I eat 30 plants a week for gut-healthy fiber — without meal prepping. 4 time-saving habits help me hit my goal.

• Kim Schewitz is a health journalist who tries to eat 30 plant-based foods a week for gut health.

• Eating a variety of fiber-rich foods is associated with a healthier gut microbial composition.

• To make it easier to eat more fiber, Schwytz does things like freeze leafy greens.

I try to eat 30 different types of plant foods per week to maintain a healthy gut microbiome.

This may sound like a lot, but I, as a recovering picky eater, can do this without meal prepping (I’d rather spend my precious Sunday afternoons lying around).

When I was a kid (read: young adult), I cringed at the sight of greenery on my plate. I looked at the raspberries and all I saw were unattractive little hairs. Even a slice of buttered whole wheat toast has me running for the door because it tastes so healthy.

About five years ago, I realized I needed to expand my culinary horizons, if not for enjoyment, then for my health. Fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, not only contain micronutrients and vitamins that are essential for body processes and overall health, but are also rich in gut-friendly fiber.

A 2018 study called the American Gut Project found that people who ate 30 plant-based foods per week had more “good” bacteria and fewer “bad” bacteria in their guts than those who ate 10 plant-based foods. This gives me a simple framework for healthy eating.

Gut health is closely related to overall health. In addition to digestion, the gut microbiome (the trillions of microorganisms that live in the lining of the colon) is thought to influence our mood, skin, hormones, immune system, weight, and possibly even cancer risk.

Research shows that a diverse gut microbiome is healthy, and eating a variety of fiber-rich foods (i.e. plants) promotes diversity.

Here are four time-saving habits I’ve developed over the past five years that help me eat 30 plant-based foods each week.

Store leafy greens in the refrigerator

I always keep a bag of spinach and a bag of kale in the freezer and add them to meals that are lacking in vegetables.

Dark leafy greens not only contain fiber but are also rich in chlorophyll, the molecule that gives them their rich color. Chlorophyll is rich in essential nutrients, including iron, magnesium and nitrogen.

It only takes seconds to get a handful of frozen leaves, and I can add them to almost anything I’m cooking, from pasta sauce or curry, to scrambled eggs. It requires no preparation or extra steps and instantly makes any meal more nutritious.

Always have precooked grains on hand

While I can cook vegetables and proteins quickly, I often find that the carbohydrate element of a meal takes the most time to prepare.

When I cook whole grains like brown rice or quinoa, I make extra and freeze it in sandwich bags. I also buy bags of precooked grains, which I like to add to salads or eat with fish and vegetables.

Keeping my pantry stocked with precooked whole grains, dry whole wheat pasta, and frozen whole wheat yeast speeds up cooking and is a great source of fiber.

Maximize fiber with breakfast

I’ve written before about the high-fiber breakfast I eat every day, which includes Greek yogurt, berries, peanut butter, and a selection of nuts and seeds.

I change up the ingredients depending on what I have in the cupboard, but usually it gives me about seven different plant-based foods and about 7 grams of fiber.

It assembles very quickly and helps me start my day with tons of fiber.

Gamification of eating vegetables

I set myself a goal to buy at least three vegetables a week and make sure I eat them before they go bad.

If they don’t go well with my meal, I eat them as a snack. For example, I recently chopped up a whole head of cabbage, cooked it on the stove with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and rice vinegar, then reheated small portions whenever I felt like it throughout the week. It took about 15 minutes.

I found this helpful little challenge to get me into the habit of adding more plants to my diet because of the dopamine I got from “winning” the game.

Now that I’ve established these habits, I no longer worry so much about plant quantities because I know I’m always eating nutritious foods that are high in fiber.

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