30 Plant points a week

30 Plant points a week

Plant points are a way to track how many different plants you eat, with the goal of eating 30 plant points per week. The idea is to encourage variety in your diet. 

Why have different plants?

Each plant group (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses, legumes, wholegrains, herbs, and spices) contains different types of fibre, so to maximise the benefits obtained through a diet, it makes sense to include an array of plants in our diet. Diversifying the sources of fibre will contribute to a more diverse gut microbiome which will in turn then lead to the health benefits discussed above.

The Plant point system

Different plants contain different beneficial fibres and nutrients so diversifying these sources in our week is beneficial. The point system allows us to count how many different plant species we have included in our diet in any given week. This includes all plant groups, not only fruits and vegetables.

This is how plant points are counted:

1. Fruit and vegetables- Strawberries, bananas, broccoli, peppers- Point 1

2. Wholegrains-Quinoa, buckwheat, rye, wholegrain rice- Point 1

3. Pulses and legumes-Beans, lentils, chickpeas, soya beans- Point 1

4. Nuts and seeds-Almonds, cashew nuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds- Point 1

5. Herbs and spices-Parsley, basil, turmeric, chili flakes.- Point 1/4

How to Do?

We can be creatures of habit and it’s easy to get into a food rut – especially when we’re busy. Online shopping allows us to order the same food week after week, and most of us end up making the same 4-5 meals on rotation. But good gut health does NOT need to be time-consuming, unappetising or costly (no expensive supplements here) – simple changes can make a big difference.