M. Butterflies Katz, 54, ate her last animal product more than 30 years ago, much to the dismay of her parents, Arlen and Lucy Katz, whom she visits every summer in Coconut Creek from her home in New Zealand.

“Everybody, from my parents to doctors, said, ‘You’re going to die. Where are you going to get your protein?’” Katz recalls. “I took my chances. I’m living proof that we don’t have to eat that way.”

Katz lives in a vegan community called Gentle World and once was chef at Gentle World’s vegan restaurant in Hawaii, where she coauthored a vegan cookbook, Incredibly Delicious: Recipes for a New Paradigm.

She will present a free introduction to veganism from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Northwest Regional Library, 3151 N. University Dr. in Coral Springs.

Along with a short film and “some talking and questions and answers,” a complimentary vegan lunch will be served. “The food will do a lot of the talking,” she says.

To reserve a spot at Katz’s “It’s Easy To Be Vegan” program, email veganpoet@hotmail.com.

— Sun Sentinel