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30 plants a week: what counts and a list to tick off

AI-generated image: Weekly shop unpacked on a kitchen table: beetroot, kale, a leek, mushrooms, apples, a pear, parsley, walnuts and a paper bag of lentils

What counts towards 30 plants a week? Veg, fruit, pulses, wholegrains, nuts and seeds score 1 point, herbs and spices ¼. With a printable list.

The idea behind 30 plants a week is simple: eat 30 different plants over seven days. Each kind counts once, however often you eat it. Here’s what counts as a plant, how SmarTasty does the counting, and a plant points list you can tick off or print.

What counts as a plant?

Five groups score a full point per plant. Herbs and spices score a quarter, because you only eat a little of them.

Plant points by group
GroupPointsIncludes
Veg1 pointmushrooms, potatoes and seaweed too
Fruit1 pointavocado, olives and dried fruit too
Pulses1 pointtofu, tempeh, edamame and peanuts too
Wholegrains1 pointoats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, wholegrain bread and pasta
Nuts & seeds1 pointcoconut, sesame and nut butters too
Herbs¼ pointfresh or dried
Spices¼ pointpepper, cinnamon, turmeric and co.

What doesn’t count

Some lists count coffee, tea, dark chocolate or extra virgin olive oil as a quarter. SmarTasty doesn’t: we only count plants you eat as food.

30 plant points list to tick off

Tick off every plant you eat this week. Veg, fruit, pulses, wholegrains, nuts and seeds are 1 point each, herbs and spices ¼ each. Each plant counts once a week.

Veg (1 point)

Fruit (1 point)

Pulses (1 point)

Wholegrains (1 point)

Nuts & seeds (1 point)

Herbs (¼ point)

Spices (¼ point)

Want it on paper? Use ‘Print the list’ and choose ‘Save as PDF’ in the print window to get a PDF.

SmarTasty counts for you. Log recipes, photos or barcodes and SmarTasty counts the plants as you go. Your number for the week is in the Weekly review of your Food Diary. Count your plants in the app.

How to get to 30

Example day: 15 plant points
MealWhat’s on the platePoints
BreakfastOats with apple, walnuts, linseed and cinnamon4¼
LunchLentil salad with tomatoes, cucumber, lemon and parsley4¼
DinnerChickpea curry with cauliflower, spinach, onions and ginger, served with brown rice, spiced with turmeric and cumin6½

A day like this already gets you 15 of 30. You pick up the rest on other days with new ingredients.

More ideas: recipes with fibre & variety, high-fibre recipes and how to eat 30 g of fibre a day.

Where the 30 comes from

The number 30 comes from the American Gut Project, a large citizen science study with stool samples and questionnaires (McDonald and colleagues, 2018). In that study, people who ate more than 30 different plants a week had a wider range of gut bacteria in their samples than people who ate 10 or fewer.

That’s an observation, not proof of cause and effect. Think of 30 as a guide, not a fixed line.

High-fibre recipes: everyday recipes with pulses, wholegrains, veg and seeds

Frequently asked questions

What counts towards 30 plants a week?

Veg, fruit, pulses, wholegrains, and nuts and seeds count 1 point each; herbs and spices count ¼ each. Each plant counts once a week.

Do herbs and spices count as plant points?

Yes, a quarter each. Four herbs or spices make one point.

Do coffee, tea and chocolate count?

Not at SmarTasty. Some lists count them as a quarter. We only count plants you eat as food – so no drinks, oils or sweets.

Do frozen and tinned veg count?

Yes. Frozen peas and tinned chickpeas are the same plant as fresh ones.

Does the same plant count more than once?

No. Each plant counts once a week, in whatever form. The count starts again on Monday.

Is there an app that counts plants?

Yes. SmarTasty counts as you log your food, and the app is free to download. Your number is in the Weekly review of your Food Diary.

Is there a 30 plants list as a PDF?

Use ‘Print the list’ under the checklist above and choose ‘Save as PDF’ in the print window.

Sources

  1. McDonald, D., et al. (2018). American Gut: an open platform for citizen science microbiome research. mSystems, 3(3), e00031-18. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29795809/