The “30 plants a week” challenge

Last week we discussed the health benefits of eating plenty of fibre, and a great way to increase the amount of fibre in your diet is by joining the “30 plants a week” challenge. Recent research has shown that people who eat a greater variety of plant foods each week have a more diverse gut microbiome. This is because different plants contain different prebiotics, that end up feeding different gut bugs.

A diverse gut microbiome is associated with better overall health and more specifically:

• a lower risk of chronic diseases and obesity;

• improved digestion and energy levels;

• better immune function; and

• improved mental health.

Most of us have grown up with the nutritional guideline of eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, which is already a great way to reduce lifestyle-related health problems, but there is still a lot of room for improvement since you could be eating pretty much the same fruits and vegetables every day. The American Gut Project study has shown that participants who ate 30 or more different plants per week were more likely to have a healthy gut microbiome than those who ate only 10 plants per week.

Joining the 30 plants a week challenge could inspire you to “eat the rainbow” by including new fruits and vegetables (and wholegrains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices!) in your diet. You might even end up foregoing less nutritious choices, giving you an additional health boost!

PS: dark chocolate (more than 70% cocoa) and coffee are also rich beneficial plant compounds and count towards your 30-a-week as well!