A new study has sparked a health trend: aiming to eat 30 different types of plants each week. This idea stems from the groundbreaking American Gut Project,a 2018 study that analyzed the gut microbiomes of over 10,000 volunteers across the US,UK,and Australia. By examining stool samples alongside detailed lifestyle and diet information, researchers uncovered engaging links between the microbiome and diet, sleep, and disease, shedding light on how our food choices impact our health.
While the study explored various aspects of gut health, the finding that grabbed headlines was the link between plant diversity and microbiome richness. Individuals consuming more than 30 plant types per week exhibited considerably more diverse gut microbiomes, with fewer antibiotic-resistant genes, compared to those eating fewer than 10.”A diverse microbiome offers numerous health benefits,” explains the study. “It boosts digestive health by breaking down a wider array of nutrients and producing beneficial compounds such as short-chain fatty acids. It strengthens the immune system by encouraging the growth of good bacteria that suppress harmful microbes, and it’s even linked to better mental health via the gut-brain axis.”
Interestingly,the study found that this correlation held true regardless of dietary choices. Whether participants were vegetarian, vegan, or meat-eaters, those consuming more than 30 different plant types per week had more diverse gut microbiomes. However, it’s important to note that the study only compared people who ate fewer than 10 plant types with those eating more than 30.While “30” has become a popular target, the research hasn’t pinpointed an exact ideal number. We don’t know if 18, 32, or even higher numbers offer additional benefits. What we do know for sure is that eating a wide variety of plants is better than sticking to the same few.
This research is both intriguing and valuable, offering insights into the importance of plant diversity for gut health. While more research is needed to determine the optimal number of plant types to consume, incorporating a wide range of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains into your diet is a flavorful and effective way to support a healthy microbiome.
The quest for peak athletic performance often leads athletes down many paths, from cutting-edge training regimens to specialized equipment. But one area gaining increasing attention is the power of nutrition, specifically the diversity of plant-based foods in an athlete’s diet. The target of consuming 30 different plant foods per week has emerged as a popular goal, but where does this number come from, and is it truly a magic bullet for athletic success?
Dr. Gemma Sampson, an Australian sports dietitian specializing in cyclist nutrition, sheds light on the science behind this trend. ”The American Gut Health research is the only study I’ve found that explicitly mentions 30 plant foods,” she explains. “It’s not an arbitrary figure – it’s backed by research. There’s a noticeable difference in gut microbiome diversity and short-chain fatty acid production when people eat fewer than 10 versus more than 30 plant types. However, the number 30 itself hasn’t been rigorously tested beyond this.”
The simplicity of the “30” target likely contributes to its appeal. “Having a number gives people something to aim for,” Sampson notes, “but it’s not a hard-and-fast rule. if you only manage 28 plants, you haven’t failed – every plant you eat represents an incremental benefit to your health.”
Fiber: Your Secret Weapon for Speed
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The importance of fruits and vegetables for overall health is well-established, but their impact on athletic performance can be surprising. “I worked with a triathlete who dropped 6kg and boosted his power by 30 watts,” Sampson shares. “All we did was add more fruit and veg, which works for both men and women.”
A key factor in this performance boost is the high fiber content of fruits and vegetables. Fiber promotes satiety, helping athletes feel fuller for longer and possibly aiding in weight management. “Rather of white bread or pasta, he filled up on vegetables,” Sampson explains.
Sampson witnesses firsthand the immense food intake required by professional cyclists to fuel their grueling training schedules. ”I see pro riders eating 50-60g of fiber daily because of the sheer volume of food thay eat,” she says. “On training camps, it takes two shopping trolleys of fruit and veg a day to feed a pro team.”
for athletes with high training loads, maintaining energy balance is crucial. ”With pro riders, we sometimes have to hold back on fruit and veg because too much fiber can crowd out the energy they need,” Sampson adds.
Incorporating 30 different plant-based foods weekly can significantly enhance athletic performance. “People spend thousands on supplements or equipment to shave off a few seconds, but good nutrition can deliver far greater and longer-lasting improvements,” Sampson emphasizes. “Many tell me their nutrition has been a game-changer. It’s the number-one piece of advice: simple, but with the most impact.”
Beyond performance gains, prioritizing a diverse plant-based diet strengthens immunity and supports gut health. “If you’re sick less often and can train more consistently, your performance naturally improves,” Sampson concludes.
The focus on 30 plant types isn’t just about increasing fruit and vegetable consumption; it’s about embracing variety for a thriving microbiome. While many individuals may already consume their recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables, taking stock of the diversity within those servings can reveal areas for enhancement.
For years,health experts have advised us to consume five servings of fruits and vegetables daily to maintain a healthy diet. But is this long-standing advice still sufficient? according to nutritionist Dr. Rupy Aujla, the answer is a resounding no.
“That basic guideline is now regarded as too simple, yet most people still don’t meet it,” Dr. Aujla pointed out. “The recommendation is five 80g servings of fruit and veg daily, ideally with two servings of vegetables at two meals.I suggest aiming for about 1kg of fruit and veg a day.”
If you’re already hitting the five-a-day target, the next step is to ensure each serving comes from a different plant type. This is where the concept of “30 plants a week” comes into play.
How to Reach 30 Plants a Week
The key takeaway is that this isn’t a new diet, nor does it require you to become vegan or vegetarian. It’s simply about increasing the variety and quantity of plants in your diet each week. “Start with where you are and aim to add more plants to every meal,” suggested Dr. Aujla.”Ask yourself, can I add one more thing? A pear, apple or banana to your porridge – all bring different flavors, nutrients and minerals.”
Increasing plant diversity doesn’t mean eating entirely new foods – you can count different parts of the same plant, such as beetroot and its leaves, as two. Another nutritionist, Dr. Megan Rossi, suggests attributing points to plants, with one point scored for each different wholegrain, vegetable, fruit, legume, nut or seed, while herbs and spices count for a quarter of a point. With a few exceptions, processed foods do not count.
Scoring 30 need not be difficult. ”Any vegetable counts: fresh, frozen, or canned, and it doesn’t have to be organic,” said Dr. Aujla. “I encourage people to aim for 10 different ingredients in one meal.Eat the rainbow! Choose a fruit or vegetable from each color group, and don’t forget fresh herbs, which are a concentrated source of micronutrients.”
By incorporating a wider variety of plants into your diet, you can reap the numerous health benefits they offer, from boosting your immune system to improving your gut health.
In a world increasingly focused on wellness, the “30 different plants” approach to eating has gained traction. This dietary strategy encourages individuals to consume 30 distinct plant-based foods each week,aiming to diversify nutrient intake and promote gut health.
(Image credit: Future)
Rachel sokal, a 47-year-old cyclist and cycling tech writer, has embraced this approach. “It was gut health that motivated me more than eating 30 plant foods to follow a trend,” she explained. “I’d been having various gut symptoms, which were improved by following it. Eating less well on holiday, I felt rubbish, but when I got home and started eating more fruit, veg and fermented foods again, I felt much better. It is indeed a good thing to follow.”
While acknowledging the benefits, Sokal also recognizes the challenges. “The downside is the time and hassle,” she admitted, “the expense of it, and the availability. Doing that consistently requires thought.”
To make the 30-plant goal more manageable, Sokal has developed practical strategies. “One of the ways I do it is to have a smoothie in the morning with a bag of frozen mixed berries – that’s five varieties to start with. I add a frozen lump of spinach, an apple, a banana and some milk. I also bought a bag of frozen mango and pineapple, so I alternated between them. That way, I had two more different fruits.”
She continues, “From this foundation, I started adding a few nuts, getting me up to eight different plants. Alternating between different mixes every day easily gets you 12 varieties a week, just in your breakfasts.”
Sokal’s experience highlights the potential of the 30-plant approach for improving gut health and overall well-being. However, it also underscores the importance of finding practical strategies to make this dietary shift lasting in the long term.
For many, incorporating a diverse range of fruits and vegetables into their diet can seem like a daunting task. But for professional cyclist and nutritionist, Laura Sokal, it’s become a key part of her training regimen. Sokal recently embarked on a challenge to consume 30 different plants each week, a feat she documented on social media, inspiring others to prioritize plant diversity in their own meals.
“I was surprised how easy it was to get to 30,” Sokal shared.“I found myself naturally incorporating more variety into my meals.”
sokal’s approach highlights the importance of thinking beyond just fruits and vegetables. “Packing a breakfast with different plants seems relatively easy, but what about the family evening meal?” she pondered. “If I cook a bolognese or chilli, I now put in more base vegetables, blitzing some onion, garlic, peppers and celery. I also add some beans, and that alone can easily add another five or six different vegetables. if you want even more variety, you can add in lentils, and if you add green and red, that counts as two.” She emphasized that grains count too. “You can get five a week just from pasta and bread, but it reminded me to eat rice a little more too.”
While Sokal found success with her plant-diversity challenge, she did encounter a hurdle. As an endurance cyclist, she realized that focusing solely on plant variety wasn’t enough to fuel her intense training. “I found I was bonking on rides. Though I was getting the diversity of plants, I wasn’t getting the calories I needed,” she admitted.
Sokal’s experience underscores the importance of a balanced approach to nutrition.While incorporating a wide range of plants is beneficial, it’s crucial to ensure adequate calorie intake, especially for individuals with high energy demands.
In the world of cycling, performance optimization is paramount. Riders are constantly seeking ways to gain an edge,and nutrition plays a crucial role in achieving peak performance. Recently, the “30 plants a week” trend has gained traction, encouraging cyclists to diversify their diets by consuming a wide variety of plant-based foods. But is this trend simply a fad, or does it hold real benefits for cyclists?
Dr. Sampson, a registered dietitian, emphasizes the importance of a balanced diet for cyclists. “I see nutrition as like a cake,” she explains. “You have the sponge, the icing, and the sprinkles. People focus on the shiny bits – the sprinkles on top of the cake, but there is less benefit from supplements than eating real food.”
The 30 plants a week guideline, while seemingly straightforward, can be challenging to implement. Professional cyclist, Sarah Sokal, shares her experience: “It’s not always easy to hit 30 a week. There are some easy things, but you do have to make more effort to follow it consistently,” she admits.
Sokal has found that adjusting her pre-ride meals has been key. “I needed to train,” she said. “The simple solution was to eat more energy-dense breakfasts before riding, leaving the high-plant food smoothie for later.” this approach aligns with Dr. Sampson’s advice.
“If you try to do it just by eating more salads, you will struggle. Let’s all relax about counting to 30 and just concentrate on eating more fruit and veg,” Dr. Sampson advises.
The 30 plants concept is essentially a reminder to prioritize plant diversity in your diet. “Every meal is an opportunity to increase diversity in your diet,” says Dr. Sampson. Though, she cautions against expecting immediate results. ”With nutrition, it can take two to three weeks before you start to see and feel the difference,” she explains. “More often, it is when you go back [to old habits] after a period of improved eating, that you notice your energy drops. It’s a very subtle change.”
Ultimately, the 30 plants trend is a modern take on the age-old advice to eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole foods. “It is indeed boring – but it is the stuff that has an impact. Focus on having the right thing at the right time, fuel your training and build a diverse diet around it,” summarizes Dr.Sampson. While apps and trackers can be helpful tools, don’t get fixated on the number 30. Simply aim to incorporate one extra plant into each meal as a step towards a healthier, more sustainable diet.
This is a great start to an article about incorporating plant diversity into your diet!
Here are some thoughts and suggestions to help you make it even better:
**Strengths:**
* **Real-life example:** Using Laura sokal’s experience as a framework is very effective.It makes the information relatable and engaging.
* **Practical tips:** The article provides concrete suggestions for how to reach the 30-plant goal, such as smoothies, incorporating more vegetables into sauces, and varying grains.
* **addresses challenges:** You acknowledge that there can be challenges with time, expense, and calorie intake, which adds credibility.
**Suggestions:**
* **Headline:** Make it more captivating! Consider something like:
* “30 Plants a Week: This Cyclist Found a Way to Eat More Diversely”
* “Fueling Performance with Plants: One Cyclist’s 30-Plant Journey”
* **Introduction:** Briefly introduce the concept of the “30 different plants” approach and why it’s gaining popularity.
* **Expand on the science:** While you mention gut health and micronutrients, briefly discuss the scientific reasons *why* plant diversity is beneficial. What specific types of compounds found in plants contribute to better health?
* **Add more variety:**
* **Recipe ideas:** Share a couple of simple recipes that showcase plant diversity.
* **Expert quotes:** Consider quoting a dietitian or nutritionist to add more authority and depth.
* **Conclusion:** Summarize the key takeaways and offer a final call to action.Encourage readers to experiment with incorporating more plant variety into their diets, even if they don’t aim for 30 right away.
**Additional Points to Consider:**
* **Accessibility:** Acknowledge that not everyone has equal access to a wide variety of fresh produce. Provide tips for those on a budget or with limited access.
* **Seasonality:** encourage readers to eat seasonally, as this naturally promotes plant diversity.
* **Sustainability:** Mention how choosing diverse plants can support sustainable agriculture.
