What are plant points? Eating 30+ plants a week
You may have noticed a little green 🌱 box on our recipes. Here's what it means, and why we've started counting.
Why 30 plants a week?
The idea comes from the American Gut Project, a large citizen-science study of thousands of people's gut bacteria. Published in 2018, it found that people who ate more than 30 different plants a week had a more varied mix of gut microbes than people who ate 10 or fewer, whether they were vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian or meat-eaters.
Different plants contain different types of fibre and plant compounds, and each one feeds different gut bacteria. More variety on the plate means more variety in the gut, which is linked to better digestion and immunity.
To be honest, the study shows a link rather than proof, and 30 isn't a magic number. But eating a wider range of plants is good advice whichever way you look at it, and it makes cooking a lot more interesting!
How plant points work
Every different plant you eat in a week scores 1 point. Eat it again and it doesn't score twice: it's all about variety, not quantity.
Plants include vegetables, fruit, wholegrains (like oats, brown rice and barley), beans and lentils, and nuts and seeds.
Herbs and spices count ÂĽ point each, as we only use a little. Four of them make a full point.
Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried all count.
Different colours of the same plant count separately, so red, green and yellow peppers are three points.
Refined foods don't count: white bread, white pasta, white rice and fruit juice have lost most of their fibre.
How we score our recipes
Each recipe box shows its plant points and the plants that earn them. We've kept the count honest, so oils, vinegars, stock, sauces (like soy or fish sauce), sugar and honey aren't included.
Look out for the Boost it line too: easy extras and swaps that add more plants to the dish.
Easy ways to get to 30
Buy mixed bags: salad leaves, frozen berries, mixed nuts or seeds can add several points in one go.
Sprinkle seeds over breakfast, salads and soups.
Swap white for wholegrain: brown rice, wholemeal or rye bread, wholewheat pasta.
Add a tin of beans or lentils to soups, stews and chilli.
Be generous with herbs and spices: they soon add up.
Try one new fruit or vegetable each week.
Keep count of your week
Download our free tracker: the printable one-page PDF to stick on the fridge, or the Excel spreadsheet, which adds up your points for you (it also opens in Google Sheets and Apple Numbers).
Happy cooking, and happy counting!
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