When I first started out on what I call my ‘final diet’ back in 2010, I didn’t really have a clue about nutrition. I knew fruit and veg were ‘healthy’ and ‘chocolate, cakes and crisps’ were unhealthy but that was about the extent of my knowledge. I followed a very healthy weight loss plan (Slimming World) but without really understanding much about the foods I was now filling up on and for me it was very much about eating to lose weight. In my head, I had a very clear line of ‘being overweight is unhealthy’ and ‘being slim is healthy’ but I didn’t have a clue that actually the foods I was now eating would have a real effect on my current health as well as my future health.
Over the years, I’ve become more and more interested in the actual science of nutrition and the foods we eat in terms of our overall health and not just in terms of weight loss and one area that I’m currently studying and really interested in is the importance of having good gut health and what the actual benefits of having a healthy gut are.
There’s a huge amount of research and information out there on this relatively new subject and I’m certainly no expert but one thing that I have come across time and time again in my own reading is how important it is for our gut to eat a whole range of different whole plant based foods a week and in my very layman terms, this is my understanding of why!!!
In our gut, we have trillions of bacteria cells which are living organisms beavering away doing all sorts of jobs in our bodies. Now amongst these bacteria cells, there are ‘good bacteria’ which are essential to us living a healthy life and there are ‘bad bacteria’ which can cause all sorts of health related issues (physical and mental). It’s important that we ensure our ‘good bacteria’ are fed correctly on the things they like to eat so that they not only perform their roles in our bodies but that they keep the ‘bad guys’ in check.
And what do these ‘good bacteria need to survive – they love the fibre along with other things that are found in whole plant based foods so what we choose to eat every day is actually feeding these cells inside our own bodies to help them perform at their best and keep us fit and healthy. It’s almost like having a pet that we need to look after and feed it the right food to ensure it stays fit and healthy. And different types of the good bacteria like to eat different things so that’s why getting a variety is key. It’s like having a dog and a goldfish and buying two different pet foods to ensure you’re feeding them the right foods to thrive.
Why 30 different whole plant foods?
There was research undertaken in 2018 into understanding what factors led to having a healthy gut and evidence showed that people who ate a minimum of 30 different whole plant foods a week had the healthiest guts and the most diverse gut microbioms along with more of the ‘good bacterias’ and this has since been cited as a good goal to aim for.
What counts as a whole plant food?
Some are very obvious – all fruits, vegetables and salad foods are plant based and you could get your 30 a week from just eating a wide range of these. But there’s lots more and if you’re not a huge fan of veg or you have a few set faves that you eat throughout the week, then there’s lots of other ways to increase your whole plant based foods:
- nuts and seeds in their natural form – though I will add a ‘weight loss caveat’ here – these foods are often trigger foods or things that we can easily overeat and would have an impact on our weight loss goals so I’d advise having measured portions of these
- legumes – these include all beans, pulses and peas so things like chickpeas, lentils, garden peas, edamame beans, kidney beans etc
- whole grains – foods like barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa and bulgur wheat (white versions such as white rice don’t count as they’ve gone through a process which removes the fibre)
- Herbs and spices – and these can be fresh or dried and only a small amount is needed in order to count (though experts recommend that you try to eat them a few times a week to ensure you’re getting the benefit of them)
- Coffee
- Dark chocolate (again a big caveat on this in terms of it’s ability to be overeaten and effect your weight loss) – though experts say it should be 70% cocoa or above and have no added additives.
A few tips to help you add variety without breaking the budget
The hubby and I have been doing the 30+ challenge for a few weeks now and we’re averaging around 55-65 a week with very few changes to our normal diet. We already eat a wide variety of fruit, veg, salad and herbs & spices but I’ve boosted those too:
- buying mixed bags of premade salad rather than just rocket and spinach which is our normal go-to – buying a bag with 5 or 6 different leaves costs the same but right away adds a few additional to the list
- tins of mixed beans – these are really cheap in all supermarkets and can be added to salads or thrown in a chilli or other dish, right away, you’ve added 4 or 5 different plants to your menu
- mixing up your spices and herbs – get experimental in the kitchen, throw some turmeric into your chilli or some oregano into your bolognese
- buy mixed bags of frozen berries – these are a cost effective way anyway to buy your fruits but rather than just buying frozen blueberries, get the summer fruits mix and you’ll be feeding your gut bacteria with an additional 3 or 4 different foods.
- shop the yellow sticker aisle in the supermarkets, you’ll often find some ‘unusual’ veg in there at the end of the day – I picked up a celeriac last week for 30p and used that instead of potatoes to make some chips to go with our BBQ.
- mixed seeds – I actually bought some small bags of different types of seeds, threw them all into one big container and then gave it a good shake – I now add half a tablespoon of mixed seeds to some of my breakfasts in the week, adding 4 different foods right away.
- Different colours of the same thing count as separate items – for example, red, green and yellow peppers count as 3 – so if you’re a fan of peppers, buy a mixed bag of colours.
How to see how you are doing
I simply kept a list in my journal but you could do it on your phone or on a scrap of paper you keep in the kitchen and every time you eat something or prepare a meal.
It will add up a lot more quickly than you realise but it’s also a really interesting exercise to undertake to actually see just where you are currently at.
Plus the good news for your weight loss – focussing on increasing these foods in your meals will reduce down the amount of processed and potentially higher fat / sugary foods you consume which will simply boost your weight loss too so you’ll be helping your health from all angles!
I do just want to finish by saying I am not an expert and I’m sharing my understanding of the information I’ve been reading and listening to so I apologise to any scientists or gut health experts if my descriptions above use any incorrect terminology or over simplify what is a huge and very interesting subject area!!!
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