Join the "30 a week Challenge"
Nutrients are super important for both physical and mental health. Without nutrients we will die! Lacking in essential nutrietns can affect both our physical and mental health. In recent years, we have also become aware that the good microbes that live in our gut are equally important! Research shows that those who eat 30 or more DIFFERENT plant species per week have a greater diversity of good bacteria in the gut.
Are you eating enough nutrients every week? Join the "30 plants a week Challenge". Keep score and find out if you're eating varied enough!
Download the chart below, fill in every week and see if you eat 30 different plant every week!
Send a photo of you and your chart to solveig@livenaturally.org.uk, or send on Whattsapp or Telegram to 07879440156 and you will be entered into a draw where you can win £50. The competition last to the 31st of May.
What counts as points?
Fruit and Vegetables
Every fruit and vegetable you eat counts as a point. If you eat an apple on Monday and a pear on Tuesday, you get 2 points. If you make a salad with many different vegetables, you can get a lot of points, maybe 7, 8, 9 or even 10 points! Variety is important and don't eat too much of one thing.
Starchy foods
Starchy foods such as potatoes, pasta, rice, oats, barley, spelt, wheat, rye, quinoa and millet give one point. If you make a bread with spelt, rye and wheat, one slice can give you 3 points. For dinner, for example, you can replace 1/3 of the rice with quinoa, giving you another point.
Beans and Lentils
Beans and lentils are plant species, they also contain a lot of fibre and protein, so its important to include beans and lentils in your diet. For example, hummus made from chickpeas, white beans, kidney beans and lentils all score one point each.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds contain antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fats and proteins. But nuts and seeds also contain anti-nutrients, so make sure you don't eat too much. If you have a balanced stomach, then the guidelines are 30 grams, a small handful. If your stomach isn't that strong, it's a good idea to start with just a few nuts and seeds per week.
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices are good for health so they will give plant points. But because one eats a very small amount, you get 1/4 point for each spice you use. If you make a curry or season the chicken, and use a lot of spices, it's easy to get a few points here too!
Click on the download button below to download your own chart and send a picture of you and the completed chart to enter the competition!
But even though some I good, it doesn't mean that more is even better. Natural foods contain nutrients but also anti-nutrients or natural acids that are natural substances and not harmful in small amounts, but if you eat TOO MUCH of certain foods, you can experience unwanted symptoms.
Example of this are phytates found mainly in seeds, grains, and legumes and lectins found in all plant foods, especially in seeds, legumes and grains.
Other substances you can react to are salicylic acid, biogenic amines and oxalates. Problems often arise if you eat too large quantities of certain food groups, especially if you follow a strict diet where you exclude many food groups from your diet, as it often leads to an excess of something else.
Therefore balance is best.
Government guidelines recommend 2 handfuls of fruit per day and 3 handfuls of vegetables, so make sure you're not eating too much fruit. Most people need to eat more vegetables and less fruit!
Do you want to learn more about how to improve your physical and mental health through making positive changes to your diet? Join for the 6 weeks online learning course starting 29th of April 2024.