“How to Improve Your Gut Health by Eating 30 Different Types of Plants a Week”

In recent years we have learned a lot about our microbiome: the life that takes place in our gut. We now know that a healthy intestinal flora means that there are many different types of organisms in our intestines and that, with a healthy lifestyle, we can ensure that our intestinal flora functions better.

And that turns out to be very important: for our physical health, resistance, the absorption of nutrients and even for our mental health. The American Human Gut study has played a major role in the knowledge we now have about our intestinal flora. In this study, thousands of samples were collected to see what a healthy microbiome means and how we can influence it.

One of the most important findings: the more diverse we eat, the healthier our intestinal flora. And then it mainly concerns the diversity of vegetable products that we eat: vegetables and fruit, but also grains, seeds, nuts, seeds and even herbs and spices. In one of the publications of the AHG study it was stated that people who eat more than 30 different types of ‘plants’ per week have a healthier intestinal flora than people who consume less variety. Are you up for a challenge? Read here how you too can reach 30!

Why 30 different types of plants?

The researchers discovered that choosing a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, for example, is not decisive for a healthy intestinal flora. More important is how many different types of plants you get in your diet. Vegetable products (such as grains, seeds, kernels and fruit) contain different types of fiber and it is precisely these different types that are important. By eating so many different types you always get different variations of fiber. And that in turn results in a varied intestinal flora.

Step 1: How many types of plants do you eat now?

The researchers assume 30 different types of plants. That’s not to say that 29 species is as good or bad as 10. The more variety, the better. But how far are you from those 30 species? Make a list for yourself of all the types of plant products you have eaten in the past week. No idea? Then keep it to yourself for a week. Below you can see examples of the different categories and everything that you can count. The good thing about this is: you don’t have to keep track of how much you ate of everything. Have you eaten 1 kiwi or, for example, 1 handful of walnuts? Check, 2 points in!

• Vegetables: Fresh vegetables (prepared cold or warm), canned or jarred legumes, frozen vegetables, sweet potato, ‘regular’ potato, garlic, (spring) onion, fresh chili peppers
• Fruit: Fresh fruit, (freeze) dried fruit, canned or frozen fruit
• Grains: Oatmeal, rye flakes, buckwheat, quinoa, wild rice, barley flakes, spelled
• Seeds and kernels: Chia seeds, sesame seeds, linseeds, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut
• Nuts: All nuts (also possibly fried/salted), including peanuts
• Herbs: Fresh and dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, basil, parsley, mint
• Spices: Cinnamon, curry, dried chili, paprika powder, cumin, nutmeg
• Oil: Olive oil, sesame oil, walnut oil

Step 2: Make it easy on yourself

By adjusting some of your standard meals you can easily get more variety. For example, do you eat oatmeal in the morning? For example, replace half of the oatmeal with rye or spelled flakes. Sprinkle with cinnamon and eat with a mix of (dried) fruit.

Do you like to eat nuts in between? Then choose a mix of different types: each different type counts as one of the 30. The same applies to a seed mix in your salad or a fruit salad instead of one piece of fruit.

By combining different types of vegetables in the evening you also get some types (for example, choose an oriental, Japanese or Thai mix so that you quickly eat 3-5 different types in one meal) and replace white rice and pasta with wild rice , quinoa or buckwheat. Basil in your pasta, coriander in your curry or chili pepper in your chili-con-carne all count too.