How are you adding more plants to your weekly diet? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
My editor knows I’m a big believer in plant-based eating, so she challenged me to try a growing nutrition trend. It’s called the “30 Plants a Week” lifestyle. In short, it involves eating 30 different types of plant foods in one week. Will my plant-based meals make the cut? Let’s find out…
Can “30 plants a week” help you lose weight?
The “30 plants a week” diet is based on twelve years of scientific research from Rob Knight, co-founder of the American Gut Project. This way of eating showed that participants who scored at least 30 plant points per week had the most diverse gut microbiome. I asked Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH, MA, founder and CEO of WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and Agriculture), and longtime advocate of plant-forward diets, to explain exactly what the connection between gut health and weight loss is.
“A diverse microbiome is like having a well-rounded dinner party in your gut—the more guests (or plants), the better the conversation (or digestion). Diverse plants feed different types of beneficial bacteria, which play a huge role in metabolism and weight regulation. If you’re only eating three kinds of plants, that’s like throwing the same boring party every week. Your gut (and waistline) will thank you for spicing things up.”
I had to find out more about how this “30 plant points a week” system works in real life. Here’s how it works. Each unique plant eaten during the week gets counted as a “plant point.” For example, if you made a quick veggie sauté for dinner with zucchini, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, onions, and garlic – that would count as five unique plant points. Notice that this example uses two different kinds of bell peppers. Each pepper gets counted as an individual plant point. Any cooking oils or spices like olive oil or black pepper would count as one-quarter of a point each. However, let’s say you wanted to use the leftovers from the veggie sauté to make lunch tacos the next day by adding a few corn tortillas and sliced avocado. Then you would only count the two extra taco ingredients towards your plant points as the other items have already been counted for that week.
I know this may feel like a lot, especially if you are new to plant-based eating. But remember, you can pack a lot of veggies into meals that don’t take a lot of time to prepare. Think about smoothies, soups, stir fries, and more. This way of eating also doesn’t require a certain amount of protein, although protein intake is something I pay close attention to as a marathon runner in training. So, I make sure I have tofu, fish, nuts, and seeds along with whole grains like brown rice and quinoa to get my fill.
An easy breakdown of how I counted my plant points for each meal
This was during a typical week of eating for me. It was important to keep it simple, so I skipped counting cooking oils (coconut or cold pressed avocado oil) and dried spices like black pepper and other seasonings. I did include uncooked oils like extra virgin olive oil and fresh herbs used to brighten up homemade salad dressings. Remember that I’m including plant points in this chart and not complete meals.
Monday
Breakfast: 1 pound of red grapes
Lunch: Fried rice with a cucumber salad. (brown rice, kale, carrot, white onion, garlic, sesame seeds, kimchi, soy sauce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, lemon juice
Dinner: 1 papaya with lime juice
Plant points: 14
Tuesday
Breakfast: Fruit smoothie (papaya, banana, lime juice, coconut water)
Lunch: Sauteed brussels sprouts and cucumber salad (brussels sprouts, white onions, garlic, red bell peppers, fresh cilantro, cucumber, lime juice)
Dinner: 1 pound of grapes
Dessert: 4 medjool dates stuffed with sunflower seed butter and cacao nibs
Plant points: 8
Wednesday
Breakfast: 1 chopped pineapple and papaya with lime juice
Lunch: Tahini noodle salad (green lettuce, red lettuce, cilantro, fennel bulb, purple cabbage, orange bell pepper, cucumber, raisins, fennel seeds, rice noodles, tahini paste, garlic clove, lemon juice)
Dinner: Fruit smoothie (strawberries, blueberries, coconut milk)
Plant points: 10
Thursday
Breakfast: none
Lunch: Tofu scramble with salad (tofu, spinach, red bell peppers, white onions, kimchi, romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, alfalfa sprouts, scallions, fresh basil, avocado oil, lemon juice)
Dinner: popcorn and blackberries
Plant points: 9
Friday
Breakfast: Fruit smoothie (watermelon, chia seeds, lime juice, coconut water)
Lunch: Sauteed brussels sprouts over gluten-free pasta (brussels sprouts, red onions, garlic, red bell peppers, fresh cilantro, penne pasta, store-bought fresh tomato sauce)
Dinner: Cucumber salad (cucumber, garlic, apple cider vinegar)
Plant points: 6
Saturday
Breakfast: none
Lunch: Potato salad with garlicky spinach (boiled potatoes, red onion, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, vegan mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, spinach, white onion, garlic)
Dinner: Guacamole toast (quinoa and brown rice cakes, avocado, lime juice, red onion, cilantro, Roma tomato, pecans)
Plant points: 7
Sunday
Breakfast: Papaya smoothie (papaya, banana, lime juice, coconut water)
Lunch: Restaurant fish tacos (blue corn tortillas, purple radish microgreens, white cabbage, carrots, white onions, lime juice, hot chili sauce) and fruit smoothie (passionfruit, banana, orange, pineapple)
Notice that I did not count the fish because it’s not a plant ingredient.
Dinner: none
Plant points: 6
How did I do? I logged a total of 60 unique plant points in one week
That’s two times the weekly recommended plant points! I knew that I ate a diet rich in variety, but this experiment emphasizes the point of just how much. I was surprised to see that I had eaten 32 different plants by Wednesday.
What I find to be most intriguing about the “30 plant points a week” philosophy is the requirement to track your food. Writing down what I eat helps me to be aware of what I’m putting into my body so that I don’t overeat or fall into eating junk food. Think you might have a problem with tracking your plant points? Tambra Raye Stevenson offers us another helpful tip to make tracking points easier.
“If the idea of counting plants sounds like a chore, I’d recommend a more joyful approach: turn it into a culinary adventure. Think of it as ‘plant bingo’ or a ‘plant passport’ challenge. Each time you eat a different plant, you earn a point or stamp in your food journal. Digital apps like Cronometer or Yazio can help, but even a simple checklist on the fridge can be fun for the family to get involved.”
Tambra goes on to offer more advice to women who may believe that there may be some challenges keeping them from achieving 30 plant points in a week.
“Yes, there are a few roadblocks on the path to plant nirvana—time, accessibility, and, let’s be honest, old habits die hard. For women juggling work, family, and life, convenience often wins. But overcoming this starts with meal planning and preparing in bulk. And let’s not forget cultural barriers: many of our traditional African and African diasporan diets are already plant-rich, but we've been conditioned to see certain foods as ‘superior’ or ‘inferior.’ Reclaiming the diversity in our heritage dishes can make the 30-plants goal feel less like a health trend and more like a homecoming.”
Need a quick and easy breakfast and dinner idea to kick off your own “30 plant points a week” experiment in your kitchen? Give these recipes a try.
Here’s an easy fruit salad recipe that can be made with any seasonal fruit you have at your local market. Sweet, watery fruits are a healthy way to satisfy a sweet tooth and support your digestive system.
Two recipes I keep in heavy rotation
Fruit Salad
Serves two
Ingredients:
2 cups chopped pineapple
1 cup chopped papaya
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger powder
Method:
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Store it in an airtight container for easy meal prep and carry to work or a weekend drive to visit the family.
Plant points: 3.5
This next salad is great for lunch or dinner. It’s packed with colorful vegetables for antioxidants that can help fight heart disease and certain cancers. The tahini, raisins, and fennel bring a sweet and savory touch to the salad that makes it feel like you’re eating at a Middle Eastern restaurant. If you’d like more protein with your salad to make it more satiating, top with a handful of cashews, barbecued tofu, or slices of hot rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store.
Tahini Noodle Salad
Serves one to two
Salad Ingredients:
2 cups green and red lettuce
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
½ cup chopped purple cabbage
1 orange bell pepper
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 handful raisins
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 serving rice noodles
Dressing Ingredients:
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 garlic clove
Juice of 1 lemon
Sea salt
A few tablespoons of water
Method:
Place all the salad ingredients into a bowl. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a separate bowl, then pour over the salad. Serve immediately. This dish serves up 13 plant points that will boost energy without feeling overstuffed.
Plant points: 13.25
How are you adding more plants to your weekly diet? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
