After Netflix launched the documentary ‘Hack your health: the secret of your gut’, about gut health and the benefits of eating a variety of plants each week, many Instagram users started talking about it. So much so that I could no longer ignore it.
From feeling annoyed to feeling challenged
At first, I was annoyed that so many people around me had suddenly started talking about how healthy it is to eat 30 different plants in a week. Even more annoying was that they smilingly commented on how easy it is. I really doubted I would manage to eat that many plants in a single week. But let’s start at the beginning.
When I saw the trailer for ‘Hack your health’, it grabbed my attention because someone in it said, ‘ABC – always be counting, not calories, but plants’. But I quickly dismissed this, thinking there was no way I could chomp my way through such a wide variety of plants in one week. Then, I started seeing the ‘30 plants a week’ message everywhere on social media. Even my colleagues drafted an Instagram post on a gut health study with the same message.
I shared that post on my personal Instagram stories, adding how annoyed I was about seeing this message all over social media. My colleagues cheekily replied that this whole 30-plants-a-week thing was actually super-easy. So, obviously, I had to prove myself – not only to my co-workers, but also to myself. Just how many plants could I actually eat in a week?
What counts as a plant (and it’s good news for chocolate lovers)
First, I had to do some research on what counts as a plant and what doesn’t. Luckily, the media was all over the topic, so I found plenty of insightful articles to prepare me for the 30 Plant Challenge.
The challenge is based on a 2018 study by the British and American Gut Project, run by the University of California, San Diego in the US, and Dr Tim Spector of King’s College London in the UK. The study found that the more plants a person eats, the better their gut health. It specifically found that “participants who ate more than 30 different plant types per week had gut microbiomes that were more diverse than those who ate 10 or fewer types of plants per week”.1
Eating 30 different plants a week seemed daunting. Luckily, however, it’s not just fruits and vegetables that count; grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices are included in the list. Each new plant you eat, no matter the amount, counts as one ‘plant point’, while herbs, spices, and garlic only count for a quarter of a point. I was happy to learn that different colours of a fruit or vegetable count as a separate point. So if you eat a red apple and then a green one, this counts as two points. Additionally, canned and frozen fruits and vegetables also count.
And here’s the really good news: minimally processed foods are acceptable. Black coffee, dark chocolate (with at least 70% cocoa), and tofu count as one point each. That said, plant-based foods that are too processed don’t count as a plant point. Neither do white bread, pasta, or white rice, so opt for whole-grain foods instead. Fruit juice and potatoes are also excluded! Being a lover of good potato dishes, this was upsetting news.
First setbacks
In my first week, I decided to eat as usual to get a benchmark of my plant consumption. Halfway through the week, I realised I always eat the same plants, just in different forms. So I set out to include other plant types in my diet – and failed miserably. I’m a fan of convenience. I enjoy cooking simple dishes, such as pasta with tomato sauce or an easy vegetable curry. I also love to snack in between meals (usually chocolate) – but don’t try and force fruit on me. It might sound weird, but I find fruit inconvenient. If I could hire someone to prepare fruit salads for me, I’d be the happiest person in the world. But cutting up my own fruit … well, that’s another matter.
But since this was a challenge, I had to give fruit a try. In week two of the challenge, I explored what kinds of fruit would be easy to eat without buying produce that was out of season in my country. I quickly realised I had to find more ways to increase my plant points than just adding fruit.
What a well-planned plant-based diet looks like
The ‘plant-based food plate’ is endorsed by various nutrition societies and national governments and provides a simple guide to making healthy food choices.
Six simple ways to eat more plants per week
In that second week, I came up with a few easy ways to increase my plant points:
- Add more ingredients to your curry: I love cooking veggie curries, so I figured that bulking them up with extra bits and pieces would get me a boost in plant points. Instead of just my usual veggies, I added frozen spinach and canned chickpeas, notching up two extra points to my list. This was the easiest change I made. It didn’t increase cooking time, as I didn’t have to chop anything else, and it actually added flavour, texture, and, of course, more nutrients to my simple curry.
- Snack smarter (and healthier): While this wasn’t the easiest change for me, I dramatically increased my plant count by exchanging the chocolate and crisps I usually snack on for nut mixes that contain up to five different nuts and sometimes several dried fruits.
- Sprinkle seeds on top of your meals: This was a simple way for me to eat more plants. Seeds such as sunflower, pumpkin, and sesame taste great on salads, curries, and even porridge. They add texture and nutrients without increasing preparation time.
- Explore more beans and lentils: I realised that despite the wide variety available, I tend to eat the same types of legumes. Trying a different bean or lentil in a dish I regularly cook was an easy way to introduce a new plant to my diet. This didn’t even require changing up my usual recipes – I just exchanged kidney beans for black beans, or red lentils for beluga lentils. And sometimes, instead of just including one type of bean or lentil in a dish, I added two or three varieties to increase my plant points.
- Blend your own smoothies: Since I have a hard time eating fruit, I started drinking more of it. Throwing everything into a blender is quick and easy. I even started adding greens to my smoothies, which work surprisingly well with frozen fruits!
- Try new dishes in restaurants: I love going to restaurants, so I decided to try new plant-rich dishes instead of my usual favourites. This, of course, was a little risky, but it pushed me out of my comfort zone, and now I have a whole slew of new favourites!
Plant-based recipes for everyone!
Find declicious recipes that are versatile and can be enjoyed all year round. Whatever the season, these delicious and nutritious meals will delight your taste buds.
When I started implementing these changes, I managed to eat 30 different plants a week. While it was challenging, I found ways to make it easier, and I actually enjoyed trying new things.
Eileen Valy
International Senior Digital Communications Manager
References
- ScienceDaily. (15 May 2018). Big data from world’s largest citizen science microbiome project serves food for thought. Available at: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180515092931.htm.
