She has also had 16 wellness books published by major publishers including the bestselling Easy GI Diet, The Macro Method, Quit Alcohol (For a Month) and Eat 5. Her books have sold over one million copies.
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Eating 30 different plant foods a week is one key to a healthy gut microbiome—here’s why and how to take up the Plant Powered Challenge at home.
Our digestive system is home to trillions of bacteria, collectively known as the gut microbiome. These microorganisms play a crucial role in digestion, immune function, and even mood regulation.
These bacteria thrive on the fibre and other ingredients contained within plant foods and, the more different types of plants you eat, the more different compounds you expose the bacteria too – and this helps a variety of bacteria thrive.
When researchers from the American Gut Project examined people’s diets and compared their food intake to the health and diversity of their microbiome, they found that those who ate at least 30 different plant foods a week also had the best diversity of gut bugs.
The Challenge: Eat 30 Different Plant Foods a Week
Now, depending on your diet, you might think that sounds pretty easy—there are seven days a week, which means you’ve only got to eat 4-5 plant foods a day, and you’re done—but the key point is that it’s different plant foods.
Eating 30 servings of plant foods a week is easy, but ensuring they are all different is slightly more challenging. It requires a little more planning throughout the week. Most of us tend to fall into food ruts, where we accompany all of our meals with rice or potatoes or eat the same 5-6 vegetables. This decreases the diversity in our diet that our gut bacteria and, frankly, the rest of our bodies need.
The first step in completing the challenge is, therefore, to know what counts as plant food, and the good news is that it’s more than you think.
Fruits and vegetables obviously do. But what else? Well, plant foods include anything that grows—this means whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices all count. The infographics dotted around this post contain 125 different plant foods you can pick from – and there are even more than these out there.
Plus, plant foods also includes any products that are made from those items – so, wine, hummus, bread (ideally wholegrain), salsa, coffee and even chocolate all count as one of your plant foods, so long as you mix up the source – so you can’t count salsa and tomatoes, or hummus and chickpeas as two items. They’re just one.
How to Complete the 30 Plants Challenge
Simple—start eating! For the first week, note down how many different plant-based foods you consume in seven days.
This gives you an idea of how much of your diet you’re going to have to change to meet the goal—for some people, it might just be adding some more plant-based snacks or extra herbs and spices, while others might have to do a mini-makeover and expand their shopping lists and palates.
After week one, start thinking about how to increase the variety of plant foods in your diet. Below is a list of ideas for ways you can do this, so make a plan for those you think you’d like to try and what you need to have ready to do that.
After all, there’s no point deciding you want to focus on adding more spices to your meals if the only thing in your cupboard is a slightly brown shaker of oregano!
We’ve also created a printable booklet to help you track your food intake each week. It has food lists, checklists that allow you to tick off your portions each week, a shopping list and fillable meal planners get you started. Sign up here to get it delivered directly to your inbox.
10 Tips to Increase Your Plant Food Intake
1. Color Your Plate
Aim for a rainbow of colors in your meals. Different colors often mean different nutrients, so go for red peppers, orange carrots, purple cabbage, and green kale.
2. Try New Grains
Alternate your usual rice or pasta for whole grains like quinoa, farro, or bulgur. They add different textures and flavors to your dishes.
3. Spice It Up
Don’t forget herbs and spices! Basil, cilantro, turmeric, and cinnamon not only add flavor but also pack a punch of health benefits.
4. Snack on Nuts and Seeds
Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are great for snacking and can be easily added to salads, smoothies, or oatmeal.
5. Legume Love
Incorporate beans, lentils, and peas into your meals. They are a fantastic source of plant-based protein and fiber.
To increase diversity in your diet, swap carbs like rice or pasta for lentils or mashed beans for one or two meals a week – or go halfsies, adding beans or lentils to a smaller portion of rice and pasta. That will also make the carbs release their energy more slowly and keep you fuller.
We’ve got 20 lentil salad ideas here to get you started on this one.
6. Explore International Cuisines
Trying dishes from different cultures can introduce you to new plant foods and unique flavor combinations. Think about yams, plantains, collard greens, bamboo shoots, beansprouts, water chestnuts, green papaya, thai eggplants, capers, okra, teff, jicama, nopales. If you live in a large town you’ll probably find supermarkets selling these foods, or you can order online.
RELATED READ: 22 Vegetables You Probably Haven’t Tried Before
7. Blend Up Smoothies
Smoothies are an easy way to pack multiple plant foods into one meal. Add leafy greens, fruits, seeds, and even some nut butter for a nutrient boost and extra plant points.
We’ve got some ideas in our guide to 10 gut-friendly smoothies.
8. Get Creative With Salads
If your normal salad consists of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber, get adventurous. Add a starchy root vegetable like pumpkin or beetroot, add some fresh herbs – coriander in a salad gives it some zing, add some seeds for crunch, or some beans for extra protein. You can even try adding some fruit.
Check out our guide to making more interesting salads for lots of ideas on how to max out your plant points with healthy salad lunches you won’t get bored of.
9. Get Some Recipes
Because they tend to be more experimental with seasonings or ingredients, cooking from recipes can be a simple way to increase your plant points.
This Deliciously Ella Thai Green Curry, for example, provides 15 servings of plant foods in just one meal, while this Spiced Red Lentil Soup provides at least six—more if you accompany it with a mixed salad.
10. Don’t Just Think Fresh
While this might all sound a little budget-busting, that doesn’t have to be the case. Frozen vegetables count just as much as fresh ones, so you can just throw in a handful of something from the freezer. Also consider canned beans, pulses or even vegetables as these will last longer (just watch the salt levels).
Or, buy vegetables loose so you can just buy one or two of each type.
Soups are a great way to pack a lot of different vegetables into a meal and can also help use up vegetables that might be a little past their prime.
Taking the 30-Plant Challenge is a fantastic way to explore new foods and flavors while greatly boosting your gut health. Plus, it’s a fun, creative way to make your diet more exciting and nutritious. So, how many of the 125 foods in the lists above will you add to your diet this week?
