Thirty Plants a Week for Better Health

By Annelies Newman, RDN, CD

In recent years, microbiota has become a key word in measuring health. It refers to the majority of bacteria residing in your gut, colon, or large intestine. Specialists call this the core of your health. If you have an unhealthy balance of bacteria in your gut, the likelihood of having poor health increases drastically. Among elderly individuals, there are clear correlations not only between diet and composition of microbes but also health status.

There are 300–500 various strains of bacteria that reside in a healthy gut and trillions of individual bacterial cells. The best way to fuel these cells is to feed them a variety of plants to help them grow. Research shows that individuals who eat more than thirty different types of plants every week have the healthiest and most diverse microbiome.

To help support the goal of eating more than thirty plants a week, I recommend starting with your environment. Consider what types and varieties of plants are in your kitchen, fridge, office, lunch box, or pantry. If you can increase the plants in your environment, you are more likely to eat them.

Next, consider purchasing plants to fill in any gaps you see in your environment. Consider these food groups as a guide: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and whole grains. Focusing on eating the whole food item and not a processed version is key to fueling those microbes because processing often removes the fibrous parts of these plants that travel to the large intestine as fuel for microbes.

Here are some examples:

Vegetables:

Try eating a salad with a mixture of greens like spinach, red leaf lettuce, kale, and cabbage. Top it with carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, olives, and radishes. You could also have sweet potato fries, steamed broccoli, or spaghetti squash with dinner. Twelve plants have now been added to the list.

Fruits:

Select two fruits you don’t eat very often, and add them to your shopping list. Remember, you are going for diversity here. Add some fruits that are easy to pack for lunch, like sliced apples, grapes, and mandarin oranges. You just added five more plants to your list.

Nuts and Seeds:

Snack on almonds, pecans, pistachios, and walnuts between meals. Add chia seeds or sunflower seeds to your morning oatmeal or side salad later in the day. There are six more. Let’s keep going.

Whole Grains:

Eating oatmeal for breakfast with your seeds has already been mentioned. You could also try a brown rice base for a stir-fry meal. Whole wheat pasta, bread, and tortilla all count as one type of plant. Perhaps you could try steamed quinoa as a side dish or mixed into a meal you already enjoy for a total of four grains.

Beans and Lentils:

Start with black beans and kidney beans, both commonly used on salads. They are also good in chili. Garbanzo beans can be made into hummus and eaten with sliced veggies or used as a sandwich spread in place of mayo. Red lentil pasta is readily available; serve it simply with some olive oil and herbed seasoning. You just brought your plant total to thirty-one.

As you begin your journey of adding more plants, don’t forget to change things up. Try a new variety of apple or a less frequently eaten vegetable. Be sure to drink plenty of water as you increase the amounts and portion sizes of these plants. Listen to your body, and feel the difference these habits can make to your sense of well-being.

For a list of plants to track your progress in a given week, check out my blog: www.anneliesnewmanrdn.com

Sources: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4991899/ https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSystems.00031-18

About the Author

Annelies Newman, RDN, CD, received her bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University with a major in nutrition and dietetics and a minor in music. She is a speaker and presenter on nutrition related topics. Currently, she owns a private practice guiding individuals to make changes for better health and wellness. On the side, she enjoys adventuring with her husband and three little boys outdoors. She believes that real food is good for the body and should be enjoyed!