To think 30 different plant based foods is hard to achieve?

[BigYellowTaxiT]

I am trying to overhaul my diet and generally create a healthier lifestyle for myself. I read that dieticians now recommend you should eat 30 portions of different plant based foods a week.

Does anyone actually do this? How do you achieve it? What are your weekly menus? Anyone got any tips?

Thankyou everyone. I am going to try it out next week and see how I get on. 🙂

Today I had the following:

Breakfast
Toast with peanut butter and banana

Lunch
Roasted cauliflower soup
Wrap with hummus and mixed roast veg (onion, peppers, aubergine)

Dinner
Curry made with cherry tomatoes, sweet potato, green beans, peas and spinach

Snacks
Grapes and clementines

That’s 14 plant based foods in 1 day. 30 in a week doesn’t seem that much to be honest

In the last week I would guess I've eaten
Apple, mango, satsuma, pear, banana, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, blueberries(9 fruits)
Kidney beans, lentils, black beans, haricot beans (4 pluses)
Various soya products - tofu, soya milk, edamame beans (1 plant)
Tomato, peppers, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, olives, artichoke, onion, red onion, garlic, kale, mini corn, green beans, potato, bok choi (15 veg)
Not sure if things like bread, oats, chia seeds and that sort of thing count? I would normally be a lot better if I try to concentrate on variety and 'eat the rainbow' and all that.
I don't eat meat, most of our meals are based on vegan protein such as tofu, pulses or seitan.

I always thought he meant 30 a day?

For breakfast, I just had whole meal (1) tortillas with cheese & salsa. Salsa ingredients = tomato, onion, 2 types of pepper, garlic, coriander. Does the salsa count as 7 items WRT the 30/time-period target?

Does black tea count as one of the 30 - why not?

See if you have a local market and if so, when. Ours is in business at 8am on Monday so it would be possible to get all the fruit and veg shopping (typically we spend ~£25 /week for 2, then frozen and canned are on top) done by 8:30.
When we worked in another town we used to go to their weekly market at lunchtime.
This is a 'regular' market where the quality and price of veg are better than supermarket - not one of these newfangled "famers' markets" with ten pound bags of olives and costly organic carrots etc

8 from my breakfast.
Brownies that contain banana,coconut, almonds +3
rye bread with cream cheese, cucumber +2
quiche with some brocoli in it +1
nectarine +1
tea included leek, cauliflower, cabbage, carrots, +4
Think that's 19 today alone.

Getting 11 more might be a challenge, I think I can count on, in next few days: oranges, lentils, oats, pear, peas, dates. That's still only getting to 25. Maybe peach, too...

Turnip
Carrot
Onion
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Celery
Red radish
Daikon
Oat bran
Courgette
Aubergine
Peppers
Mushrooms
Lettuce (head)
Rocket
Lambs lettuce
Watercress
Lemon
Lime
Shirataki noodles
Broccoli
Savoy cabbage
Cauliflower
Green beans
Spring onions
Seaweed
Spinach
Kale
Rhubarb
Pepper
chilli
Turmeric
Paprika
Garlic
Basil
Oregano
Tarragon
Bay leaf
Sage
Rosemary
Parsley
Curry leaf
Cumin
Ginger
Soy sauce
Coriander leaf
Vanilla seeds
Cornflour (a pinch)
Cocoa powder
Mustard seeds

That's at least 34. All the herbs & spices only count as a quarter each as you only eat a tiny amount. I imagine it's a lot easier if you're not low carbing, & don't have multiple food intolerances. It helps that I like vegetables.

I’ve just looked at our shopping list and this week I’ll be eating

Banana
Apple
Pear
Orange
Blueberry
Raspberry
Blackberry
Cherry
Cucumber
Tomato
Lettuce (would we count different types?)
Raddish
Spring onions
Peppers
Okra
Courgette
Aubergine
Spinach
Chickpea
Spring greens
Cauliflower
Brocolli
Onions
Sugar snap peas
Squash
Edamame beans
Baby sweetcorn
Turtle beans
Lentils
Mushroom
Long beans
Fennel
Beetroot
Mango