Do Potatoes Count Towards 30 a Week for Gut Health?

October 17, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the American Gut Project, people who consume 30 or more different plants each week tend to have a more diverse and healthier gut microbiome. But as you track your weekly plant intake, a common question arises: do potatoes count towards 30 a week, or are they excluded like they are from the traditional '5-a-day' guidance? This article reveals the key difference between these two nutritional approaches.

Quick Summary

This guide explains why potatoes do count towards the '30 plants a week' goal, contrasting it with the '5-a-day' rule. It details the benefits of including diverse plant foods, including starchy vegetables, to promote a healthier gut and overall well-being. The text offers practical tips for increasing dietary variety easily.

Key Points

Yes, Potatoes Count: Unlike the '5-a-day' rule, potatoes are included in the '30 plants a week' count because the focus is on the variety of all plant foods, not just non-starchy ones.
Based on Gut Health Science: The '30 plants a week' concept is based on research from the American Gut Project, which found that a higher diversity of plant foods correlates with a healthier, more diverse gut microbiome.
Nutrient Contribution: Potatoes provide valuable dietary fiber, vitamins like potassium and vitamin C, and resistant starch (especially when cooled), all of which contribute to a healthy diet.
Focus on Diversity: This approach encourages adding unique plant types, including wholegrains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, rather than restricting specific food groups.
Easy to Implement: Reaching the goal is straightforward by making small, diverse additions to daily meals, such as using different nuts, seeds, and spices, or incorporating various kinds of potatoes.
Shift in Mindset: The philosophy promotes an 'add, don't exclude' mindset, making it a positive and empowering strategy for improving overall health.

The '30 plants a week' concept has gained significant traction, focusing on dietary variety to boost gut health. While the popular '5-a-day' rule specifically excludes potatoes because they are a starchy food, the '30 a week' challenge embraces them, celebrating the diversity of all plant-based foods.

The Difference Between 30 a Week and 5 a Day

The distinction between these two dietary guidelines lies in their core principles. The '5-a-day' rule, originating from the World Health Organization, emphasizes portion size and intake quantity for fruits and vegetables. In this model, starchy foods like potatoes are categorized with energy-giving carbohydrates like pasta and bread, rather than nutrient-dense vegetables.

The '30 plants a week' goal, however, was born from the American Gut Project, a large-scale study on the human microbiome. Researchers found that dietary diversity was a more significant factor in promoting a healthy gut than the quantity of a few selected plants. Therefore, any and every unique plant, including fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices, contributes to the weekly count.

Why potatoes are now on the list

For the '30 a week' count, a potato is a unique plant, distinct from a sweet potato, carrot, or lentil. Adding it to your weekly total is a valid way to increase your plant diversity. Furthermore, potatoes offer valuable nutrients that support a healthy diet:

Fiber: A medium-sized potato with the skin on provides a good source of dietary fiber, which is crucial for digestive health.
Resistant Starch: When cooked and then cooled, potatoes develop resistant starch. This type of fiber acts as a prebiotic, feeding the beneficial bacteria in your gut.
Vitamins and Minerals: Potatoes are also rich in potassium, vitamin C, and B6.

The Health Benefits of Diverse Plant Intake

Eating a wide variety of plants is a powerful way to nourish your body and your gut microbiome. A more diverse gut microbiome, containing a greater range of different microorganisms, is associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases, better immune function, and improved metabolic health. By including all types of plants—both starchy and non-starchy—you provide your body with a broader spectrum of different fibers, vitamins, and phytochemicals.

Comparison: 5 a Day vs. 30 a Week for Potatoes


Feature	'5-a-Day' Guidance	'30-Plants-a-Week' Goal
Inclusion of Potatoes	No. Considered a starchy carbohydrate.	Yes. Counts as one unique plant.
Focus	Quantity of specific fruits and vegetables (e.g., 5 portions of 80g).	Variety of all plant-based foods (30 different types weekly).
Main Goal	Ensure adequate intake of basic vitamins and minerals.	Promote gut microbiome diversity for improved health outcomes.
Inclusion of Herbs/Spices	No.	Yes, though sometimes counted as a fraction of a point.

How to Easily Add Potatoes and Other Plants to Your Diet

Achieving 30 plants a week doesn't have to be complicated. Start by thinking about small, easy additions to your meals. Potatoes can be a versatile base for increasing your count.

Simple ways to increase your plant count

Swap carbs: Replace some white pasta with potatoes or incorporate a variety of wholegrains like quinoa, brown rice, or buckwheat.
Embrace potatoes: Roast different varieties of potatoes with the skin on, or make a chilled potato salad to boost resistant starch.
Add herbs and spices: Incorporate a wider range of dried and fresh herbs and spices like basil, oregano, cumin, and turmeric to your meals. These count towards your total.
Mix it up: Use a three-bean mix in a chili or soup instead of just one type of bean. This instantly adds three different plants.
Add nuts and seeds: Sprinkle a mix of nuts and seeds—such as almonds, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds—onto salads, porridge, or yogurt.
Use frozen and tinned: Stock up on frozen berries, mixed vegetables, and canned beans to make adding variety quick and affordable.

Conclusion

In the context of the '30 plants a week' challenge, the answer is a resounding yes: potatoes do count. While the '5-a-day' rule excludes them based on their starchy content, the newer, gut-health-focused approach values them as a unique and beneficial plant food. By embracing this philosophy of dietary variety, you can not only enjoy versatile and nutrient-rich potatoes but also take a significant step towards nurturing a healthier, more diverse gut microbiome and improving your overall well-being. It's an inclusive approach that shifts the focus from restriction to abundance, proving that a healthy diet can be both delicious and diverse.

Optional Outbound Link: For further reading on the science behind gut health and plant diversity, see research from the American Society for Microbiology.

Frequently Asked Questions

The '30 plants a week' goal is a dietary recommendation to consume at least 30 different types of plant-based foods over seven days. It is based on research linking a more diverse diet to a more diverse and healthier gut microbiome.

Yes, sweet potatoes count as one unique plant towards your '30 a week' target. Since the goal is diversity, a sweet potato is counted separately from a white potato.

Potatoes are classified as a starchy carbohydrate, similar to bread or rice, in the '5-a-day' guidelines. They are seen as the energy-giving part of a meal, not a 'vegetable' portion, which is why they are excluded.

No, the cooking method does not change whether a potato counts as a plant for the '30 a week' goal. However, baking or boiling with the skin on preserves more fiber and nutrients.

Yes, potatoes are a nutrient-dense food, providing fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and other beneficial nutrients. They are a healthy part of a balanced diet when prepared healthily (e.g., baked, boiled, or steamed).

Minimally processed potatoes, such as homemade roasted potatoes, count. However, heavily processed potato products like fries or chips do not count towards the '30 a week' goal, as they contain high levels of fat and salt and are not considered whole foods.

Adding a potato to a dish adds one point to your weekly tally. You only count each unique plant food once per week. So, if you eat potatoes on Monday and Wednesday, it is still only one point for that week.