We’ve heard it all before, plant diversity should be the golden rule of eating. This message is reinforced in gastroenterologist, Will Bulsiewicz’s new book, Fibre Fuelled. If you’re interested in gut heath, or just want to learn about how to improve your health more generally, this is a must read. It teaches you the basics about microbiome, how to feed it, the ins and outs of harmful verses beneficial bacteria and the importance and health benefits of fibre.
There are lots of rules around eating in the health space, and we’re all guilty of follow trends and fads from time to time when they appear. But there’s no need to follow these often crazy, restrictive methods. Instead, let’s focus on sticking to a pretty simple habit of diversify the plant-based foods we eat – Dr Bulsiewicz’s research supports this philosophy and credits this way of eating over others to achieve better health outcomes.
So why should we be mixing it up? Because each plant offers you a unique mix of nutrients, and by including a large range of different plant sources, you’re improving your chances of getting every nutrient your body needs to have good health.
From plants we gain fibre, protein, carbs, fats and essential vitamins and minerals. And, there’s a type of nutrient offered only from plants called phytochemicals. There are over 8,000 types of this special chemical and every plant you eat contains a different mix, each with its own health properties. For example, a red grape has the phytochemical resveratrol which has been shown to lower blood cholesterol and protect against blood clotting. By diversifying the range of plants you eat, you’re also increasing your prebiotics, antioxidants and are diversifying your microbiome which is important for healthy gut functioning and immunity.
This salad will help you on your way to getting as many different plants as you can into your diet. Here are some of the ingredients and some examples of how they support your health:
- Broccoli – includes phytochemical indoles, isothiocyantes to protect against certain cancers and boost iron stores.
- White potatoes – surprise! They are an excellent source of prebiotic resistant starch to help you increase your short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that work to increase the healthy bacteria in your gut (one of their many magical health benefits)
- Tomatoes – includes phytochemical lycopene that acts as an antioxidant and can protect against cancer
- Asparagus – includes phytochemical allyl sulfides which lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, and can help reduce cancers and heart disease
- Soybean noodles – contains phytochemicals phytoestrogen (not estrogen!) and isoflavones that help to lower cholesterol, strengthen bones (rich in calcium) and help protect against cancers.
And I haven’t even included the pesto ingredients in this list (pine nuts, basil, garlic, spinach – all rich in wonderful nutrients)!
It’s pretty satisfying to know you can be munching on something so tasty, while feeding your belly with powerful properties to improve your health and prevent illness.
Ingredients
Handful of cherry tomatoes
1 cup of fresh rocket
2 tbsp pesto sauce recipe
1/2 head of broccoli or broccolini, steamed
6 asparagus stalks, steamed
100g soy bean organic noodles (I use Slendier brand from Coles)
3 baby white potatoes, boiled
1 cucumber, peeled into ribbons
Recipe
- Steam veggies and set aside to cool.
- Cut baby potatoes into rough chunks and boil in water for 5 minutes. Add in the soy bean noodles and cook for a further 5 minutes. Drain and cool.
- Place all fresh salad ingredients and steamed veggies into a large bowl. Add warm potatoes and spaghetti and a large serving of pesto from my pesto pasta recipe.
- Mix salad and pesto sauce together and enjoy in the summer sunshine!
