30 plant foods to eat each week
Eating 30 plant foods a week is a bit like the new five-a-day. It encourages you to eat a wide range of colourful fruit and veg, wholegrains, nuts and seeds to benefit from the various nutrients, which will boost the beneficial bacteria in your gut
Below, you'll find 30 recipes including foods which count towards your plant points, to keep you inspired all week. Before you start, make sure you read our guide on how to eat 30 plant foods a week.
Next, discover the best high-fibre foods to add to your diet, top recipes for a healthy gut and how to improve your gut health.
30 plant foods to add to your diet
Vegetables
1. Green beans
Add cooked green beans to this nutritious grains, greens and beans salad with pesto dressing that's guaranteed to rack up your plant points.
2. Rocket
Serve dressed rocket on the side of all your favourite dishes, including this Italian-style chicken parmigiana topped with tomato and cheese.
3. Sweet potato
You'll get nearly 10 plant foods in this comforting sweet potato and chickpea curry. Plus, sweet potatoes are rich in protective antioxidants.
4. Broccoli
Add in whatever veg you have in the fridge that need using up to this speedy broccoli stir-fry. A handful of toasted cashew nuts would take your plant points up a notch.
5. Peas
You can still tuck into comforting risotto while getting in your plant foods, try this pleasing green pea risotto.
6. Spinach
If you're craving a curry, go for fragrant palak paneer, it's made with turmeric, ginger, chilli and spinach.
Fruits
7. Blueberries
Whizz up a refreshing blueberry smoothie for a healthy breakfast.
8. Orange
Add citrussy segments to a beetroot, orange and feta salad for a wholesome light lunch.
9. Dates
Add a touch of sweetness to this pepper, date and harissa tagine, you could even serve with quinoa to get yourself another plant food.
10. Bananas
If you need a little afternoon pick me up, enjoy a slice of healthy banana bread, with a cup of tea of course.
11. Apples
Waldorf salad is a delicious combination of fresh and crunchy. Slices of apple and grape add sweetness, while walnuts provide good fats.
Wholegrains
12. Quinoa
Get double the protein and double the plant points by making a quinoa and black bean chilli. Top with coriander and avocado for a few more.
13. Oats
Cut back on sugar and processed foods by making your own healthy granola. This way you can ramp up the plant foods by adding extra nuts, seeds and spices, along with the oats.
14. Barley
Rather than making risotto with white rice, try mushroom pearl barley risotto with roasted carrots.
Legumes
15. Chickpeas
Think outside the box when it comes to sides, instead of always opting for mash or rice, try chickpeas. This seared pork loin with harissa chickpeas should do the trick.
16. Kidney beans
An easy win with kidney beans if to add them to vegan chilli, along with vegan mince.
17. Black beans
For a meat-free Mexican night, it's got to be sweet potato and black bean tacos. Simply fill, wrap and eat for a 10/10 family meal.
18. Lentils
Not only will you benefit from fibre-rich lentils, you'll give your good gut bacteria a boost with this miso-roasted cauliflower, avocado and lentil salad.
Nuts and seeds
19. Sunflower seeds
Try this gluten-free goat's cheese salad with candied sunflower seeds and cranberries for a light lunch.
20. Walnuts
For a low-calorie, nutritious lunch try this raw cauliflower, walnut and apple salad with a heart-healthy extra virgin olive oil dressing.
21. Cashews
Nuts are an easy way to rack up a few more plant foods in your meal. Instead of a simple chicken stir-fry, make it a chicken and cashew stir-fry instead. Throw in whatever veg you need to use up, we've gone for celery and peppers.
22. Pine nuts
A handful of toasted pine nuts adds a nice crunch to many dishes. Alternatively, use them to make your own pesto – it's easy and unprocessed, unlike the shop-bought version.
23. Chia seeds
For an indulgent start to the day, try these PBJ breakfast parfait pots. The healthy take on strawberry jam is made with chia seeds and you'll get an extra point for the peanut butter, as nut butters count as plant foods.
24. Pumpkin seeds
Add a crunchy sprinkle of mixed seeds, including pumpkin and sesame, to this zingy roast sweet potato, chipotle and orange soup with paprika seeds.
Herbs and spices
25. Rosemary
Serve this Cajun salmon with rosemary sweet potato wedges and you'll get plenty of good fats, fibre, antioxidants and an extra plant point for the rosemary.
26. Coriander
Making your own soup instead of buying shop-bought is a great way to up your plant foods. This brightly coloured, soothing carrot and coriander soup has fresh coriander stirred through and sprinkled on top. As well as homemade croutons, for added crunch.
27. Ginger
You'll get plenty of benefits from this turmeric and ginger butter bean stew, as butter beans are high in fibre, turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties and ginger is believed to aid digestion.
28. Cinnamon
Mix up your morning overnight oats to get more plant foods. Add nut butter, berries, seeds or spices – cinnamon brings a delicious, warming flavour.
Surprising additions
29. Coffee
Coffee beans are seeds, so a black coffee counts as a plant food. Just make sure not to overdo it on the caffeine, as it may lead to headaches or poor sleep.
30. Dark chocolate
As long as the chocolate you choose is minimally processed and at least 70 per cent cocoa, you can benefit from a couple of squares. That's because cocoa beans, which are used to make chocolate, are seeds.
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