Boost Your Family's Gut Health with 30 Plant-Based Points a Week
Inside every person are trillions of microorganisms, collectively known as the microbiome, vital for health. While various organs host distinct microbial communities, the gut microbiome has garnered the most attention in biomedical research due to its fundamental role in human health and disease.
Recent findings from the American Gut Project suggest that consuming over 30 plant-based foods per week can significantly enhance the diversity of gut bacteria compared to diets with fewer than 10 plant-based foods weekly. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices provides a plethora of dietary fibres and resistant starches, which nourish beneficial gut bacteria, leading to a more diverse microbial community and a range of health benefits.
Is This Recommendation for Everyone?
Increasing plant points doesn’t mean that your family has to eat vegetarian meals, it’s all about increasing variety and adding some extra nutrients into your diet. Add pulses, herbs, spices or extra veggies to a meal where possible to increase the nutritional content and variety.
While including more plant-based foods into your family’s diet is beneficial, it's essential to remember that these foods are rich in fibre. If you're not accustomed to consuming large amounts of fibrous foods, gradually increase your intake to allow your gut to adjust. This is especially crucial for young children, as their stomachs may fill up quickly with high-fibre diets. Remember to adjust portion sizes accordingly and provide both white and wholemeal starchy foods. Aim to include wholemeal carbohydrates at least once a week for optimal nutrition.
What Are Plant Points?
Every type of fruit, vegetable, grain, nut, seed, and legume contributes one plant point, while herbs and spices provide a quarter of a point each. Unlike the traditional "5 a day" recommendation, each food item counts only once per week. Once consumed, a specific plant-based item cannot be counted again until after 7 days.
Achieving 30 Plant Points a Week
Eating 30 plant-based points may seem challenging at first, but with careful planning, it's easily attainable.
Meal Examples for Your Little Ones
Breakfast
Oat porridge with 4-5 raspberries, some milled flaxseeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon. This meal would provide 3¼ plant points.
Lunch
Baked beans on wholegrain toast with sliced cucumber and cherry tomatoes on the side followed by banana, yogurt and milled chia seeds. This meal would provide 5 ¼ plant points.
Dinner
Puy Lentil Bolognese. This meal provides nearly 10 plant points. I really love recipes from Mimis Bowl and her Instagram page has some great inspiration for meal ideas.
Dessert
Fruit compote and yogurt. This meal would provide 1 plant point.
To Sum Up
By embracing a diet rich in plant-based foods, you not only support a healthy microbiome but also provide essential nutrients for growth and development for the whole family. Start incorporating more plant points into your weekly meals and watch as your family's gut health flourishes!
Book Recommendations
If you’re interested in adding more plants to your family’s diet, I would highly recommend these two books.
