"Eat 30 plants a week" sounds like a lot until you start counting. Most of us already eat more different plants than we think: the onion in the pasta sauce, the oats at breakfast, the pinch of cinnamon, the handful of peanuts. The challenge is mostly about noticing what's on your plate and adding a little more variety where it's easy.
Below you'll find plain rules for what counts, an easy 30 plants a week list sorted by food group, a way to tally your week on one sheet of paper, and a few ideas for turning it into a shopping list.
What "30 plants a week" means
The idea is simple: over seven days, try to eat 30 different plant foods. It's about variety, not amounts. Eating apples every day still counts as one plant. Eating an apple, a pear and a handful of grapes counts as three.
There's no official scorecard, and different sites count a little differently. The rules below are one common way to count. They aren't taken from the Gut Feeling. guide; they're simply a way many people keep score. Pick the version that makes sense to you and keep it the same all week.
What counts as a plant
Most 30-plant lists use six food groups:
- Vegetables, including potatoes, onions, garlic and leafy greens
- Fruit, fresh, frozen or dried
- Whole grains, like oats, brown rice, barley, quinoa and whole-wheat pasta
- Beans and lentils, like chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans and peas
- Nuts and seeds, including nut butters and seed mixes
- Herbs and spices, fresh or dried
One common way to count:
- Each different plant counts once a week. Carrots on Monday and again on Friday are still one.
- Frozen, tinned and dried all count. Frozen peas, a can of chickpeas and a box of raisins are all plants.
- Herbs and spices count as a quarter point each. Four different spices in one curry add up to one full point.
- Coffee, tea and dark chocolate are often counted as a quarter point too. Include them or leave them out; just be consistent.
- Mixes count by what's in them. A frozen stir-fry bag with broccoli, peppers and baby corn is three plants. A seed mix with pumpkin, sunflower and flax is three.
- Some people count colours separately, so red and green peppers would be two. That's optional.
- Most trackers leave out juice, white flour, white rice and oils. If you're unsure, leave it out and keep going.
The easy 30 plants a week list
Here's a starter 30 plants a week list. You don't need all of it. Circle the ones you already buy, then star two or three you'd like to try.
Vegetables: onion, garlic, carrot, broccoli, spinach, tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, zucchini, sweet potato, potato, mushrooms, cabbage, cauliflower, frozen peas, sweetcorn, lettuce, celery, kale, green beans
Fruit: apple, banana, pear, orange, berries (each kind counts), grapes, kiwi, mango, lemon, raisins, dates, frozen cherries
Whole grains: rolled oats, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, barley, quinoa, popcorn, buckwheat
Beans and lentils: chickpeas, black beans, kidney beans, lentils (red, green or brown), edamame, cannellini beans, baked beans
Nuts and seeds: peanuts or peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, ground flaxseed
Herbs and spices (¼ point each): cinnamon, cumin, paprika, oregano, basil, parsley, black pepper, ginger, turmeric, chili flakes
How to tally it on paper
A plant points tracker doesn't need to be fancy. Here's a method that fits on one sheet:
- Write the week at the top, for example "Mon Nov 2 – Sun Nov 8". Pick a start day and stick with it.
- Number the lines 1 to 30 down the left side of the page.
- Each time you eat a new plant, write its name on the next line. If it's already on the list, skip it. That's the whole check.
- Keep a small box at the bottom for quarter points. Herbs, spices, coffee and tea go here, each with a little tick. Every four ticks, add one line to your total.
- Count once at the end of the week. Lines filled plus quarter points. Write the number at the top, and start a fresh page.
Keep the page where you'll see it: on the fridge, inside a cupboard door or in your planner. Filling it in after dinner takes about a minute.
If you'd like a ready-made page, Gut Feeling., our printable 21-day plan, includes the 30-Plant Challenge and a plant points tracker.
Turn the list into a shopping list
Variety is easier when it's already in the kitchen. Before you shop, look at last week's tally page and ask: which group was thin? Then add one or two items from that group to your shopping list.
A simple 30 plants a week shopping list might look like this:
- One new vegetable you don't usually buy (or a frozen mixed bag)
- One new fruit, fresh or frozen
- A can of beans you haven't had lately
- A grain swap, like barley instead of rice once this week
- A bag of mixed nuts or seeds
- One herb or spice to try in a familiar meal
Pantry staples help because they last: tinned beans, lentils, oats, frozen veg and berries, nuts, seeds and dried spices.
Easy ways to add a few more
You don't need new recipes. Small additions to meals you already make do most of the work:
- Breakfast: add a spoonful of seeds and a second fruit to oats or yogurt. Our post with easy high-fiber breakfast ideas has more quick ideas.
- Soups and sauces: add a can of beans or a handful of lentils, plus one extra vegetable.
- Salads: top with a mix of seeds or nuts instead of one kind.
- Stir-fries: use a frozen mixed-veg bag and count every vegetable in it.
- Snacks: swap one usual snack for a trail mix, popcorn or a piece of fruit you haven't had this week.
- Seasoning: add one spice you don't normally use. Each one is a quarter point.
Keep it light
Thirty is a target, not a test. Some weeks you'll get to 18, some weeks you'll pass 30. Either way, the tally shows you what you ate, and next week's shopping list gets a little easier to write. If 30 feels like a stretch, start with 20 and see how the page fills up.
Want it printed and ready?
If you'd rather not draw your own pages, Gut Feeling. includes the 30-Plant Challenge and a plant points tracker, plus 7 days of meal ideas and a printable grocery list. It's an instant PDF, 24 pages, US Letter size, so you can print it or use it on any device.
Any two guides get 25% off at checkout, no code needed (through Nov 30). Find your guide with the 30-second quiz.
For general wellness only; not medical or dietary advice. Talk to a doctor or dietitian before major diet changes, especially if you have a digestive condition.