POV: Should We Be Eating ‘30 or More Different Plants A Week’?
So you’ll have heard (or most likely), that we should aim to eat ‘30 or more different plants a week’ for optimal microbiome and long-term health. This is based on a 2018 study conducted by the American Gut Project, and has since been popularised by Professor Tim Spector in recent podcasts and via various other media channels. The study involved over 10,000 participants and found those who ate 30 or more different types of plants* a week, had on average a greater diversity of gut microbes than those who ate less than 10 different plants a week. *Plants are categorised as beans, pulses, legumes, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts, herbs and spices; plus it also includes coffee, tea and dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids).
This study has been around and promoted for a while now - its key message is the ‘30 a week goal’ - but on reading an article on this in a monthly supermarket magazine, titled ‘How To Eat 30 Plants A Week (and Why You Should)’ I wanted to share my reflections on this topic and its limitations.
Firstly to say, the trend around ‘Gut Health’ is great because it is making everyone more aware of what they can do to support digestive health and why it’s paramount to overall wellbeing.
Secondly, I want to state the merits of eating more plants - if they are in their natural form, plants offer a myriad of nutritional properties i.e. vitamins, minerals, polyphenols and fibre. In addition, plants, if bought seasonally, grown locally and are organic, will give us a higher level of nutrients, which manufactured / ultra processed foods won’t. Ultimately, plants are powerhouse foods when naturally grown, prepared appropriately and eaten in their whole form, and will provide a host of health benefits, beyond just the gut microbiome. Diversity is also key to get a wide range of different nutrients.
However, with this recent science-backed trend and related articles, telling us we ‘should’ eat 30 different plants a week for microbiome health and longevity, there is a tendency to over simplify nutrition and miss key health principles, which in my opinion can mislead those ready to embrace this approach to eating.
With the ‘Eat 30+ Different Plants a Week’ message, discernment is key, and in my opinion we also need to consider:
The quality of the plants, especially if we’re eating higher amounts - if they are not organic i.e. GMO or sprayed heavily (with pesticides, fungicides and herbicides), we could be actually over-burdening the body with toxic chemicals and contaminated, nutrient-depleted produce. We need to question - where are these plants grown, what is the soil quality etc? This is such a key point, and one that I think is not spoken about enough, or acknowledged with this food trend. Context is always key, and for me, it gets missed in many popular discussions in the nutrition space, especially when everyone jumps on the bandwagon with these trending science-backed studies.
It’s a generic food-led approach, which neglects bio-individual requirements of the human body and the unique properties of plants and how they could impact health beyond the gut microbiome. For example, there are certain plants that could further exacerbate health imbalances in an individual (i.e. raw kale with thyroid issues). In this instance I would therefore suggest clients need to prepare particular foods before eating, or reduce / minimise it, and instead replace with other types of plants in order to replenish specific nutrients, which they may be deficient in, and could consequently be leading to the presentation of their symptoms.
Is it just another push for people to buy and spend more than we need? If so, this is not only expensive but could lead to greater food waste. For example the magazine article referred to above was showing how you can eat your 30 plants a week, what to buy, pre-packaged meals - helpful in some ways, but could this lead to more food waste if people feel they ‘must’ buy numerous plant products? Especially as a lot of plants (i.e. fresh fruit and vegetables) are highly perishable and could go to waste if not eaten in time.
Due to the ‘you should’ messaging around this - is it still just another push from corporations for us to eat more? These trends which, rightly so, are less about restricted eating, need to be discerned so that we’re not over consuming more of anything than we actually need. Remember, big corporations need to make a profit, so if the new trend is to eat more natural (far less profitable) foods over ultra processed / branded foods - are we still being pushed to spend as much as we can, so the supermarkets are still making their profits?
Following on from the above point - this ‘should’ style messaging is being used in corporate marketing, which not only adds pressure to eat certain types of foods and leads to a feeling you ‘have to’ do something (the opposite of intuitive eating), but can make you eat more of certain foods than you would otherwise or more than your body needs. We often need far less food than we think (or have been conditioned to), especially if it is nutrient-dense.
This plant-focused messaging neglects any mention of quality meat, fish, dairy and eggs, which unless you’re vegetarian or vegan (for personal / ethical reasons), can have equal merit to supporting our health and creating a more nutrient diverse and dynamic plate, which is going to deliver a greater nutritional profile.
I think it’s also important to acknowledge that Professor Tim Spector (a Nutrition Scientist, not a Practitioner) and co-founder of ZOE has also launched a supplement off the back of this study - ZOE’s Daily30+ Supplement - so there are commercial interests at play here, especially around the number ‘30’ being key to its messaging. It’s what makes this supplement stand out from other supplements and makes it far more newsworthy - with all the hype behind it too. It also means the ‘30 plants’ messaging needs to keep being reinforced in order for this supplement to stay relevant, popular and commercially viable.
Finally, it highlights how far removed we are from traditional and ancestral eating habits. Can you imagine our grandparents’ generation counting the number of plants they were eating per week? I think not - it was based on what was in season, what they had grown, prepared and stored, or bought at a local farmers’ market. Sometimes, especially in winter, this would have been a very limited selection of produce, stored from the Summer / Autumn harvest - and there was far less metabolic and chronic diseases back then. Their lifestyles were far closer to nature to support all areas of their health, even when food variety was limited. So we need to consider many other aspects of health, over and above just aiming to eat numerous different plants a week for optimising microbiome diversity and long-term health. Greater gut microbial diversity can also be supported by being out in nature, being in different environments, around other people and having pets.
Obviously the above points, are just general reflections and thoughts around the core messaging of this science-backed trend, reported in mainstream media and by popular nutritionists. I think it’s always important to bring a sense of critical thinking to any messages being parroted by multiple professionals or ‘experts’ in the same industry. There is so much nuance in the nutrition space and everyone is bio-individual - it’s why I don’t just throw these trends into nutritional protocols with clients and instead always maintain a Naturopathic and client-centric approach. For example it will depend on a client’s digestive capability, nutritional requirements, liver function, hormone imbalances, signs and symptoms, current eating habits, approach to food etc.
We also need to make sure any messaging such as this does not remove our agency to eating and tuning into what our body is calling for as well. This is where understanding ourselves better through practices such as meditation and yoga can support our intuition and sense of autonomy when it comes to food choices (and it goes without saying, any choices generally). This also supports the gut-brain axis, which has a significant impact on our mind, digestive function and nervous system. Just focusing on increasing plant diversity won’t address symptoms if gut function is compromised already due to stress, leading to the reduced absorption of nutrients and ability to assimilate them for use in the body.
And finally, we need to consider food preparation methods for certain plants to enhance the bio-availability of nutrients and also food combining to amplify the nutritional profile of our food. Both topics, deserving of separate blogs in their own right, I believe are far more effective than just focusing on the number of plants eaten per week.
Based on the above, my key takeaways for anyone reading this are:
If you’re going to eat 30 different plants a week (or in fact any plants!) use this trend as guidance only and make sure the plants are as organic and local as possible. A few recommended ways to do this are - Riverford and Abel & Cole, or even better, find a local farm shop near you.
Only buy what you’re going to eat - don’t feel pressured to fill your trolley / basket with 30 different plants for the sake of it.
Better to buy quality over quantity in my opinion - get less plants, and choose organic and local rather than 30 different conventionally grown produce.
Remember plants also include herbs & spices; nut & seeds; beans, pulses & legumes. You can build up a go-to kitchen cupboard of quality plant essentials to ensure diversity of these on your plate:
For quick meal options, buy beans and lentils in tins - organic if possible. I particularly love this brand as their tins are free from BPA, BPS and BPF.
Invest in some good quality herbs and spices, which you can have to hand to add to any meal. I love this brand.
Grow your own kitchen herbs, that way you’ll have access to these anytime you’re cooking at home and they really enhance the flavour of any dish.
Remember supporting a diverse gut microbiome goes far beyond just the food we eat:
Get out into nature, go for long walks, spend time with your pets, enjoy seeing lots of different family / friends to support your microbiome and longevity.
Stay clear of chemical anti-bacterial products i.e. soaps, hand-gels, cleaning products - as these have a significant impact on reducing microbiome diversity.
Also remember to go with whatever resonates with you - whatever supports your body and mind - over any trend flooding your media channels and social platforms. Treat any information as guidance only (as in all instances) - ultimately, your body knows best.
And if you have any specific gut issues or chronic health conditions, Nutritional Therapy is an incredibly effective way to address nutrient deficiencies, reduce inflammation, reinstate gut health, restore vitality, among many other things. My advice would be to find a trusted Practitioner who you resonate with and can work with you 1-2-1 to identify the most supportive personalised nutrition plan for you, along with lifestyle recommendations.
Any questions, feel free to reach out for a 15 minute discovery call.