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Evening Standard

Lifestyle

Louise Pyne

Are you meeting the 30-plants-a-week target? The surprising foods that count

Tim Spector

Getting your five-a-day used to be considered the gold standard of a balanced diet, but in recent years, there’s been a growing shift away from this NHS-led food health campaign - which was launched back in the early 2000s towards a more dynamic, gut-focused approach to eating.

At the heart of this new wave is the idea of 30 different plant-based foods a week, a concept championed by Dr. Tim Spector, the genetic epidemiologist and co-founder of the ZOE health study and app. This shift stems from an evolving understanding of the gut microbiome, now widely believed to be the foundation of overall health, impacting everything from digestion and immunity to mood and metabolism. Professor Spector’s recipes show some easy ways to increase the plant points in your meals: read more, here.

What are plant points?

So-called ‘plant points’ are a food scoring system that focuses on variety rather than volume. You earn a ‘point’ for each different plant-based food you eat in a week, with the goal of reaching the golden number 30 by the week’s end. It’s a concept that’s quickly growing traction with worldwide searches for ’plant points’ skyrocketing by 170% over the past 30 days.

Upon first glance, achieving the 30 plants a week quota seems like a unrealistic challenge, but luckily it’s easier than you might think because it’s not just fruits and vegetables that count, but rather all plant sources - which is why a growing number of us are catching on to this popular eating style. What this means in practice is that herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and pulses are also classed as good go-to food groups. Plus you can eat different varieties of the same food, and they each count as three separate points. What’s more, you’ll find some surprising ingredients on the bonus list, which makes this eating style one of the most manageable aspects of the plant-based approach.

Tim Spector, the founder of the Zoe app, and some of the dishes from his cookbook (Random House)

The plant point rules

Each plant point must come from a different source. For example, if you eat a serving of strawberries every day for seven days, it still only counts as one plant point, not seven. Herbs and spices used in cooking equate to ¼ of a plant point (therefore, using four different herbs or spices in one dish would equal one full plant point). One serving of powdered whole foods such as a greens powder adds up to 1/2 a plant point.

How to ace your plant point tally

Incorporate plant-rich proteins like beans, chickpeas and lentils into your diet. These not only serve as excellent sources of protein and work well in soups, stews and curries. Seed mixes, bagged salads, plant-based dips, pre-mixed frozen fruits and veg, fresh and dried herbs and spices are also good add-ins. If you’re not used to eating a fibre-rich diet, you might get some gut discomfort at first. The key is to increase fibre slowly to avoid overloading the gut. And when it come to surprising ingredients you’ll find on the plant point eating plan, here are our top treats that will help you smash your points goals:

Popcorn

It’s no secret that fermented foods like kimchi and sauerkraut are digestive health heroes, but popcorn? Well, yes, popcorn is also considered plant point that aids gut health. Popcorn is a good source of fibre which helps to support the gut microbiome - one study carried out by the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources found that popcorn helped to increase production of butyrate, (a short-chain fatty acid that helps to strengthen the gut linking and protect against inflammatory diseases). The caveat? Sweet and salted are banned as these offset the health benefits, so you’ll need to switch to plain varieties for a plant point win.

Max out your plant points: Add a sprinkle of chilli flakes or smoked paprika.

Coffee

A whopping 63% of Brits are coffee drinkers and if a cup of coffee is part of your morning ritual, you’ll be pleased to know that your brew counts as one plant point. The health benefits associated with coffee are plentiful, and when it comes to gut health, your caffeine elixir comes up trumps.

Coffee is rich in antioxidant polyphenols which gut microbes break polyphenols down into bioactive compounds that support anti-inflammatory pathways and protect the gut lining. What’s more, if you don’t tolerate coffee well - deaf and instant coffee also count towards the plant point quota so you don’t need to miss out.

Max out your plant points: Add a dash of unsweetened plant-based milk like oat, soy, or almond milk and a sprinkling of ground cinnamon or cacao.

Dark chocolate

If you're looking for an easy way to boost your plant points, dark chocolate will do the trick. But before you reach for a giant bar of milk-heavy Dubai Chocolate, note that the benefits come from cocoa solids, so in order to reap the gut-friendly perks, opt for chocolate with at least 70% cocoa content, (the darker, the better). In fact, one study found that participants who ate 30g of 85% cocoa content showed improved gut microbiome diversity in just three weeks, along with improvements in mood.

Just like coffee, dark chocolate is rich in polyphenols, powerful plant compounds that help feed your good gut bacteria and support a healthy microbiome.

Max out your plant points: Make your own chocolate bark by swirling melted dark chocolate onto a tray and topping it with a mix of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. Chill until firm, break into shards, and finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon for an extra hit of gut-loving plant goodness.

Dates

Dried fruit is often demonised for its high sugar content, but if you want an easy way to tick off another plant point win, nibble on a couple of dates. Naturally sweet and satisfyingly chewy dates are a gut-friendly powerhouse, rich in fibre and polyphenols that support healthy digestion, (interestingly the fibre actually helps to counteract the sugar content). Regularly eating dates may help reduce symptoms of gut dysbiosis by feeding beneficial bacteria and keeping things moving smoothly.

Max out your plant points: Add chopped dates to plain Greek yoghurt for a healthy snack your gut will thank you for.

Peanut butter

Remember, plant foods don’t have to be fresh. Stocking up on healthy store cupboard staples is a cost-effective, fuss-free way to tally up you plant points and peanut butter is a great way to earn more points. Like all nut butters, creamy peanut butter is rich in protein, healthy fats and fibre making it a great gut supportive snack. Nigella Lawson even makes peanut butter pasta. Opt for crunchy varieties over smooth - the added texture means it takes longer to digest, which can help support better satiety and gut function.

Max out your plant points: Spread peanut butter on slices of banana and top with a seed mix.