Following a plant-based diet is an important tool for reducing animal suffering. But what about human health? What are the advantages and disadvantages of a vegan diet? Unfortunately, there's a lot of bad science out there about nutrition in general and vegan nutrition in specific.

One of our core values at Compassionate Action for Animals is integrity. We want to present the most accurate information available on vegan diets. We need to look at all of the science on the topic, not just those studies that say what we want to hear. By presenting the full picture about veganism we can demonstrate our trustworthiness on this topic and others. When animal advocates are not credible on one topic, people will start to doubt everything they say. After all, if we weren't forthright about nutrition, maybe we're shading the truth about what goes on in factory farms.

With that all said, what do we look for when evaluating information on nutrition? Realistically, very few of us will ever get an advanced degree in biology or dietetics, and even fewer of us will go on to conduct research on vegan diets. We have to rely on experts to do that for us. But lots of people claim to be experts! Who can we trust?

We look for experts who evaluate all of the scientific information on the topic. They don't cherry pick just the studies that support a plant-based diet, they don't exaggerate health claims for plant-based diets, and they don't shy away from the potential problems that come with this diet. A trustworthy expert is never afraid to change their mind in the face of compelling new evidence, and they're willing to call out bad science, even when it comes from within the animal advocacy movement.

Two of our favorite writers working in this area are Jack Norris of Vegan Outreach and Ginny Messina. Both Jack and Ginny take the scientific process seriously and are interested in providing the best facts available about vegan diets.

Together they co-wrote the best contemporary book on vegan nutrition, Vegan for Life. If you're interested in becoming and staying healthy on a plant-based diet, this is a must-read book. We also recommend their blogs, JackNorrisRD.com and TheVeganRD.com. They regularly look at the latest scientific developments in vegan nutrition, answer questions from readers, and provide good recommendations on staying healthy. We also recommend VeganHealth.org, a site Jack Norris maintains. It contains a wealth of articles on a variety of topics related to vegan health.

Because we care about animals, we also need to care for ourselves. When we are living examples of how to be a healthy vegan, our appeals to others for diet change are more effective. We will be much more effective animal advocates when we are prepared to answer basic nutrition questions. The more we know about all of the issues related animals and plant-based diets, the more effective we are as animal advocates.

It's tempting to think that living a vegan lifestyle is the ultimate moral choice we can make on behalf of animals. Once we're vegan, we're done. We've done everything that we need to do in order to be good people.

From the high (mock?) horse we're riding on, it can be easy to look down at others. They're just eating less meat, or they're only vegetarian. Clearly they're not as morally refined as us wonderful vegans.

This sort of attitude is quite problematic. If we come across as self-congratulatory and arrogant, it makes it easier for others to dismiss us. How many times have you heard someone complain that they can't stand those "obnoxious vegans"? We've heard that many times at Compassionate Action for Animals, despite our best attempts to fight that stereotype through our words and actions.

But isn't veganism the end-all be-all? Shouldn't we be praised for our excellent ethical decisions?

At Compassionate Action for Animals, we want to praise everyone who has made an effort to help animals. Every time someone chooses to eat fewer animal products, this reduces the amount of animal suffering in the world. We want to support people who care about animals, regardless of what stage they're at on their journey to a fully plant-based diet and lifestyle.

It's important to remember that our goal is to help animals, not to be vegan. If twenty people cut their animal production consumption in half, that's better for animals than one person going vegan. If one vegetarian becomes an activist who spends ten hours a week educating others about factory farming, that does far more for animals than one vegan who does no activism at all.

We also must remind ourselves that veganism is not the best possible world for animals. Plant foods that come to us from industrial farms still come with suffering. Farming equipment like tractors kills animals, especially ground-dwelling animals like mice and rabbits. Transportation of food kills animals and damages the environment.

We could reduce suffering even further if we all did things like grow our own food (without machinery), dumpster dive, and eat road kill. Maybe the dumpster diver with a back yard garden should be looking down at those of us who are vegans.

It's really not possible to live in modern society without contributing to at least some suffering. The best we can do is look for ways to reduce our contribution. We all must find a place where we are comfortable with our choices.

At Compassionate Action for Animals, we advocate for people to move towards a plant-based diet because we think that veganism greatly reduces suffering and is practical for everyone. We advocate veganism with the open recognition that there is always more that can be done to reduce suffering, and we hope that this recognition keeps us humble in our work. When we acknowledge that there is no suffering-free choice, it makes us more approachable and more effective as advocates for animals.

CAA has received a generous offer from an anonymous donor to contribute $15,000 if we can to match this amount. We are asking you, as donors and volunteers, to help us reach this goal. How can you help? 1. Donate, 2. Refer, 3. Ask, or 4. Share

1. Donate: If you are able to, please make a donation. Your donation will be matched, dollar for dollar.
2. Refer: Please provide names & contact info of your friends and family members who may be interested in donating to our cause. We promise to only contact these new people once unless they become donors. By simply referring us to new potential donors, we receive $50! If the person you refer us to donates $15 or more, we receive a $100 match! Fill out the form right now!
3. If you prefer not to provide CAA with another's contact info, we will just ask that you send an email on our behalf (we will provide the template for you). Please email unny@exploreveg.org if you are interested in participating in this way.
4. Raise awareness about animal cruelty by encouraging people to watch Mercy for Animals' powerful documentary, Farm to Fridge. This documentary shows the brutal realities of modern animal agriculture. You can get us free advertising by 'liking' the video and sharing it with your friends.

This past summer we hosted the first ever Twin Cities Veg Fest. This fantastic event attracted over 1,200 attendees from around the Twin Cities and beyond. Attendees sampled delicious vegan food, heard from inspiring speakers, and learned more about how they can help animals by moving toward a plant-based diet. We received extremely positive feedback from attendees and exhibitors. We're already starting to plan the 2013 event, and we're looking forward to making it even more effective.

This is just one of many exciting activities that your donations help make possible. Help us expand our donor base so we can do even more for animals in 2013.

Our cooking class during Veg Week 2012 was a hit! Now you can get the recipes from the cooking class and try your hand at them at home!

During Veg Week 2012, Sarah Lehner taught a vegan cooking class that featured an amazing array of recipes from various global cuisines. Sarah showed students that vegan cooking can be both fun and easy and also that it doesn't have to be expensive. All of the dishes she prepared and demonstrated for the class were packed with flavor and were perfect for the cool weather that is starting to creep up on us. If you missed the class, no worries – below are the three recipes that Sarah presented to the class so you can try your hand at making them in your own kitchen!

Recipes

• Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew
• Kamut Salad
• Balsamic Vinaigrette