniably healthy (as long as you don’t eat 6 cups of them at once), and this perfect combination gives you an energy boost without a caffeine-induced crash. It can be pricey to get pre-packaged granola, so why not make your own? If you’re able use a spoon and an oven, it’s not hard. You could also try our modestly named granola bar recipe, the Enlightenment Bar.

• Baked Beans: If your idea of cooking is opening a can and wielding a fork, baked beans are your new best friend. Good cold, hot, and everywhere in-between, try Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans plain, on toast, or with a sliced up veggie dog.

• Perfect Pairs: Triscuits or whole wheat pita and hummus; apple slices and peanut butter; baked tortilla chips and salsa; soy yogurt and Grape Nuts; and pretzels with spicy mustard.

It’s easy to snack well during a busy day if you just take a few minutes to plan ahead. If you get a snack attack at 3 p.m. and your only option is BBQ Fritos or starvation, you’re probably going to make an unhealthy decision. You can stop dutifully chomping those carrot sticks and expand your healthy snack horizons with just a little forethought and creativity.