With a new dieting trend taking over your feed every week, it can feel impossible to discern the facts from the fads. Eat more protein. Eat less sugar. Ditch the carbs. Go keto. Eat paleo. Or better yet? Try fasting.

If you’re feeling confused as to how to eat more healthily, rest assured you’re not alone. While wellness culture is pitched at having our best interests at heart, with such information overload, it can be tricky to know where to turn – and how to sort fact from fiction.

But broadly speaking, if you chat with the experts – namely a registered dietitian or nutritionist – they’ll all likely sing from the same song sheet when it comes to how many plant foods we should be eating. And the answer is: a lot more than we are currently.

In fact, if you do a little ‘googling’, experts regularly point to research from a 2018 study which found that people who ate a variety of plant foods – like fruits, vegetables and whole grains – had much better gut health (and therefore, overall health) than those who did not. 

But let’s be honest, 30 different types of plant foods feels like a lot. It also feels like just one more bit of mental load to carry, especially if you’re in the age and stage of life when you’re raising young kids and all they really want to do is nosh on beige carbohydrates, sans any ‘veggie-laden’ sauce.

But the truth is, when you begin to pull apart the ‘30 plant foods a week’ philosophy – it might just be a little more attainable than you think. And the first step is to focus on why this level of variety is so important.

“Diversity in our diet is essential as it offers us a range of different nutrients and helps to ensure there are no nutritional gaps in our diets,” explains The Virtual Nutritionist, Latoya Cruz. “Eating the rainbow, as the saying goes, will increase the nutritional density of our diets which in turn nourishes the body and reduces our risk of disease.” And for many of us, this should be motivation enough to broaden our nutritional horizons.

But according to Cruz, we should also try to consider how plant foods impact our microbiome on a deeper level. “A wide variety of fruits and vegetables will also feed our gut microbiome and keep our gut happy and healthy,” she says. 

“Both fruit and vegetables contain fibre which is needed for things like digestion, bowel movements, feeding our good gut bacteria, blood sugar regulation and hormonal health – to name a few.” But she agrees that fixating too closely on having to eat 30 different plant foods can be a little overwhelming.

“It’s something many clients feel stressed over,” she says. “But if you eat far less than 30 plant foods a week then I’d recommend slowly working your way up to 30. Doing a complete diet overhaul and expecting to start a completely new diet every Monday morning is less than ideal. You want to focus on making small changes each week that contribute to your overall goal.” 

And your goals also need to be attainable. “They should be small and something that doesn’t cause you stress,” says Cruz. “You may like to focus on adding in one or two extra plant foods to your weekly grocery shop and slowly building up that way

How simple swaps can up your veg count

Trying to think more creatively about food can also be helpful. “Swap pre-made sauces and seasonings for fresh herbs, garlic and onion (these all count as plant foods),” suggests Cruz. 

“And also look at what you’re currently eating to see what you can add in. If your kids eat oats, yoghurts or smoothies, for example, try adding in things like chia seeds, hemp seeds, flaxseed or LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond) mixes. Mix up what kind of nut butters you eat or add fresh herbs into meals that you are already enjoying to not only increase the flavour profile but the plant quality too.”

“Other simple ideas are adding fresh dill and lemon juice to avo toast, or if you enjoy things like pesto sauce, try making your own at home with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and a handful of baby spinach or kale,” says Cruz. For parents of fussy eaters, Cruz also recommends bolognese sauce as a great way to sneak in additional veggies. “Simply roast veggies and blend them into the sauce,” she says. “Or add more veg to stir frys, salads and homemade fried rice.”

Exploring new recipes can also kickstart our creativity. “We tend to get stuck in cooking ruts and routines where we stick to what we know which can ultimately box us in to a limited amount of plant foods each week,” explains Cruz. “New recipes that contain different plant-based ingredients to what you would typically use is a simple way to sneak more diversity in.”

When laid out like this, 30 starts to feel a little more manageable, so if you’re ready to give it a go – here’s a quick day on a plate you could try at home…

Breakfast:

Overnight oats made with oats, chia seeds, LSA mix, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and coconut milk

Total plant foods: 9

Snack:

Apple slices with ABC butter

Total plant foods: 4

Lunch:

Chicken pesto pulse pasta with broccoli, peas, mushrooms and homemade pesto (basil, pine nuts, garlic, baby spinach, kale)

Total plant foods: 11 (including legumes in the pasta)

Dinner:

Burger bowls with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, beetroot, radish and pickles served with home-roasted potato chips, garlic, onion and dill dressing

Total plant foods: 10

Snack:

Cucumber, capsicum, carrot sticks and hummus

Total plant foods: 4

Sounds kind of delicious, don’t you think?

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