There’s little debate about the importance of eating more plant-based foods. These foods feed the microorganisms living in our gut, allowing for a host of health benefits, including fortifying the body to fight disease, TODAY.com previously reported. Avoiding plant-based foods can lead to a less diverse microbiome which may increase your risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.
The good news is that studies show that Americans are willing to make room in their diets for plants and consume less red meat these days.
However, how often you make space on your plate for fruit and vegetables matters, too.
“Eating beans once in a blue moon doesn’t have some magically transformative impact on gut health,” Alyssa Lavy, registered dietitian and owner of Alyssa Lavy Nutrition & Wellness, previously told TODAY.com. Reaping the benefits of plant-based foods calls for consistency and variety.
Dietitian tip of the day: eat 30 different plant-based foods per week
Diversity in your gut is more important than you might know. In fact, a study published by the American Society for Microbiology found that people who ate 30 different plants per week, including herbs and spices, had greater microbial diversity than those who ate 10 or fewer.
Variety in plant-based foods ensures you’re getting the most out of the fiber, probiotics and prebiotics the gut thrives on, Joy Bauer previously told TODAY.com.
Get hundreds of high-fiber, gut-healthy recipes — plus weekly meal plans — in the Start TODAY app.
Why it matters
“Greater diversity equals better health,” Bauer said. Eating a wide range of plant-based foods supports immunity, helps to regulate inflammation, and even benefits mood and brain function, she added.
The perks are threefold:
- You’ll get a dose of fiber, which feeds the good bacteria in our guts, lowers the risk of diabetes and heart disease and supports mental health, TODAY.com previously reported.
- The prebiotics in plant-based foods will do you good, too. Prebiotics are a type of dietary fiber that are difficult for the body to digest, TODAY.com previously reported. Once digested, these scraps become food for the healthy bacteria in our guts which support bone health, calcium absorption, alleviate allergies and boost the immune system, studies show.
- You’ll also benefit from the probiotics some plant-based foods deliver. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that live in the gut. These microbes can help to produce vitamins, absorb nutrients, help with digestion and keep bad bacteria from causing your body harm, TODAY.com previously reported.
How to get started
The best foods for gut health are typically high in fiber, include probiotics and prebiotics, and have little to no saturated fat or sugar, TODAY.com previously reported. You can typically count on all these things when it comes to plant-based foods.
Some high-fiber foods include oats, sweet potatoes, chia seeds, chickpeas and avocado.
When it comes to prebiotics, Bauer recommends bananas, artichokes, asparagus, garlic, onions and beans.
And for probiotics, she recommends yogurt, kefir, kimchi, miso and sauerkraut.
This Banana Breakfast Pudding from the Start TODAY app
If you’re low on meal ideas featuring plant-based eats, Bauer created a three-day gut health meal plan that includes breakfasts such as Pumpkin Banana Pudding, lunches such as Healthier Reuben with Turkey and Sauerkraut, Sweet or Savory Yogurt Dip Cup with fruit or veggies for dunking as a snack, and Miso Salmon with Roasted Artichoke Hearts for dinner. You can also find hundreds of gut-healthy, anti-inflammatory meal plans and recipes in the Start TODAY app.
TODAY’s Expert Tip of the Day series is all about simple strategies to make life a little easier. Every Monday through Friday, different qualified experts share their best advice on diet, fitness, heart health, mental wellness and more.
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