When this CT doctor felt run-down, she switched to a plant-based diet. Now her book helps others do the same. – Darien Times

DARIEN The first book from physician-turned-author Katie Takayasu on the benefits of a plant-forward lifestyle will be released next month.

Takayasu, who goes by Dr. Katie in both her personal and professional life, is a Stamford Health integrative medicine physician and Darien resident. Her new book, Plants First: A Physicians Guide to Wellness Through a Plant-Forward Diet, explores the benefits of plant-based nutrition, especially in preventing disease and managing chronic illnesses.

The new book draws on Takayasus medical training and her own lived experience from the past decade, she said. It also provides recipes and tips for introducing more plant-based food in simple and practical ways.

The book will be available for sale on Nov. 9. Barrett Bookstore in Darien will host a book launch event that day.

What exactly does plant-forward mean?

Plant-forward doesnt mean plant-only. Its not vegan. Its just trying to prioritize plants and stay mindful of some key things, like protein and vitamin D intake and that is universal for everybody.

What led you to write this book?

I grew up in the farmlands of Ohio, eating a prototypical American diet that seemed healthy. My mom knew that we should eat vegetables, and she definitely put them on our our plate. Now, I realize it was a lot of processed food. As a child and young adult, I was actually quite overweight, which was really a source of difficulty for me it was always this feeling of not being so sure in my own body.

But I knew I wanted to be a doctor. In residency, which I did at Columbia University, I really lost track of myself. I was getting hospital food all the time, I was never working out and, of course, residents never sleep.

My doctor recommended I see an acupuncturist. I did, and it was on the acupuncture table that I was like, Oh my God, this is amazing. At the same time, I was being attentive to sleeping as much as I could and I stopped eating hospital food. On the days that I wasnt on the longer call, I would try to get to the gym or at least take a little walk around the park or something. All at once, I noticed, OK, I feel better.

So for the past 10 years until now, Ive just kept leveling up. Four years ago, I went to a conference where they only fed us raw vegan food. I noticed that when I leveled up with the vegetables and the plants, every other thing that hadnt quite been solved by my previous healthy diet was all at once better. Less constipation, sleeping and feeling lighter just energy stuff.

It became really apparent to me that I needed to do more plant-forward foods for my own diet and with my family. Now, my two boys and my husband love meat. So in a quest to find balance for our own family, I started cooking more and getting more inventive with plants. I started a blog on my website and an Instagram account. Then, I was approached to write this book about what it takes, from a science perspective, to put plants-first on our plates. Its also about the practical how do you actually do that, with boys who love meat? With a busy life and a full-time job?

But I still have a desire to be creative and inventive and make things that are tasty and satisfying. So thats how this project came to fruition.

What is the medical benefit to this type of diet?

My book dives into the root cause of inflammation. We look at the base causes of cancer, heart disease and stroke, metabolic syndromes, diabetes, blood pressure problems, obesity ... if we look at the root cause of lots of issues out there, it really is just inflammation.

So can we use plants to decrease inflammation? I give you the case for why plants are a better way to do that.

Then I go into the practical side. OK, now that you know the science how does one actually do that? I take you into my life kitchen and I tell you how I actually build this into my life.

What does a life kitchen mean?

I call it my life kitchen because the whole idea is that its got to be practical. Its got to be sustainable. Its got to be stuff thats not too difficult.

When we make these shortcuts for ourselves, they feel a little hard at first. But you make these tiny substitutions and then all at once youre like, Well, this is really tasty. This is really good. And actually I feel really good when I eat this.

Its not that someone needs to do this tomorrow. Its over the course of time, and its my experience in my own life and in my patients that it is the aggregate of those tiny little changes that you make over the course of months and years that amount to exponential gain.

How do you recommend approaching this lifestyle, as a beginner?

Take a look at the actual real estate of your plate and do some very easy math. Divide the plate about in half, and over the course of time, try to make half your plate vegetables anyway you want to eat them. They could be in a curry. They could be roasted, they could be in a salad.

The other half of the plate, divide into thirds and make it high-quality protein, good fats in your diet and then whole grains or starchy vegetables. But start with half your plate being vegetables. Its hard to go wrong if you start with half your plate being vegetables.

Its amazing my patients come in all the time and theyre like, Dr. Katie, I started eating more vegetables and I feel better. Its a simple solution that really means something.

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When this CT doctor felt run-down, she switched to a plant-based diet. Now her book helps others do the same. - Darien Times