30 Plant Foods
We hear from the lead scientist behind a study that promotes a new way of eating to rival the five-a-day approach
Where has the idea of eating 30 di erent plant foods come from?
The suggestion that eating this number of plant foods every week can lead to improved health comes from a large study I worked on back in 2019. The British and American Gut Project looked at the diets of thousands of people, assessing how dierent dietary patterns were associated with dierent health outcomes.
One of the most interesting findings was around fibre. The recommended portion of fibre for an adult is 30-35g a day, but what the study was showing us was that the amount of fibre isn’t as important as the variety. Dierent plants have dierent fibres, so eating more plants diversifies the types of fibre you eat.
The study showed us that people who ate the largest variety of plant foods were found to have the healthiest microbiomes (the microbe environment that exists naturally in our guts) and were likely to report the best health outcomes. The study suggested that 30 was the optimum number of dierent plants for fibre diversity, as there wasn’t much improvement when you increased from 30 to 35 or 40.
What counts as a ‘plant food’?
Basically, everything that comes from a plant. Fruit and vegetables all count (even potatoes – particularly if you eat the skin), but so can wholegrains, pulses, seeds, nuts, mushrooms, beans, herbs and spices. The important factor is that you’re consuming plant fibre, so juice and oil wouldn’t count, but something like matcha (which is made from whole powdered leaves) would.
It’s hard to recommend exact portion sizes, but we do know that diversity is key. And, the beauty of this way of eating is that it’s not about restricting, it’s about adding more in. For instance, for a simple tomato sauce, fry onion, garlic, carrots and celery in extra virgin olive oil, then add the tomatoes, and finish with basil and oregano – that’s seven plants there already.
Where has the idea of eating 30 di erent plant foods come from?
The suggestion that eating this number of plant foods every week can lead to improved health comes from a large study I worked on back in 2019. The British and American Gut Project looked at the diets of thousands of people, assessing how dierent dietary patterns were associated with dierent health outcomes.
One of the most interesting findings was around fibre. The recommended portion of fibre for an adult is 30-35g a day, but what the study was showing us was that the amount of fibre isn’t as important as the variety. Dierent plants have dierent fibres, so eating more plants diversifies the types of fibre you eat.
The study showed us that people who ate the largest variety of plant foods were found to have the healthiest microbiomes (the microbe environment that exists naturally in our guts) and were likely to report the best health outcomes. The study suggested that 30 was the optimum number of dierent plants for fibre diversity, as there wasn’t much improvement when you increased from 30 to 35 or 40.
What counts as a ‘plant food’?
Basically, everything that comes from a plant. Fruit and vegetables all count (even potatoes – particularly if you eat the skin), but so can wholegrains, pulses, seeds, nuts, mushrooms, beans, herbs and spices. The important factor is that you’re consuming plant fibre, so juice and oil wouldn’t count, but something like matcha (which is made from whole powdered leaves) would.
It’s hard to recommend exact portion sizes, but we do know that diversity is key. And, the beauty of this way of eating is that it’s not about restricting, it’s about adding more in. For instance, for a simple tomato sauce, fry onion, garlic, carrots and celery in extra virgin olive oil, then add the tomatoes, and finish with basil and oregano – that’s seven plants there already.
Eating a wide
variety of plant fibres
has been linked to a healthier digestive
system
5LOWER RISK OF INFLAMMATION ‘Bad’ bacteria thrives on highly processed foods and animal products, so if you’re eating a lot of these, you’re likely to have an unhealthy microbiome, but also increased intestinal permeability – sometimes called a ‘leaky gut’. If the gut lining becomes too easy to pass, microbes travel around the body and cause inflammation. For instance, microbes travelling to the skin and causing inflammation would result in acne.
How easy is it to eat 30 plant foods a week?
Once you’re in the mindset of adding as much variety as possible (and not worrying about quantity), it’s not dicult to achieve this number. Keep a simple list on your fridge or in a notebook, and always aim to add one more plant food to whatever you’re eating.
One of the simplest tricks is to buy prepared mixes, whether that’s a bag of mixed nuts to snack on, frozen mixed berries, cans of beans, or seed mixes to sprinkle over salads or cereals. This is the quickest way to add another four or five dierent plant foods to your day. I keep a spice mix by the hob to add to dishes when I’m cooking. It all counts.
Once you’re in the mindset of adding variety, it’s not difficult to achieve this number