How To Eat 30 Plants a Week To Boost Gut Health, According to Tim Spector

Time and time again, medical experts have told us to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. The NHS recommends eating five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day, known as the 5 A Day campaign.

But, epidemiologist Tim Spector took things further and now recommends that people eat 30 or more different types of plants a week to maintain a healthy gut microbiome.

Speaking to Yahoo UK, Spector revealed why we should be eating more than ‘5 A Day’, and just how we can achieve it. His recommendation first came to light after he led the British Gut Project, which was part of the American Gut Project, a collaboration of researchers and volunteers from the US, the UK and Australia.

The results of the research showed that participants who ate 30 or more different plants per week had more diverse gut microbiomes, and were more likely to have certain “good” gut bugs and bacteria compared to those who ate only 10.

Since then, Spector – who is the co-founder of the personalised nutrition programme ZOE – has spread his advice far and wide, in hopes that people will aspire towards the goal of eating a more diverse diet of plants to improve their gut health.