Reviewed by Dietitian Annie Nguyen, M.A., RD

Two years ago, I started taking a medication that completely transformed my relationship with food—and not in a good way. I’m a food writer, recipe developer and someone who genuinely loves food. I used to pride myself on eating a well-balanced, variety-filled and enjoyable diet, with food being a true source of joy. But after I started this medication, my appetite became temperamental, bordering on nonexistent, for large parts of the day. Adding to that, I spent a year on and off antibiotics for a serious health issue I was dealing with (and am now, thankfully, healed from). So it’ll come as no surprise that I’ve been legitimately worried about my overall nutrition and gut health.

Related: Your Gut Health Affects Almost Every System in Your Body—Are You Doing Enough to Care for It?

To get things back to some level of normalcy, I wanted to commit to a strategy that I could be accountable to, to see if I could begin to create a habit of regularly eating more plants (or plant-based foods). The concept of eating 30 different plants each week for better gut health is touted by gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, M.D., as the ideal approach. And the scientist in me was intrigued. Could recording what I was eating and writing about it be the accountability system I needed to ensure I was eating well, even when eating felt like a struggle? I was down to give anything a try!

Dr. B’s approach isn’t the only opinion in town and, before delving in, I wanted to understand more about why variety, in this case, was the spice of life. When it comes to gut health, there are two competing views. One side argues that diet strongly influences gut bacteria, and the other argues that factors outside our diets play important roles. For example, factors like birth method (whether it’s vaginal or via C-section), medications (especially antibiotics), living environment, household, digestion speed, age, weight and overall health can all influence our body’s unique microbiome and overall wellness. And some experts think volume is more important than variety—meaning that if all you can muster is 6 cups of apples, it’s better than nothing. Despite my low appetite, I appreciate variety, so this approach (at least for now) seemed like a good place to start.

How I Ate More Plants

First, I needed to define what counted as a “plant.” It’s more than just the obvious fruits and vegetables. Herbs, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans and legumes count, immediately making the challenge more approachable. Next, I decided that any reasonable amount would count as a “serving.” While it might not count as an actual serving, it could still count for me in terms of reaching my goal of more variety. It had to be reasonable, though. I couldn’t just have three flaxseeds. I had to have a generous sprinkling on my oatmeal or salad for it to count. Once I’d set the parameters, I started by doing a “plant audit” of my typical week. I wanted to see what my baseline was without even trying. My morning oatmeal with cinnamon, walnuts, hemp seeds and berries already hit four plants. My go-to curry with onions, garlic, ginger, chiles, cauliflower and chickpeas over rice counted as seven. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard after all.

Still, reaching 30 different plants each week required a strategy, especially since there were days when my feeble appetite caused me to skip both breakfast and lunch. So I created a spreadsheet. It was as basic as they come, but I could access it on my laptop and phone, so it allowed me to quickly see my plant intake at a glance and determine whether I needed to beef anything up—pun intended. (A list-based tracker would also work just as well.)

I began adding herbs to everything—cilantro in my scrambled eggs, basil in my lunch bowl, parsley garnishing my dinner. I sprinkled seeds on meals like confetti. I snacked on nuts, fruits and veggies and aimed to make multi-veggie dishes, like lentil and root vegetable soup, chickpea and spinach stew, and green chicken curry with added herbs, or more robust side salads to eat with our meals. Having a meal plan and prioritizing cooking at home were already things that I did, which also helped keep me on track.

Related: 10 Minestrone Soups for Soup Season

My Biggest Challenges Eating 30 Plants a Week

• Breaking out of my comfort zone: My usual meal routine was a sad rotation of the same things: green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers and whatever leftover fruit my kids weren’t eating. The idea of dramatically expanding my plant palette felt overwhelming. This is where the plant audit helped. It allowed me to see that I was already doing more than I gave myself credit for, and it shed light on the areas I needed to improve. I was already eating a decent variety of vegetables and herbs at dinnertime, but I needed to include more whole grains and seeds.

• The time trap: Preparing a diverse range of plants isn’t for the faint of heart (or the perpetually busy), but it also doesn’t have to be that hard. I learned that the idea is more challenging than the reality, especially if you’re someone who already cooks regularly. I leaned into better meal-planning strategies and some simpler preparation methods; relied on canned beans; made a seed shaker, which included a mix of hemp, flax and chia seeds; and tried to go in with a realistic plan.

• Other barriers: Overall, the challenge was easier than I thought it would be. But I want to acknowledge that not everyone can dive into something like this as easily as I did. Some serious obstacles exist. For example, diversifying your plant intake can be more challenging if you live in an area with limited fresh produce or sky-high prices. In this case, frozen fruit and vegetables, canned beans, bulk or online seed and nut orders and other plant-based pantry staples become your best friends. Buying unfamiliar ingredients can also feel risky, especially when grocery costs already pose a challenge. And if you have to contend with social resistance from family or friends, it can be hard to stay committed. Luckily, I didn’t have to deal with these challenges, but I know that’s not the case for everyone.

Related: 21 High-Protein Dinners That Start With a Can of Beans

My Biggest Successes Eating 30 Plants a Week

• Gut feeling (literally): I know “gut health” sounds like a trendy buzzword, but the changes I experienced were real. My digestion felt smoother, my energy levels were more consistent, and—TMI alert—my bathroom visits were decidedly more regular and became something I looked forward to. Before starting this journey, I sometimes felt like I wasn’t fully evacuating, which was uncomfortable and annoying. But the increase in food and fiber helped move things along in a way that felt great.

• Culinary adventurer mode, activated: Once I got into the swing of things, I began branching out and using more ingredients that I enjoy (or feel neutral toward) but don’t eat very often (because of kids and time). On a whim, I picked up a package of pears and a bulb of fennel and whipped up a shaved fennel, celery and pear salad with a fresh parsley yogurt-ranch dressing (that I hurried along with a cheater’s packet mix). With my mandoline, it was quick to prepare, produced a lot of leftovers (if stored undressed) and ended up being something I really enjoyed. Yes, the time challenges are still real, and my kids still didn’t eat it, but it didn’t feel impossible to add to a weeknight meal on top of everything else.

• Feelings matter: I can’t draw blood and show you any actual data, but I certainly felt different. And I don’t think it was a placebo. I felt much more vibrant, less tired and generally more alive. It felt like my body was noticing what I was doing and cheering me on.

• The mental victory lap: There’s something genuinely empowering about setting and crushing a goal. But even just the process of feeding myself better felt like a personal victory. I felt tremendous satisfaction and a massive sense of accomplishment, knowing I was doing something good for myself.

Related: You Just Got a Mandoline—Here Are 17 Recipes You Should Make First

Lifelong Takeaways from 2 Weeks of Eating More Plants

• Know what you need: After the three weeks were up—my audit week, then the two “challenge” weeks—I decided to go cold turkey, take away my spreadsheet and stop making an effort to see if things would be different. Unfortunately, they were. Despite the benefits and ease I experienced during the challenge, I inadvertently went back to old habit patterns. But noticing this was the lesson. I learned that I need a plan and a method of tracking things, and that’s OK. So to continue building stronger habits, I returned to tracking my plant intake.

• Perfection isn’t the point. Some days, I'd barely hit five different plants; others, I’d rack up 15 without trying. What mattered was the overall pattern, not the daily scorecard. I also learned to loosen my standards around my definition of a meal. Sometimes lunch was just a handful of nuts, a couple of fistfuls of arugula, scrambled eggs or chickpeas (straight from the can) and another handful of berries. Other times, it was a thoughtful grain bowl with eight different plants. Both were perfectly fine.

• Strategies are part of the win: Now that I’m more conscious of getting variety in my diet, I have a better arsenal of strategies for nourishing myself on low-appetite days. Simple things like adding extra herbs, throwing in some seeds, cooking beans with meat (especially ground meat) or choosing mixed greens instead of just romaine have become second nature.

The Bottom Line

Looking back on this journey, I’ve realized that part of my problem (with many things in life) is always striving for perfection. When it comes to improving my health, I can’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Some days, I still barely manage to eat, let alone track my plant intake. But I’m doing far better than I was when I started this experiment. What began as a strategy to improve my gut health during a challenging time with appetite and medication evolved into something far more valuable: a motivating, sustainable, flexible approach to nourishing myself that acknowledges my aspirations and reality. And that, imperfect as it may be, feels like a win.

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