How many plants are you supposed to eat in a week? Exploring the 30-plant diversity diet

October 21, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a 2018 study from the American Gut Project, people who consume 30 or more different types of plant-based foods per week tend to have a more diverse and healthier gut microbiome. This discovery shifted the focus in nutrition toward dietary variety, leading to a crucial question: How many plants are you supposed to eat in a week?

Quick Summary

This guide explores the '30 plants per week' recommendation for promoting dietary diversity, explaining how incorporating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains enhances gut health and overall well-being. It details what qualifies as a plant and offers practical, actionable strategies for increasing your weekly intake.

Key Points

Aim for 30 Plants: For optimal gut health and a diverse microbiome, target 30 unique plant types per week, not just a certain number of fruits and vegetables.
Variety is Key: Different plants provide unique fiber types and phytonutrients that feed different beneficial bacteria in your gut, making variety more impactful than sheer quantity.
Broaden Your Definition of 'Plant': The 30-plant count includes a wide range of foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.
Incorporate More Herbs and Spices: Adding a variety of herbs and spices is an easy and flavorful way to increase your weekly plant count.
Plan by Color: 'Eating the rainbow' ensures you get a wide spectrum of nutrients, as different colors indicate different beneficial compounds.
Benefits Beyond the Gut: A diverse, plant-rich diet is linked to improved digestion, enhanced immune function, reduced inflammation, and lower risk of chronic diseases.

The Shift from 'Five-a-Day' to 'Thirty-a-Week'

For decades, nutritional advice focused on the quantity of fruits and vegetables, promoting the 'five-a-day' message. However, recent scientific research, particularly from the American Gut Project, highlights the importance of diversity over just sheer volume. This groundbreaking study found that participants who consumed at least 30 different types of plants every week had a significantly more diverse gut microbiome compared to those who ate ten or fewer.

This shift in focus acknowledges that different plants contain unique nutrients and fiber types that feed different species of gut bacteria. A diverse microbiome, rich with various bacterial strains, is associated with improved digestion, enhanced immunity, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

What Counts as a 'Plant'?

When aiming for 30 different plants a week, the definition is much broader than just fruits and vegetables. The goal is to maximize the variety of plant-derived foods, including a wide array of categories.

Here’s a breakdown of what to include in your weekly tally:

Fruits: A variety of fruits, like apples, berries, bananas, and oranges, count. Eating different colored varieties of the same fruit also helps, such as red and green apples.
Vegetables: This category includes everything from leafy greens like spinach and kale to cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, as well as root vegetables. Different colors, like red, yellow, and green bell peppers, count as separate plants.
Legumes: All types of beans, lentils, chickpeas, and peas are excellent for boosting diversity. A mixed bean salad offers an easy way to add multiple points at once.
Whole Grains: Opt for whole grains over refined ones. Different types like oats, quinoa, brown rice, barley, and millet all contribute to your count.
Nuts and Seeds: Different varieties of nuts and seeds, including almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and pumpkin seeds, are rich in fiber and nutrients.
Herbs and Spices: Don't underestimate these! Each unique herb and spice you use throughout the week counts. Because they are used in smaller quantities, some scoring systems count four different herbs or spices as one full 'plant point'.
Bonus Items: Small servings of minimally processed foods like dark chocolate (70%+ cocoa) and extra virgin olive oil can also contribute to your plant count.

Practical Ways to Incorporate More Plants

Reaching 30 plants might sound intimidating, but it's easier than you think with a few simple strategies.

Strategies for Increasing Your Plant Intake

Start with Breakfast: Add seeds (chia, flax), mixed nuts, or different berries to your oatmeal, yogurt, or smoothies.
Diversify Your Snacks: Swap out processed snacks for a handful of mixed nuts, a piece of fruit, or veggie sticks with hummus. A single serving of mixed nuts can contribute several points.
Load Up Soups and Stews: Add a variety of legumes, root vegetables, and herbs to your next batch of soup or chili.
Enhance Your Salads: Transform a basic salad by adding mixed greens, nuts, seeds, different colored vegetables, and fresh herbs.
Experiment with Grains: Instead of just white rice, try rotating whole grains like quinoa, bulgur wheat, or barley into your meals.
Use Frozen and Canned Options: Frozen vegetables and canned beans are just as nutritious and are perfect for increasing your variety without worrying about spoilage.
Embrace Herbs and Spices: Add a new spice to a curry or a fresh herb to a salad to easily add extra points.

'5-a-Day' vs. '30 Plants': A Comparison


Feature	'5-a-Day'	'30 Plants a Week'
Primary Goal	Meet the daily minimum quantity of fruits and vegetables.	Maximize the diversity of plant types consumed weekly.
Key Metric	Portion count (e.g., 80g serving).	Variety count (each new plant counts once per week).
Main Benefit	Ensures adequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals from produce.	Promotes a diverse and healthy gut microbiome.
Focus	Quantity of fruits and vegetables.	Variety of all plant-based foods (fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds, spices).
Main Takeaway	Consistency is key for baseline nutrition.	Diversity is vital for gut health and broader wellness.

How a Diverse Diet Impacts Your Body

Eating a wide range of plants provides your body with an incredible array of phytonutrients, fiber, and antioxidants, each supporting different physiological functions.

Improved Gut Health: As the research shows, diverse plant intake is directly linked to a diverse gut microbiome. A robust and varied microbial community can improve digestion, reduce inflammation, and enhance nutrient absorption.
Enhanced Immune Function: A healthy gut is a cornerstone of a strong immune system. The various compounds found in diverse plants also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that protect your body's cells from damage.
Disease Prevention: Studies have shown that diets rich in a variety of plant foods are associated with a lower risk of chronic conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. This is partly due to the high fiber and antioxidant content.
Better Mental Health: The intricate connection between the gut and the brain, known as the gut-brain axis, suggests that a healthy microbiome can influence mood and cognitive function.

Conclusion: Making Diversity a Delicious Habit

While the '5-a-day' rule is a good starting point, the more modern recommendation of 30 different plants a week offers a more holistic approach to nutritional wellness, focusing on the crucial role of gut health. Instead of viewing it as a chore, consider the 30-plant challenge as a fun opportunity to explore new foods and flavors. From different nuts and seeds to new spices and fresh herbs, every new plant you introduce to your diet contributes to a more resilient and healthy body. Remember, it's about progress, not perfection—every bit of added diversity makes a positive impact. For a deeper dive into the science, see the study on the American Gut Project.

Frequently Asked Questions

A variety of foods count towards the weekly goal, including all fruits and vegetables, legumes (beans, lentils), whole grains (oats, quinoa), nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices. Minimally processed items like dark chocolate and olive oil also contribute.

Yes, different varieties of the same food can count separately. For example, a red bell pepper and a yellow bell pepper would be two different plants, as would red and green cabbage.

Progress is more important than perfection. If 30 feels daunting, aim for a smaller, achievable goal and gradually increase your variety over time. Any increase in plant diversity is beneficial for your gut and overall health.

Different herbs and spices each count, though some counting systems assign a fraction of a point for smaller servings. For instance, four different herbs and spices might count as one full point toward the weekly total.

Yes, frozen and canned fruits, vegetables, and beans are just as beneficial. They are often picked and processed at peak ripeness, preserving nutrients. Just look for options with no added sugar or salt.

For the purpose of the 30-plant challenge, the focus is on the variety of plant types, not portion size. Just a small amount of a new plant is enough to add it to your tally for the week.

A diverse gut microbiome is crucial because different species of bacteria in your gut perform different functions. A wide variety of bacteria helps improve digestion, reduces inflammation, enhances immune function, and has been linked to better metabolic and mental health.