Vote for us in the Nourish awards!
Want to get clued up on Plant Points and their benefits? Read our handy guide and discover how many Plant Points you can get from our range of deliciously natural plant-based food.
Great, then you’re in the right place. We’ve taken a moment to step away from the veg and tell you everything you need to know about Plant Points. Because times are changing in the world of food. Whilst we’ve been eating our 5-a-day of fruit and veg for years, new studies show that eating 30 different plants per week can help us get even more diversity and goodness into our diet. Here’s how…
30’s not a lot when you think about it over the course of a week. And it includes a whole range of plants – not just the typical fruit and veg we’ve been told to eat (cabbage on repeat? No thank you).
Yep, Plant Points are all about getting a variety of foods into your diet. So alongside your usual fruit and veg, you can count spices, herbs, nuts, grains and seeds. Basically, anything that’s natural and unprocessed. The reason this is so good for you is that eating more fibre-packed plants makes your gut happier. And when your gut is happier, it can lead to better immunity, brain function and blood sugar balance, bags more energy and less of the dreaded grogginess (note: very important).
Get this: different colours of the same ingredient count as separate points.
So if you’ve got yellow and red peppers on your plate. Or orange and purple carrots. Each colour counts as 1 point. Nice.
Don’t worry, you won’t need to get a calculator out just yet.
To help you count your Plant Points, we look at foods in three groups: whole foods, such as fruit, veg, seeds and wholegrains, which are 1 worth 1 point. And herbs and spices, which are ¼ of a point.
To make things even easier, our latest ranges tell you exactly how many points you’ll be getting (and we’ll make sure any new products tell you, too – so watch this space).
Take our Falafacini. Stack them on top of something delicious, such as grains, tenderstem broccoli and drizzle with a green sauce made from basil and pine nuts, and you’ve not only got yourself a seriously great dish. But you’ll have smashed those points out the park.
Back in 2012, the American Gut Project found that eating 30 different plants per week boosts microbiota diversity (in plain English, adds lots of the good stuff to your gut to make it happy and healthy). As a result, they’ve seen obesity and diabetes prevented, as well as cravings curbed due to people being full and satisfied. All through the power of plants.
And they’re not the only ones to think this. Professor Tim Spector, an author, nutritional scientist and co-founder of the personalised nutrition company ZOE, is a firm believer in plants for gut health. Take a look at his top 5 tips for a healthier gut – and you’ll find that eating 30 plants a week is on his list.
Not convinced yet? Here are some more benefits.
✔ Guarantees you’re getting key essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals through a mix of plants
✔ Makes healthy eating more interesting, helping you have a more balanced diet with lots of flavour
✔ Promotes a wider range of food, going beyond typical fruit and veg to include spices, nuts and more
✔ Raises the importance of packing more plant-based food into your diet, encouraging more exploration
✔ Feels more achievable as it’s a weekly target rather than a daily one, and it’s easier to build up points
✔ Highlights the value of plants and brands like us who make it easy for you to get more of them in
