When I was a kid my mother would put a bowl of steamed brussels sprouts on the dinner table and leave us with no choice but to eat them. I remember hating the way she prepared them, therefore despising them altogether. We’ve all heard the saying “eat your vegetables, they’re good for you”. But I didn’t actually understand why plants were so beneficial until much later in life. Come to think of it I don’t think my parents knew either.

This isn’t to attack the omnivores like myself or suggest that the vegans and vegetarians have it all figured out, it is to simply share research on the health benefits of consuming different types of plants throughout the week in larger quantities.

I grew up in the 90’s, which means my generation was filled with processed, and packaged foods. My lunches and snacks consisted of dunk-aroos, cheese wiz, wonder bread, kraft singles, etc. I know my parents did the best they could and like most parents of that time they were susceptible to the brilliant marketing on television and food packages. When we did have vegetables as part of our meals, they were usually over boiled and lacked seasoning. Suffice to say I did not respect plants as I should have.

Our society became obsessed with keeping track of their daily calories. In doing so we were promised that this would aid in weight loss, but this practice isn’t really sustainable. So what if there was a better, healthier way to lose weight, nourish your body, and properly nurture your gut microbiome without the daunting task of logging calories.

In a 2019 study, they found that people who consumed more than 30 different types of plants a week had a much more diverse gut microbiome than people who ate 10 or less types of plants a week


Why is a diverse gut microbiome important?

The simple answer is that having a diverse microbiome allows us to have a more stable, capable, and resilient gut.

Why is stability important? This allows our digestive system to function at a more optimal rate, can help us expel pathogens more easily, and reduces overall inflammation. When we have overgrowth of “bad” bacteria or imbalance, we start to experience negative effects all throughout the body. In recent years it’s become widely believed that all disease begins in the gut. So we must constantly nurture its inhabitants to strive for balance, which is essentially striving for better health.

The people who were included in this study involved both meat eaters and vegetarians from different parts of the world with vastly different diets, but all consumed large quantities and varieties of plants in their weekly diets.

You may think that consuming 30 different types of plants a week is difficult, but when you start to add 2 to 3 types of vegetables to your breakfast, lunch and dinner it is fairly easy to hit that target!

Stepping away from the fact that increasing diversity is important, we also need to remember that plants contain two very beneficial things that can help support overall health and immunity.

Fibre:

  • Fibre from plants provides us with the ability to soften the stool to help with constipation.
  • Acts as a scrub brush to help clean out the colon which can reduce the risk of colon cancer.
  • Considered a prebiotic to “good” gut bacteria, being food for them.
  • Helps manage blood sugar levels, showing reduced risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • Studies have shown that increasing fibre intake can lead to weight loss.

Polyphenols:

  • Helps lower blood sugar levels
  • Antioxidant properties that reduce oxidative stress which help fight and prevent inflammation and support cellular health.
  • Polyphenols have been linked to improved cognitive function due to their neuro-protective properties. Even suggesting that frequent consumption can assist in reversing age related cognitive decline, and improving memory.

References:

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/12/2862/htm?irclickid=VuORv2ybfxyLTjVxTSQPxVT4UkEQD92prSCKzw0

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3921/11/6/1212

Written by

Amanda Rader | Certified Nutritional Practitioner