How To Eat 30+ Plants A Week

Turns out that eating as many plants as possible is really important.

All the berries (plus cherries!)

*Adapted from my upcoming ebook: How to Feel Good

In 2018, scientists published results from The American Gut Project, a study that analyzed the results of more than 10,000 people's diets and, yes, their poop. What they found is that those who eat 30 or more unique plants a week are more likely to have beneficial gut bugs than those who eat only 10 plants a week. And if you have more beneficial gut bugs, then you have a healthier and more resilient gut. Having a more diverse gut microbiome could also help you live longer.

So, what plants should you be eating? As many different sources as possible, try to eat at least 30 different whole foods plants a week. So plant extracts like oil, sugar, etc, don’t count. You need a diversity of whole plants. Legumes, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Keeping track of this number and aiming to get over 30 will pay dividends for your health. Not only will you be getting a diversity of fiber and therefore improving the microbial diversity of your gut, but you’ll be getting a diversity of polyphenols, plant-based compounds that protect against inflammation and oxidative stress.

Sounds good right? But maybe 30 sounds like a lot. You’re not wrong, it might take a little extra effort but it’s well worth it and not nearly as difficult as it sounds.

Here’s a few tips that have helped me get more diversity in my diet:

1. Use spice bends, like chili powder and curry. This makes it easy to throw a bunch of different spices onto your meals.

2. Frozen mixed berries. This works the same way. Frozen berries have been flash frozen at the time of peak nutrition and in some cases are even more potent in micronutrients than fresh berries. 

3. Mixed greens. Try to get mixed greens that have as many different plants as possible. If you look around you’ll find that some mixed greens have over a dozen different plants.

4. Omega 3 Seeds. Combine ground flax, chia, and hemp into its own little container. All three of these seeds have a very healthy dose of fiber. Keep that container obvious and available and throw a teaspoon or tablespoon onto your meals. They go well on salads, smoothies, desserts, oatmeal, granola, and yogurt.

5. Use the Daily Diversity tracker to give you a good idea of what you are eating and what you aren’t eating. I like to check it throughout the day, so at about midday I’ll notice that I’ve checked off every box except for whole grains, mushrooms, and other fruits. Then I’ll be able to make the choice to have a stir fry for dinner with brown rice, shiitake, and I’ll preload with an apple beforehand. Boom, I’ve hit every box. It’s not about being perfect but serves as a good guideline for how to plan your day and how to plan your meals.

   
   

   

   Screenshot of the Daily Diversity tracker

   
   

On my Daily Diversity tracker you’ll notice I have different food groups. Ideally, you will be eating at least one serving of each group. I purposefully left off a box for each serving because I want you to aim for diversity and I think it creates a lot of friction to eat “3 servings of whole grains, 3 servings of legumes, 3 servings of fruit, 2 servings of berries, 1 serving of nuts” rather than just one of each. That’s a lot of stuff and it leaves a lot of boxes unchecked by most people. That tends to create an environment of self judgement and criticism. 

Other trackers like Simon Hill’s Plant Proof Tracker PDF and Michael Greger’s Daily Dozen are amazing and wonderful, but they do include a box for each serving, and after talking with clients about this for years I’ve noticed a trend that most people struggle to hit every box. Both Simon and Dr. Greger both specifically say something along the lines of “it’s not about perfection, just do your best” and I totally agree. My Daily Diversity tracker is meant to be used similarly. But the ghosts of the unchecked boxes don't feel good, and I don’t know if you remember the title of this book, but I think it has something to do with feeling good.

So just try to eat one of each every day (and track them!):

• Beans (black beans, lentils, tofu)

• Greens (mustard greens, kale, lettuce, salad greens)

• Berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries)

• Other Fruits (apples, bananas, oranges, kiwis)

• Cruciferous Vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, cabbage)

• Other Vegetables (onions, garlic, carrot, peppers, eggplant)

• Mushrooms (portobello, shiitake, oyster, nutritional yeast)

• Fermented Foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, tempeh, coconut kefir)

• Omega 3 Seeds (flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seed)

• Nuts & Other Seeds (walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds)

• Whole Grains (oats, buckwheat, brown rice, quinoa)

• Herbs & Spices (cinnamon, garlic, thyme, sage, turmeric, ginger)

  
  
  
  
  
  

  1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3577372/

  2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5954204/