What counts as a plant point? A UK A to Z answer list

Any whole plant food counts as one plant point, once a week: vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds. Herbs, spices, garlic, tea, coffee and extra virgin olive oil count a quarter each. Refined grains, shop bought juice and anything from an animal, honey included, count nothing.

The full A to Z is below. First, the part most lists leave out, which is who decided any of this.

Who decided what counts as a plant point?

Nobody official. The number thirty comes from one study, the American Gut Project, published in the journal mSystems in 2018. More than 10,000 people sent in stool samples and filled in diet questionnaires, and most of them paid towards the cost of taking part. Those who said they ate more than 30 different plant types a week had more varied gut bacteria than those who said they ate 10 or fewer.

That is a link, not a cause. Nobody was given thirty plants and followed up, the diets were self reported, and the authors themselves warn that their volunteers were not a typical cross section of the population. There is no scoring system anywhere in the paper.

The points, the quarter points and the lists of what counts were added later by dietitians and gut health writers. I find the convention useful because it makes you look at your plate differently. It is not NHS guidance, which in England is still 5 A Day. If you want the study in more detail, it is in does rice count as a plant point.

What are the rules for counting plant points?

A plant earns its point the first time you eat it in a week, and after that it is free. Two apples is one point. Wholemeal bread and wholemeal pasta are both wheat, so they share a point, and tofu, edamame and soya milk share one between them.

Fresh, frozen, tinned and dried all count the same. Refined plants are left out, which rules out white rice, white bread and shop bought juice. Herbs, spices, garlic, tea, coffee and extra virgin olive oil score a quarter each because you eat so little of them, and vegetable stock scores a half. Under the looser version of the count, different coloured varieties of one plant score separately, so red and green peppers can be two.

Where a food below says “judgement”, no published version of the count rules on it and the verdict is my reading of the rules above.

Plant points from A to Z

Is a plant point the same as one of your 5 A Day?

No. The two overlap, but they count different things, and it helps to know where they part company.

5 A Day is about fruit and vegetables, and it counts portions by weight, 80g each. Beans and pulses count once towards it however many you eat, and fruit juice or smoothies are capped at 150ml a day. Potatoes are left out altogether because they are a starchy food.

The plant count ignores weight completely. A spoon of linseed earns the same single point as a plate of broccoli, potatoes are in, juice is out, and a tin of beans and a tin of lentils are two points rather than one portion. So a day of five portions might hold only three or four different plants, and a thirty plant week can still have a busy Tuesday that falls short of five portions. I would keep an eye on both rather than swapping one for the other.

Does it matter how much of a plant I eat?

Not for the count. One raspberry and a punnet earn the same point, which is the whole idea: the count rewards range, not quantity.

It does matter for how your gut feels. Going from a handful of plants to thirty in one go means a lot more fibre arriving at once, and that tends to bring on bloating and wind. Two or three new plants a week is a kinder pace, and there is more on why in why more fibre made your bloating worse.

The drinks people ask about most, coffee, tea and hot chocolate, have their own page: does coffee count as a plant point.

How do I keep track?

Write it down for one week before you change anything. Until a week is on paper you are guessing at your starting number, and a list on the fridge or a checklist on your phone settles it within seven days. Tick a plant the first time it appears and ignore it after that.

If you are not sure this is where to start, the which book quiz asks a few questions about your week and points you at the one thing worth your time.

When a food list is not the answer

Counting plants is for someone who feels broadly well and wants more variety. It is not a way to manage symptoms. On the NHS’s own list, you should see a GP if “you feel bloated regularly”, if “you have bloating and unintentional weight loss” or if “you have bloating and also have blood in your poo”. If you have bloating with “a swelling or lump in your tummy”, ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111.