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5 Tips for hitting your 30 plant foods per week

Why eating a varied diet is so important for your overall health

Do you ever find yourself eating the same meals with the same ingredients week after week? Not only is it less than inspiring, but you may be missing out on the different nutrients that different foods can provide. Research shows that having a varied diet reduces your risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease, not to mention improved gut health and greater success with weight loss.

When we talk about reducing chronic disease risk, a “varied” diet means maximising the number of different healthy foods eaten at least once weekly. “Healthy foods” are those that come from each of the five core food groups: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, dairy, and protein. The more variety you can achieve within these groups, the healthier the diet; this way, you will consume a higher intake of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fibre. It also reduces your chances of being deficient in nutrients because you’re consuming a wide variety regularly.

Why are plant foods important?

A variety of plant foods is particularly important when maximising your gut health. Research from the American Gut Project shows that people who consume more than 30 different plant foods each week have a more diverse microbiome than those who consume only 10 (reference https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/mSystems.00031-18). What do we mean by plant foods? Think vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. It might sound a little tricky to achieve 30 different plant foods each week, but if you’re purchasing various fruits, veg, grains and legumes, you’re well on your way.

Lite n’ Easy’s Moroccan Pumpkin & Chickpeas with Pilaf Rice is a great example of a meal loaded with different plant foods. It contains more than 15 different plant foods, including rice, pumpkin, chickpeas, cauliflower, zucchini, tomato, onion, carrot, sultanas, capsicum, currants, shallots, ginger, garlic and chilli. In just one meal, you’re halfway to your 30 per week!

The final, underrated advantage of consuming a varied diet is enjoyment. Boredom is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to sticking with a healthy eating program, and that can stop you from getting the results you want. But if you are eating a wide variety of foods, your diet is more likely to be interesting and enjoyable, making it easier for you to stay on track for longer – and therefore more likely to achieve your goals.

Here are our tips for hitting your 30 plant foods per week:

Make friends with your freezer

You might have the best intentions, but if you’re not currently a huge veggie eater, purchasing a crisper full of the goods is probably going to contribute more to food waste than it is to your dietary variety. Frozen is a great way to go because you can purchase all sorts of veggie mixes (hello variety!) without any concerns about them going bad. Plus there is no peeling or chopping required, just microwave and eat. And best of all, frozen veg is just as nutritious as fresh, because they are harvested when they are at their peak nutrition, and freezing preserves their nutrient content.

You can do it

Canned veg is a last minute cook’s secret weapon. With canned tomatoes, you can have a pasta sauce ready in minutes. Canned corn can be added to salads, and canned kidney beans and black beans can be used to make a quick vegetarian chilli. And let’s not forget canned chickpeas, which can be combined with a jar of tahini from your pantry and some olive oil to make a delicious hommus that’s loaded with plant foods.

Get your garnish on

Nuts and seeds can make a crunchy, healthy and delicious topper for almost any meal. Sprinkle slivered, toasted almonds on curries and pastas. Add mixed nuts to your breakfast cereal or oats. And try sprinkling your salad with a mixture of sunflower seeds, pepitas and sesame seeds – all roasted in a bit of soy sauce for some added flavour and crunch.

Mystery veg challenge

We’ve all got our staple supermarket purchases, but set yourself a challenge to mix things up. Each week, make a point of purchasing one fruit or vegetable you wouldn’t normally buy and make a point of figuring out a fun way to enjoy it. You never know, you could end up discovering new veg that makes its way into your weekly rotation!

Outsource your meal prep

Nowadays we are truly blessed with the number of pre-prepared options available to us, making it even easier to eat well. If the task of chopping your veg is a bit too daunting, take advantage of the pre-sliced and shredded options available at your local supermarket. And there’s nothing wrong with a pre-bagged salad! Or you can outsource the whole shebang, and have a healthy meal provider like Lite n’ Easy do all the hard work for you. With Lite n’ Easy you’ll likely get much more variety than you would with home cooking because you don’t have to worry about excess ingredients going to waste. And just think of all the time you’ll save!