If you’re the kind of person to eat the same five vegetables and two fruits on rotation, this is for you! Plant diversity is incredibly important to maintain a healthy gut because the bacteria that lives in your digestive system LOVES to eat different kinds of fibre and antioxidants that plants are rich in. If you sat down and wrote a list of every different food you’ve eaten today, how many foods would be on it? The goal is to increase the diversity of your ingredients to twenty – and these helpful tips will help you achieve this!

Endeavour graduate Caitlin Rule at @goodnessavenue shares her favourite tips for incorporating plant diversity into your daily meals to help you stay healthy and meet your daily needs, at every meal of the day:

• Morning smoothie: Alongside your berries and alternative milk, why not add some leafy greens, frozen cauliflower, zucchini, or different fruits?
• Breakfast: Making avo on toast? Try adding shredded greens like kale and spinach to bulk it out. Or if you’re having an omelette, add veggies like mushrooms.
• Morning tea: To give your banana bread an added nutritional boost, try adding shredded zucchini or carrots.
• Afternoon snack: Upgrade your snack plate! Skip the crackers and opt for sliced veggie sticks and fruit instead.
• Dinner: Steam some carrots, cauliflower, or broccoli and blend it to add a “cheesey” sauce for your pasta dinner

Want some other ways to increase your fruit and veggie intake? Why not try these simple swaps:

• Wholegrain, wholemeal, or mixed grain toast instead of white bread
• Brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice with curries
• Grate your broccoli stalks and add them to your stir-fries and soups (this also works to avoid food wastage!)
• Stew apples or pears with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and add as a topping for yoghurt or porridge

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