Gut Health and the Garden: The Benefits of 30 Plants a Week
If you haven't noticed, the gut has gotten a lot of attention in health and wellness news lately. Scientists have discovered that the gut is connected to mental health, immune function, digestion and nutrient absorption, skin and cognition, so keeping a gut healthy is a hot topic. While you might be dubious of a new health fad, I personally appreciate the crowd-sourced study from 2018 dubbed "the American Gut Project” in which 10,000 citizen-scientists sent samples to compare data on their diets and important health indicators. The group showed how we don’t need to subscribe to a specific diet like Keto, Paleo, Whole30 or the Mediterranean diet. Instead, we should strive to consume a diversity of plants. According to the data, there was a marked difference in the health of participants who consumed at least 30 diverse plants a week as opposed to those who consumed fewer, repetitive plant sources.
Lo and behold, with the same determination that drives me to close the rings on my Apple Watch or sleep seven hours every night, I'm now striving to eat 30 plants a week. But if you ask me, it’s even easier to grab an array of plants from the garden than it is to plan a menu from the grocery store… I’ve got tons of herbs, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggplants and beans, how about you? Check out this “Gut Diversity from the Garden" menu on the blog and let us know if you give this challenge a try.
Monday Breakfast:
Homemade Granola, Yogurt, & Fruit
From the Garden: Fall Gold Raspberries
Other Plants Included: Oats, Almonds, and Blueberries
Running total: 4
Monday Dinner: Veggie Ramen
From the Garden: Green Onions, Carrots, Okra, Jalapeños
Other Plants included: Brown Rice and Quinoa Noodles
Running total: 10
Tuesday: Dips for Dinner— Homemade Hummus and Pico de Gallo with Corn Chips
From the Garden: Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapeño, Serrano, Cilantro Microgreens
Other Plants included: Chick Peas, Sesame Tahini, Lemon Juice
Apparently corn chips don’t count which is lame, but it’s OK, I can still get 30 without them!
Running total: 15
Wednesday Dinner: Steak& Potatoes and Green Beans
From the Garden: Green Beans, Ginger and Garlic
Other Plants included: Potatoes
This one is my dad’s fav. I am proud to say I have last June’s garlic harvest in my freezer, and I’m about to harvest my first ginger root. Green bean recipe here.
Running total: 19
Thursday Breakfast: Basil Pesto
If you make this pesto, you will use it on EVERYTHING, but for the sake of this post, I highly recommend you mimic Dozen Bakery’s egg sandwich. (If you haven’t visited, you must. It’s phenomenal. Oh, and grab their oatmeal bread for your sandwich.)
From the Garden: Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil
Other plants included: Lemon and Olive Oil
Running total: 21
Friday Lunch: Big Salad and Chicken Nuggets
From the garden: Lettuce, Parsley, Carrots, Tomatoes
Running total: 24
Friday Dinner: Spiced Eggplant and Tomatoes With Runny Eggs
I’ve become a bit obsessed with eggplant this month because I have now harvested more than 15 of them, and when I’m hungry, there are always more. If you’ve shied away from them, try them again! They have an incredibly creamy texture, and I have experimented with at least three NYTimes recipes this month. For the sake of plant diversity, I love this one.
From the Garden: Eggplants, tomatoes, garlic, dill or whatever herb combo
Other Plants included: Pine nuts, Lemon
Running total: 26
Friday Nightcap: Herbal Tea
From the Garden: Fennel Seed, Peppermint & Spearmint
Other Plants included: Ginger, Dandelion Root
Running total: 31, I think :)
