Plant Power - How to Get Your "30-A-Week"

How well your body can defend itself against disease and infection is determined by your gut health. If your gut isn't healthy, your immune system can't function properly and you'll be more susceptible to illness. Poor gut health has also been linked with increased inflammation in the body. Over time, poor food choices that cause spikes in blood sugar and unhealthy blood fat levels lead to chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is behind serious conditions like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

Over 70% of your immune system is located in the GI tract. Immune cells in the gut interact with our gut bacteria and these bacteria are directly affected by diet and lifestyle. Too much sugar and processed foods reduces microbial diversity. Our friendly gut bacteria need the complex carbohydrates and fibre that our own cells are unable to digest, so a high fibre diet with lots of different fruits and vegetables will keep them well fed and happy. Aiming to eat 30 different plant foods each week is a great way to make sure that you're giving your microbes what they need.

If you currently fall short of the magic 30, aim to build up gradually. Your gut needs time to adjust so don't try to do too much at once. Here are ten ways to boost your plant-points:

1. Add something extra to a meal - a tin of chickpeas in a stew, some grated carrots or courgettes in a bolognese, or some red lentils in a chicken curry for example.

2. Start a meal with a bowl of vegetable soup or a salad.

3. Add extra herbs and spices. They're full of plant chemicals and give lots of flavour. Every herb or spice adds a quarter of a plant-point to your total.

4. Add some berries and mixed seeds to a Greek yogurt. It makes a great breakfast, snack, or dessert.

5. Throw some mixed nuts into a salad.

6. Try a new fruit or vegetable every week. There are literally thousands of edible plants. Have fun with new flavours.

7. Make cake with veg. Don't stop at carrot cake. Courgettes and beetroot also work in sweet treats. There are lots of recipes online.

8. Snacks like hummus with vegetable sticks, a handful of nuts, or apple slices topped with good quality nut butter add to your total and stop you reaching for crisps.

9. Play with colour. Different colours (red peppers and yellow peppers, for example) contain different phytochemical so you can count them separately.

10. I saved the best for last! Enjoy a square or two of good quality dark chocolate (minimally processed and at least 70% cocoa).

According to a recent newspaper article, most people can't even name 30 different fruits and vegetables so the idea of eating "30-A-Week" seems impossible. The benefits of eating a diverse variety of plants are huge, so it's well-worth making the effort. With a little bit of creativity it's easily achievable.