40 plants per week! Are you doing it?

We have a genetic requirement to eat well.  The further we move away from this genetic requirement, the closer we move toward disease.  The quality of our health and the quality of our foods are directly proportional.  Tomas Edison said “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food”.  

We had friends over for dinner a short while ago.  It came up in conversation that apparently, we should be eating a MINIMUM of 35-40 different plants per week.  

I was shocked at first, I thought of my go to salads and side dishes which are often repetitive in nature.  Creatures of habit right?

Then,  I realized that our dinner alone was made up of 18 plants.  Yes, this was an ambitious dinner with some crazy good accoutrements.  But, really, why can’t we focus on meals like this a bit more.  Meals with variety are more inspiring, they keep us creative and they’re certainly tastier. 

For those of you who feel it’s not your jam to spend a bunch of time in the kitchen.  If spending a lot of time in the kitchen doesn’t "turn you on”, you can fast forward the process,  still be creative AND get your 40 plants!  Although, I have to say I truly believe that the prep of food is a large part of the health benefit…something to be said about the TLC and the exchange of energy.

According to Suzanne Dixon, MPH, MS, RD Dietitian & Epidemiologist at the University of Michigan, a plant based diet AND VARIETY are “the best weapon to prevent cancer”(1).

A study published in 2019 found that “Plant‐Based Diets Are Associated With a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All‐Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle‐Aged Adults” (2).

If your go to lettuce for salad is romaine, maybe switch it up to green leaf, kale, parsley, and swiss chard throughout the week.

If your go to nut butter is Almond, maybe implement some tahini.

If your favorite starch is a white potato, bring in some variety with sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets and parsnips.

If you like carrots, think of buying the bunches with the white and purple carrots as well.

Grow or buy a variety of herbs like cilantro, parsley, thyme, oregano and basil and just throw them in your food, you might love what emerges.

Check out this smoothie I made this week (see photo).  It had 15 plants and took about 10 minutes to prep, blend and clean.  

Variety is key.  Our gut microbiome, which largely determines how we function and wether or not we get sick loves diversity.   And don’t get me wrong, I love a good lamb chop or a slow roasted pork shoulder but the plants are non negotiable.  Our relationship with plants has to be nurtured and there’s no end to how enriched it can be because with the proper intention, it can continue to evolve.  

Have fun with this.  I’ve attached a plant food tracker for you to print and see how you do.  Although this might be challenging at first, don’t think of it as a challenge because challenges imply that something is short term.  This is a mindset.  Making it pleasant is a choice.

(1) www.medschool.lsuhsc.edu/urology_dept/LEED_subpages/LEED_Nutrition/plant-based_diet.htm

(2) https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/JAHA.119.012865