This week, I noticed a theme showing up again and again in nutrition research:
Eating more plants supports the gut microbiome, strengthens the intestinal barrier, and benefits a wide range of conditions.
Exciting that plants are getting attention? Absolutely.
Groundbreaking? Not really.
We’ve known for a long time that eating a variety of whole, plant-based foods is key for gut health and can lower the risk of diseases, including IBD.
The real challenge? Making it doable—especially for people with IBD who may need to follow a low-roughage diet.
That’s why I was so excited when one of my patients with Crohn’s set a goal to eat 30 different plants in a week… and actually pulled it off! 🎉
Here’s what her plant count looked like across the week:
- Smoothie: banana, blueberries, baby kale, oats, chia seeds, peanut butter, cherries (7)
- Homemade sweet potato fries (1)
- Mashed avocado (1)
- Hummus with peeled cucumber slices (2)
- Yogurt with flax, walnuts, strawberries (3)
- Cantaloupe (1)
- Pesto with pasta: basil, parsley, spinach, pine nuts (4)
- Chicken veggie stew: carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, green beans (5)
- Poached salmon with dill + zucchini (2)
- Apple with almond butter (2)
- Olives (1)
- Wilted spinach with eggs (1)
✅ Total: 30 unique plants.
(And that’s not even counting garlic, tahini, or fresh herbs!)
👉 Quick note: The “30” comes from the American Gut Project, which found people who ate 30+ plants per week had more diverse gut microbiomes. But the real goal isn’t a number—it’s variety.
For some, adding just one vegetable a day is a huge win.
