Supercharge Your Gut

 

30 Plant Challenge

Eating 30 different plants a week can boost the diversity and health of your gut microbiome. Research shows that having a healthy gut improves digestive health and immunity. Plus eating a wide variety of plants which are rich in polyphenols, antioxidants and prebiotics can reduce your risk for cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. If this sounds overwhelming, remember “plants” include not just fruits and vegetables but also nuts, seeds, spices, herbs, and whole grains. Also, color matters so a red pepper and yellow pepper each count as 1 point towards your goal of 30 per week. There is not a minimum serving size per point-the goal is variety!

Here are some tips for getting more plant types into your diet each week:

• Enhance salads: Nuts or seeds can give your salads a nice crunch; apples or fennel can make them more interesting. Herbs add flavor, and beans or lentils add protein.
• Liven up yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt and kefir are great for your gut. Adding nuts, seeds, or fruit, like berries, takes yogurt to the next level.
• Embrace beans: Beyond adding them to salads and soups, you can make beans into dips or use to replace meat in recipes. Instead of using just one type of bean, try a mix of 2 or 3 kinds.
• Add hidden greens: Leafy green vegetables, like spinach, or finely sliced cabbage wilt quickly when stirred into soups or stir-fries, subtly boosting your meal’s plant count. 
• Meatless Mondays: This is a great way to prioritize plant-based foods at least once a week.
• Bonus Points: Coffee and dark chocolate contain polyphenols and count as 1 point each!

 

Recipe of the Month: White Bean Soup  (10 plant points)

Ingredients:

•   1 tablespoon olive oil
•   1 large onion, chopped
•   3 carrots, peeled and diced
•   3 stalks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
•    1 teaspoon dried thyme   1⁄2 teaspoon dried rosemary
•     1 bay leaf
•      Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•   3 (15-ounce) cans white beans, rinsed and drained
•  4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
•   2 cups chopped spinach
•    1⁄4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
•    Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery; sauté until the vegetables are soft, about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional minute until the garlic is fragrant.
3. Add the white beans and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the spinach and continue to simmer until the spinach wilts, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the Parmesan and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
6. Pour 2 cups of the soup into a blender (or use immersion blender). Blend it until smooth. Pour and stir the mixture back into the pot.
7. Ladle it into bowls. Garnish with Parmesan and parsley.

Katie's Kitchen

Here are the links to some of my favorite everyday plants to have on hand:

Ground flax seed is a great source of soluble fiber and Omega 3 fatty acids. I add it to protein shakes, smoothies and yogurt. I also use it in my energy bites and for a vegan egg-substitute each egg with 1 T ground flax seed, 2 T water. Keep in the fridge once open.

Buy here

These sprouted pumpkin seeds are great on salads and avocado toast. Plus they have 8 grams of protein in 1/4 cup serving!

Buy here

 

This trifecta of healthy seeds are great to add to traditional oatmeal, overnight oats or yogurt. They can also be added to protein shakes. The combination of chia seeds, flax seed meal and hemp hearts provide a great source of soluble fiber and omega-3 fatty acids (plus 3 plant points)       Buy here

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