You may wonder how we got from the standard 5 a day to a substantial 30 plant foods a week. While 5 a day is still a solid guideline, aiming for 30 plant foods a week draws on the importance of variety.
Obtaining a mixture of plant foods in our diet benefits the community of good bacteria in our gut (the gut microbiome). These bacteria aid digestion, boost immunity, and defend us against disease. A more diverse gut microbiome directly benefits our overall health.
After analyzing thousands of participants, the American Gut Project found that those who eat 30 plant foods a week have a more diverse gut microbiome when compared to those who consume 10.
So, what exactly are plant foods? How can we incorporate 30 of them into our weekly diet?
It may seem like a lot, especially for creatures of habit stuck in food routines. But you might already be closer than you think—and with a few tweaks, your gut will thank you.
Key Takeaways
So How Does it Work?
When referencing plant foods, this extends much further than fruits and vegetables. The list includes wholegrains (like quinoa and oats), legumes (like chickpeas and lentils), nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.
The 30 plant foods idea is to encourage variety. Although the same plant food can't count for more than one point a week, it doesn't mean this has to be an expensive task. Think canned beans and lentils and frozen fruit and veg.
Also, there is no rule on quantity. Plant points can range from a whole carrot to a handful of sunflower seeds. There is no need to get out the scales and weigh anything!
Even coffee and dark chocolate (70% or above) count.
Does it feel slightly less daunting now?
This is Not a Complete Diet Shift
Are your current plant points as low as you first thought? With so many great foods on the list, you may only be a few tweaks away from reaching 30.
One way to get extra points is to add different toppings to meals you frequently have already. Instead of having porridge with banana and peanut butter, could you switch it up and have berries and chia seeds one morning and dried cranberries and nuts another? Having the same meal but switching the toppings can be an easy trick to increase points with minimal effort.
Stir-fries are also easy to diversify. There are a lot of vegetables that work well in a stir-fry. From cabbage, bean sprouts, carrot, scallions, bell peppers, snow peas, Pak choy and so many more. You could experiment with different vegetables every time you cook this kind of dish.
Another easy thing to do would be to re-think your snacks. Some good ones include a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts, or even some dark chocolate.
The More Colors the Better
All plants contain polyphenols, which nourish the microbes in our gut. These compounds vary across plant food, including different colors of the same vegetable.
If you usually buy regular potatoes, try a sweet or purple variety. Different colors count as new points!
If you plan to have potatoes across a couple of dinners, you can alternate between white and sweet ones. Another easy one is buying a variety of pepper colors instead of sticking to red ones. And if you only eat green kiwis, try golden ones.
When you eat the rainbow, you feed a wider variety of microbes in your gut.
Meals With a High Plant Point Total
There are a lot of meals that can give your plant points a real boost. A couple of easy ones I gravitate towards are:
A salad is much more than leaves; they have the potential to be a plant point powerhouse. One salad I love is raw red cabbage massaged with oil, salt, and lemon juice until soft and then combined with parsley and mint, red onion, cooked quinoa, roasted pumpkin or squash, a tahini dressing, and fried tofu. This salad alone has 10 plant points!
Another good option is to utilize a bowl of yogurt. I enjoy combining it with chia seeds, homemade granola (made with oats and seeds), frozen berries (raspberries and strawberries), natural peanut butter, and dried cranberries. This bowl contains 7 plant points, and the toppings are interchangeable.
You can easily hide many plant points in some meals. Stir fries are great, pasta sauces with blended vegetables and soups.
Mix Up Your Protein Sources
Luckily for plant-based eaters, many vegan protein sources can also be counted as points.
The popular vegan protein sources, tofu, and tempeh are made from soybeans, which makes them an easy point to collect.
Moreover, don’t forget about beans! Not only are they delicious and cheap, but there is also a wide variety. Consider having black beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, butter beans, cannellini beans, and more! Check out my favorite black bean brownie recipe.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although gut health is unique to every person, adding more plant foods to our diet can benefit us all. If 30 seems unrealistic, slowly build up to it. This is not something you have to strictly follow, more of a guideline to encourage more variety across your weekly meals.
The most important thing is that you never stop exploring different plant foods. You can do this by mixing up some of your favorite dishes, experimenting with protein sources, and adding a pop of color to each meal.
