Diet

Slim pickings?

by Jessica Rosin

Vegans looking for variations in their dairy- and meat-free diets can learn about seven different approaches to veganism in a lecture this Sunday.

Yes, that's seven different ways to adhere to a diet that forgoes two of the major food groups.

Foodies will discuss macrobiotics, a diet based on whole grains and beans in which followers adjust their eating habits to seasonal changes. And then there's the Ayurveda diet, an eating scheme based on a person's body type.

Although such distinctions may seem like much ado about, well, slim pickings, nutritionist Lisa Green insists that veganism is a sophisticated version of "You are what you eat."

"If you are tired, sluggish, or mentally foggy, it could be related to an imbalance in your diet," she says. "You have to listen to the signals from your body to find out what is right for you."

And, nutrition aside, what's best for your body may also be best for the environment, Green says -- by giving up meat and dairy, vegans are less of a burden on natural resources than their meat-eating and milk-drinking counterparts. Well, naturally.

The lecture takes place at 5 p.m. at the Spontaneous Celebrations Cultural Center in Jamaica Plain. Call (617) 824-4225 by Friday to reserve a ticket. Admission $5; $10 includes a 7 p.m. vegan dinner.