The '30 Plants a Week' Goal vs. '5 a Day'
For years, public health guidance centered on the "5 a day" message, focusing on the quantity of fruits and vegetables consumed. The "30 plants a week" concept, popularized by the American Gut Project, shifts the focus from quantity to diversity, aiming to nourish a wide range of beneficial gut bacteria. Eating more types of plants introduces a broader spectrum of prebiotic fibers and phytonutrients that different microbes in your gut can feed on. A more diverse microbiome is linked to numerous health benefits, including better immune function, digestion, and resilience.
Unlike some restrictive interpretations of "5 a day," the 30-plants-a-week approach counts a much broader category of plant-based foods, such as:
- Fruits and Vegetables: All varieties count, and different colors of the same plant can count as separate points (e.g., a red apple and a green apple).
- Legumes: Beans, lentils, and peas.
- Whole Grains: Quinoa, oats, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta.
- Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.
- Herbs and Spices: Fresh and dried varieties count as a quarter of a point each.
- Other Plant-Derived Foods: Coffee, dark chocolate (over 70% cocoa), and tofu.
How Potatoes Specifically Fit In
Regular potatoes are fully counted as a plant point toward your 30-a-week total. This contrasts with the older "5 a day" model, which often excluded potatoes due to their starchy nature. To maximize your count, you can include different varieties of potatoes, as different types offer unique nutritional profiles. For example, including a russet potato, a red potato, and a purple potato in your weekly meals would earn you three separate plant points.
The Nutritional Power of Diverse Potatoes
Beyond just counting as a plant point, potatoes bring their own set of nutritional advantages to a diverse diet. The key is in preparation and variety. Here’s what makes them a powerful contributor to gut health:
- Resistant Starch: Cooking and cooling potatoes, and then even reheating them, increases the amount of resistant starch. This type of fiber resists digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine, feeding beneficial gut bacteria and producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs).
- Vitamins and Minerals: Potatoes are a great source of potassium, which is vital for heart health and blood pressure regulation, and vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant.
- Antioxidants: Different varieties of potatoes offer unique antioxidant compounds. Purple potatoes, for instance, are rich in anthocyanins, which may benefit heart and brain health.
- Fiber: The skin of the potato is especially rich in fiber, which supports digestive health. Eating the skin whenever possible adds an extra dose of this valuable nutrient.
Comparison of Potato Benefits: Cooking and Variety
| Feature | Eating a Hot Potato | Eating a Cooked & Cooled Potato | Eating Different Varieties | Fried Potatoes (Fries/Chips) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resistant Starch | Lower amount | Higher amount (prebiotic) | Variety of prebiotics | Negligible, often lost in processing |
| Gut Health | Provides some fiber | Boosts gut bacteria diversity | Feeds diverse gut bacteria | Can contain unhealthy fats |
| Antioxidants | Present | Present | Varieties like purple offer more | Reduced due to high-heat processing |
| Cooking Benefits | Good source of carbs and nutrients | Can be reheated without losing resistant starch | Provides a range of different nutrients | High in fat, unhealthy for heart health |
| Plant Points | 1 point per variety | 1 point per variety | Multiple points for multiple colors/varieties | Often overly processed, may not count |
Simple Strategies for Increasing Plant Diversity
Integrating 30 different plants a week into your diet can seem daunting, but it’s easier than it sounds. Here are some actionable tips:
- Explore herbs and spices: Season your meals with different herbs and spices like parsley, coriander, turmeric, and ginger. Each adds a quarter point and a burst of flavor.
- Create a "plant point log": Keep a simple list or note on your phone of all the different plant-based foods you eat throughout the week. This helps track your progress and identify where you can add more variety.
- Embrace mixed vegetables: Don't just stick to one type of vegetable in your stir-fries or soups. Add a mix of carrots, onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms to instantly boost your plant count.
- Add nuts and seeds as toppers: Sprinkle a handful of mixed nuts or seeds over your oatmeal, salads, or yogurt. Chia seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts are all different plant points.
- Try different grains: Swap out your usual white rice for brown rice, quinoa, or millet. Explore different types of beans like black beans, kidney beans, and chickpeas.
- Include canned and frozen foods: Frozen berries, canned beans, and chickpeas are just as nutritious as fresh, and stocking up makes it easy to add variety on a budget.
- Eat the rainbow: Choose fruits and vegetables with different colors, as they often contain different types of beneficial phytonutrients.
Conclusion
Far from being a simple, starchy filler, the potato is a valuable and versatile component of a healthy diet, and it absolutely counts towards your 30 plants a week goal. By recognizing that different varieties contribute unique nutrients and counting them as separate points, you can use potatoes to improve your dietary diversity. Combining this knowledge with other easy strategies, like adding herbs, nuts, seeds, and various legumes, can help you foster a flourishing gut microbiome, leading to improved overall health. The key is focusing on adding more variety and making small, consistent changes that build up over time.
For more information on the science behind the 30-plants-a-week approach and its impact on gut health, you can consult research from groups like ZOE.
