Ian K. Smith - Plant Power: Flip Your Plate, Change Your Weight

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To Trist. Absolutely always. Theres no doubt that you showed me the way! XOXO

I was at a charity golf tournament many years ago and met this guy who was extremely affable, chatty, and a good sport. We had a nice conversation as is typical at these celebrity affairs, and he gave me his card and told me if I ever needed anything to look him up. I looked down and saw that he was the COO of St. Martins Press. I found this ironic as at the time I was being published at another major house.

A couple of years later, I had a book rejected by the house that had published the first of a two-book deal. I had nowhere to go, but I did have an idea for a diet book that came from my work on the TV show Celebrity Fit Club. Unfortunately, that too was politely turned down by a couple of major houses, and with no options left, I was in a bit of a quandary. I had spent all my advance money and royalties from previous books and my other income at the time was meager at best. My brother tried to convince me to self-publish the diet book that had been rejected. I hemmed and hawed as I thought it beneath me to self-publish versus being published by a major house. My brotherwho can be very motivating and convincingeventually won me over to his point of view and I published that book. It was called The Fat Smash Diet. I sold so many books off my website that it crashed within an hour of my appearance on The View. I simply could not handle the pace and volume of orders for this little book that had been rejected and constructed in my brothers small apparel design showroom in downtown New York City. Calling the books production and finished product rough is being kind.

I then remembered that nice, affable guy I had met at the golf tournament. I found his card, called him, and told him I needed help. I needed a major publisher to take over the book and publish it the way big publishers do. He agreed, of course, to have me meet one of his high-octane editors and see if she was interested in buying the book and republishing it. I had only been selling the little book for a month. The editor met with me in the guys office and, once hearing my sales numbers, agreed on the spot that she wanted it. St. Martins took the book and gave it some sheen and put it out on the market, and it instantly went to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list where it stayed for months.

That book changed my life, literally and figuratively. That kind, funny, chatty guy was absolutely instrumental in making that happen. He was an angel in a dark sky. I am forever indebted to him. He has since semiretired, but his impact on my life and career are still as poignant today as they were when I sat in his office looking for a lifeline. His name is Steve Cohen. I love him like a brother, even though hes a terrible golfer and I always take his money on the course. (Well, most of the time!)

This might be the most personal health book Ive ever written. I have been a happy omnivore my entire life, enjoying my cabbage and sweet potatoes as much as I have my steak and juicy burgers. I love the taste and texture of meat, and the thought of never being able to eat my honey-glazed salmon or barbecued short ribs causes me to quiver. As Ive gotten older, however, I have noticed that my body responds differently to a heavily animal-based meal. It seems to stick around in my digestive tract longer, and I feel more sluggish than I remember feeling when I was younger.

People close to me have been vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, and almost any -tarian you can imagine, but I have happily and confidently continued on my path of eating whatever I want from both the plant and animal world, all in moderation. I was never one to have a steak for breakfast or a burger stacked so high Id have to almost break my jaw hinge to open my mouth wide enough to eat it. I ate meat when I wanted, but I didnt crave it or feel unsatisfied if it wasnt on the dinner menu. Given that Ive been a fitness enthusiast my entire life and continue to press a lot of iron in the gym, I also believed for a long time that I needed the meat protein to build and maintain bigger and stronger muscles. Then something happened. A news alert came across my phone, bringing my attention to an article about bodybuilders and endurance athletes who had given up red meat and had become plant-based eaters and saw no diminution in their muscle size or strength. In fact, they talked about their increased energy levels and feelings of wellness with their new style of eating.

I did what I always do when intriguedI studied and learned and dug into the facts as well as experiential reporting of others. I realized that this plant-based eating was something I wanted to try. No more bacon every morning or steaks twice a week. I would slowly reduce my consumption of red meat, increase my intake of fruits and vegetables, and eat more lean chicken and fish when I had the urge. I must be honest and tell you that it was an adjustment at first. I found myself having to avoid the butcher section of the grocery store, which was always my second stop after the produce section. I started ordering my pancakes without bacon and opting for a chicken sandwich instead of the burger that seemed to be calling my name. I didnt tell anyone what I was doing; I just changed my eating habits quietly without fanfare, keeping a checklist in my mind of how many times I sat down to a meal that didnt have any red meat or poultry and feeling proud of myself when I could go an entire week without a steak or a burger.

The results were immediate. I felt lighter, more energetic, and more present. My weight lifting didnt suffer with this new dietary change, and I started trying new recipes and meal combinations that never caught my attention in the past, but I quickly learned what I had been missing all these years. Im not a vegan or vegetarian, but Im not the big meat eater that I used to be either. Ive found that eating more plant-based not only made me feel better but saved me a lot of money and gave me greater flexibility when eating out at different restaurants around the world. Theres always something I can find on the menu since meat is no longer a requirement. You too can make this easy transition to plant-based eating and not only experience the truly transformative powers of plants but pitch in and help save the planet while doing so. Plant Power gives your life the proverbial efficiency of two birds with one stonewell, maybe two heads of cabbage instead!

Ian K. Smith, M.D.

April 2022

Let me start by saying that this is not a book thats trying to convince you to become a vegan or a vegetarian. I am neither, but I have absolutely no problem with people who decide that is how they want to eat and live. I like and eat all types of food, and I dont feel guilty for doing so. However, what Ive learned over the years is that what I consume and the rates at which I consume certain foods, ingredients, and beverages is something that I should reconsider and be willing to reevaluate, as I believe our diets and how we treat our bodies should be in perpetual evolution. I have always understood and respected the power of plants, but I have been lagging in implementing more of their potential into my daily nutrition regimenuntil now.