Up your plant food game: increase dietary diversity for a healthier gut

When people talk about gut health, they often jump straight to probiotics, skipping over the foundation — feeding existing gut microbes a wide selection of plant foods. A variety of plants offer different fibers, resistant starches, and polyphenols that fuel beneficial microorganisms and support a diverse, resilient microbiome. In recent years, scientists have revealed a simple yet powerful guideline for boosting your gut microbiome — aim for at least 30 unique plant foods each week.

What Does a “Healthy Microbiome” Even Mean?

Your gut microbiome is an ecosystem of bacteria and other microbes living in mostly in your large intestine. Bifidobacteria, Lactobacilli, Akkermansia, Faecalibacteria, and selected strains of Streptococcus and Clostridium are part of a balanced microbiome. A healthy microbiome supports digestion, trains the immune system, produces vitamin K and B vitamins, and creates metabolites (e.g., short-chain fatty acids) that can influence inflammation and metabolism. While there’s no single “perfect” microbiome, research often links greater microbial diversity and higher production of short-chain fatty acids with gut barrier support and healthier immune signaling. The gut microbiome has also been linked to metabolic and brain health.

Why Plant Diversity Matters (and where “30 plants per week” comes from)

The American Gut Project (now part of UC San Diego’s Microsetta Initiative), analyzed the gut microbiomes of over 10,000 participants from the US, UK, and Australia, setting out to figure out the connections between our diets and the trillions of microbes living in our digestive system. Findings indicated that people who regularly consumed more than 30 different plant foods per week had noticeably more diverse gut microbiomes than those who ate fewer than 10. A plateau effect was observed after reaching 35–40 different plants — additional diversity didn’t result in more significant benefits. So, the “30 plants” benchmark became a practical target that’s gained traction over the last few years.

Want a healthier gut? Aim for 30 different plant foods a week! Variety feeds your microbiome and boosts digestive health. #GutHealth #PlantDiversity #Microbiome #saslife
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Why Plant Variety is More Important than Fiber Alone

Plant benefits extend beyond total fiber intake—it’s about variety. Different plant foods offer different combinations of fibers, resistant starches, and polyphenols giving your gut microbes a broader mix of fuel to work with. The variety helps support a more diverse, resilient intestinal ecosystem, which in turn supports immune function and overall health.

Prebiotics

Some plant foods are high in prebiotics — compounds that are especially good at feeding beneficial gut microbes. Think of prebiotics as fertilizer for good gut bugs. As gut microbes break down these compounds, they produce helpful byproducts, including short-chain fatty acids, which support the gut lining, immune signaling, and overall digestive health.

By including a wide range of prebiotic-rich foods, you nurture the variety of beneficial microbes that help regulate digestion, immunity, and gut-brain communication.

If you are not currently getting much fiber, increase gradually (over a few weeks) and drink enough fluids to decrease the chance of having uncomfortable digestive side effects. Also, if you have a gastrointestinal condition such as IBS, IBD, or SIBO, increasing plants in your diet can sometimes be tricky. Consider getting personalized guidance from a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist or a health care provider trained in this area before increasing these foods.

Hitting the 30 Plants per Week Target: What Counts as a Plant Food?

You might think “plant foods” means just fruits and vegetables, but the guideline is much broader, giving you many tasty ways to hit your target of 30 per week. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, and minimally processed foods that contain them all count. Keep in mind:

Variety beats volume. Eating blueberries every day is great, but for the “diversity” goal, it still counts as one plant type for the week.

Herbs and spices are an easy win. Even small amounts add new plant compounds; they’re an easy way to rack up variety without a lot of fuss.

Frozen, canned, and dried all count (just watch out for added sugar, salt, etc.). Frozen berries, canned beans, and dried herbs can make variety much easier.

Refined plant products, such as juices and processed grains, and starchy vegetables that have been stripped of fiber and other nutrients (e.g., white bread, pasta, white rice, prepackaged French fries, tortilla chips, potato chips) don’t count.

Gut-friendly Standouts

Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, black beans): a two-for-one: fiber + resistant starch + prebiotic GOS. Add lentils to salads, blend white beans into soups, or use hummus as a snack dip.

Oats and barley: rich in beta-glucans that many beneficial microbes love. Try overnight oats topped with berries and seeds or add barley to soups instead of pasta.

Nuts and seeds (walnuts, chia, flax, pumpkin seeds): provide fiber plus polyphenols and healthy fats. Add a “seed mix” to yogurt, oatmeal, or vegetables.

Berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries): fiber + polyphenols that interact with (and are transformed by) the microbiome. Use frozen berries for smoothies or stir into oats.

Extra-virgin olive oil: not a fiber source, but its polyphenols seem to support beneficial microbes. Use it as a dressing or finish on cooked vegetables and beans.

Fermented vegetables: contain live microbes, fiber, and beneficial postbiotics. Try a small serving of kimchi, sauerkraut, or sliced fermented pickles with grain bowls or eggs.

A Realistic Way to Rack Up Variety Quickly

Aim to include 3–5 plant foods with each meal. Make it convenient by keeping a variety of frozen vegetables, canned beans, frozen fruit, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices on hand.

Here’s a simple approach:

Breakfast: 1 whole grain + 1 fruit + 1–2 add-ins (seeds/nuts/spices)
Example: steel cut oats + blueberries + chia seeds + walnuts + cinnamon
Or something like this: Overnight Steel Cut Oats

Lunch: 1 legume + 2 vegetables + 1 herb/spice + optional fruit
Example: chickpeas + spinach + tomatoes + cumin + apple
Or something like this: Ground Beef, Spinach & Chickpea Power Bowl

Dinner: 1 non-starchy vegetable + 1 starchy vegetable + 2 herbs/spices + 1 frozen fruit for dessert
Example: broccoli with garlic + Yukon gold potato with rosemary + frozen cherries
Or something like this: Thai Cucumber Salad

And don’t forget to include a good source of protein with each meal to round it out!

Ready to get started? Use this checklist for inspiration!

Looking for more ways to nourish your gut? Check out this blog!

Thai Cucumber Salad

Serves 4-6
Recipe adapted from: Gimme Some Oven
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Ingredients

Salad
2 English cucumbers, sliced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
½ of a small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup chopped fresh mint
½ cup chopped peanuts
optional toppings: toasted sesame seeds, crushed red chili flakes

Thai Vinaigrette Dressing
3 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp avocado oil (or olive oil)
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey, or to taste

Instructions

To make the dressing, whisk the lime juice, oil, rice vinegar, fish sauce, garlic, and desired amount of sweetener together in a small bowl until combined. (Or add all ingredients to a glass jar, cover, and shake vigorously until combined.)

Combine the cucumbers, green onions, red onion, cilantro, mint, and peanuts in a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing, then toss until combined.

Serve immediately, garnish with your desired toppings, or cover and refrigerate for up to one day, then serve the salad chilled.