The 30 plants a week challenge means eating at least 30 different plant foods over seven days — each one earns a "plant point." It's based on the 2018 American Gut Project, which found that people who ate 30+ types of plants per week had a more diverse gut microbiome than those who ate 10 or fewer.
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A plant point is one different plant food eaten in a week. The rules are simple:
| Food group | Examples |
|---|---|
| Vegetables | spinach, broccoli, carrot, onion, pepper, courgette, mushroom, beetroot |
| Fruits | apple, banana, blueberry, orange, avocado, tomato, kiwi, pear |
| Whole grains | oats, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, wholemeal bread, barley, rye |
| Legumes | chickpeas, lentils, black beans, kidney beans, peas, edamame |
| Nuts & seeds | almonds, walnuts, cashews, chia, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds |
| Herbs & spices | basil, parsley, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper |
Here's how 30 plants comes together over a normal week — no special shopping required:
That's already 30+ distinct plants. Mixed dishes — a curry, chili, salad or stir-fry — are the fastest way to rack up points, often adding 8–12 plants in a single meal.
Surprises that do count: coffee, tea, extra-virgin olive oil, dark chocolate, and whole-grain flours are all plant-derived and bring polyphenols of their own.
Your gut microbiome is home to trillions of bacteria, and different microbes feed on different plant fibres and polyphenols. The more varied your plants, the more varied the bacteria you can support — and a more diverse microbiome is linked to better digestion, a stronger immune response, and lower risk of several chronic conditions.
The "30" figure comes from the American Gut Project (2018), the largest citizen-science study of the human microbiome, with the UK arm led by Professor Tim Spector. It's a guideline, not a hard cutoff — the real goal is steadily increasing the range of plants you eat.
Yes. With mixed meals, herbs, spices, nuts and seeds counting, most people reach 20+ without changing much. Tracking for one week usually closes the gap.
They count, but for less. Because portions are tiny, this tracker scores herbs and spices as a quarter point each, so they top up your total without dominating it.
Yes — coffee, tea and dark chocolate are plant-derived and contribute polyphenols, so they earn a point each.
Microbiome changes can begin within days of a more varied diet, but consistency over weeks matters most. This tracker runs a 12-week challenge across three phases: Reset, Rebuild, Maintain.
30 Plant Tracker is a free, no-ads, local-first web app. Tick off plants across the six groups, set weekly goals, and watch your diversity score and streaks build.
Want ideas? Browse the full plant points list — 85+ plants by category.