Count Your Plants

In order to create an optimally diverse and resilient microbiome, I shoot for a minimum of 30 different plants a week. I find that if I group them into different food types, it is easier for me to keep track, and I can see where I am doing well and where I could improve the following week. Here was my list for last week:

I tend to do fairly well in the veggie department. I very consciously seek out different vegetables and I try to always include several different kinds of mushrooms. Note that you can count similar foods separately. A russet potato is not necessarily eaten by the same microbes as a Yukon gold potato, so feel free to count them both. If you ate both a navel orange and a satsuma, you could count them both. A red garnet yam isn’t the same as a Hannah yam. You get the idea.

I love fruit, so no problem there. I also tend to do well in the fresh herb and spice section, as I really enjoy these flavors and add them to most of our meals and dressings. However, I could up my whole grain game. I often eat the same few whole grains each week. Maybe we will have some millet or a wheat berry salad this week?

Finally, you can see that I’ve got the nuts and seeds category dialed in well, but I could add in more legume varieties, and my fermented/probiotic foods category is sorely lacking. I definitely need to buy some sauerkraut or kimchi for the coming week.

Counting in this way helps me to see where I can improve my plant diversification for the subsequent week. I don’t always count, but when I do, I find it to be a helpful tool in improving my health. Give it a try and ring in and let me know how you do. Which areas are easy and which do you find more challenging?

Wishing you happy counting this week!
🌱💕