RELAX!!! I am not making you vegan. Unless you want to be 😃. I DO want you to add MORE plants into your diet. Why is this the goal for the week??
- The American Gut Project has researched the benefits of having a variety of plants in your gut and it turns out, the more variety, the healthy your gut microbiome (all the microbes that live in your gut). There are several things that can support gut health and perhaps the easiest, most accessible is eating diverse plants to help to replace the good bacteria in your gut. Good microbes mean better nutrient absorption, lowers inflammation and can even support weight loss.
- Fiber – Make fiber sexy again (Was it ever??). Most Americans don’t get enough fiber in their diet. Women should get at LEAST 25 gms of fiber, men 38 gms. Fiber has so many benefits including helping good bowel movements, lowers cholesterol, maintains blood sugar and hormone levels and helps you to achieve a healthy weight.
- Nutrients!! Eating a diverse, colorful selection of plants is like eating a multivitamin. Different shades of plants has different vitamin and mineral profiles and the more diverse, the less of a chance of a deficiency.
YOUR GOAL!! Eat 30 DIFFERENT Plants this week!! I know if may seem overwhelming, but you have 6 days (we are starting a day late due to the 4th, which is 5 PLANTS A DAY! Doable, yes??
So, what do I mean by Plants? It’s not only fruit and veggies. And don’t worry meat eaters, you don’t have to cut meat, just ADD plants which includes:
- Veggies
- Fruit
- Whole Grains (Don’t forget week 1 Ditching added sugar, so look for whole grain breads without lots of added sugar)
- Legumes (Chickpeas, lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc)
- Seeds and Nuts (Pumpkin, sesame, chia, flax, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts, pistachios)
- Olive, avocado, walnut, coconut and flaxseed oil
- Ginger, garlic & turmeric
Tips to succeed:
- Plan ahead
- Shopping Lists
- Freezer options
- Keep a diary
- Add nuts and seeds to everything
- Add plants to smoothies, pasta, rice and eggs
OK, so get shopping, chopping and prepared. If you eat 5 different plants each day this week you will hit your goal! Let me know how you feel as you go!!
xo,
TJ
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