In summer, eating a colourful and varied diet comes easily. Fresh berries, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and crisp salads are everywhere, and much of it grows right on our doorstep. But when the days get shorter and the range of fresh, locally grown vegetables becomes more limited, many of us quickly end up with less variety on our plates.

Yet autumn and winter cuisine has plenty to offer. Root vegetables, cabbage, legumes, nuts and seeds provide different types of fibre and phytonutrients that are also beneficial for our gut microbiome.

In this article, you’ll find tips on how to add variety to your winter meals with seasonal foods while supporting your gut microbiome.

Why Plant Diversity Matters for Your Gut Microbiom

Billions of microorganisms live in our gut, including bacteria, viruses and fungi. Together, they form the gut microbiome. It is involved in numerous processes: it supports digestion, produces certain vitamins and metabolic compounds, influences immune function and is also connected to our nervous system via the gut–brain axis.

What we eat affects which nutrients and substances are available to these microorganisms. Dietary fibre and other indigestible plant components are particularly interesting in this respect.

While we can barely digest, or cannot digest at all, some types of fibre ourselves, they serve as food for certain gut bacteria. During fermentation, these bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids such as acetate, propionate and butyrate. These metabolic compounds perform important functions: for example, they provide the cells of the intestinal lining with energy and influence metabolic and immune processes.
Learn more about postbiotics and their role in gut health in our dedicated article on postbiotics.

It is not just the amount of fibre that matters. Different plants provide different types of fibre and phytonutrients. The greater the variety of plants in your diet, the wider the range of substrates available to different microorganisms.

A diet that regularly includes vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds can therefore have a positive influence on the composition and function of the gut microbiome. This is also supported by systematic reviews of plant-rich dietary patterns.

30 Different Plant Foods a Week: What’s Behind the Recommendation?

You may already have come across the recommendation to eat 30 different plant foods each week. It is based, among other things, on the American Gut Project. In this large observational study, people who reported eating at least 30 different plant foods per week were found, on average, to have a greater diversity of gut microorganisms than those who ate fewer than ten different plants.

An important point: the study showed an association; it did not prove that eating exactly 30 plants automatically creates a healthier microbiome. Nor is the number an official dietary recommendation or a medical threshold.

I still find it a helpful guideline. It shifts the focus away from individual so-called superfoods and towards a varied diet.

And you don’t need to buy 30 different types of vegetables to achieve this. Fruit, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices all count, too. Even a handful of walnuts, a spoonful of flaxseeds or some fresh parsley adds more plant diversity to your plate.

Autumn and Winter: Much of the Variety Grows Underground

When the classic summer salad becomes less common, it’s worth taking a closer look at what’s in season. Root vegetables and tubers, cabbage and winter leafy greens provide different types of fibre, as well as plenty of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.

Here are a few examples of how their nutritional profiles differ:

• Carrots: They provide beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for eyesight, the immune system and healthy mucous membranes, among other things.
• Beetroot: Its intense colour comes from betalains. These plant pigments have antioxidant properties. Beetroot also contains naturally occurring nitrate, which can have a positive effect on vascular function in the body, among other things.
• Parsnips and parsley root: They contain various phenolic compounds, including flavonoids and phenolic acids. This adds a different range of phytonutrients to the diet.
• Brussels sprouts and kale: Both belong to the cruciferous vegetable family and contain glucosinolates, sulphur-containing plant compounds from which isothiocyanates are formed during chopping and digestion, among other processes. These can influence the body’s own enzyme systems involved in breaking down and processing certain foreign substances. Kale also provides plenty of vitamin K, vitamin C and carotenoids.
• Chicory and radicchio: Their characteristic, slightly bitter taste comes partly from bitter compounds such as sesquiterpene lactones. Chicory also contains inulin, a prebiotic fibre that serves as food for certain gut bacteria.
• Swiss chard: Its green leaves provide lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids also found in the retina of the eye. It also contains vitamin K, vitamin C and various polyphenols.
• Pumpkin: Depending on the variety, it contains different carotenoids. Orange varieties in particular are rich in beta-carotene, which has antioxidant properties.
• Jerusalem artichoke: It is particularly rich in inulin. This fermentable fibre serves as food for certain gut bacteria and can promote the production of short-chain fatty acids.

There is plenty of variety in fruit during autumn and winter, too. Locally stored apples and pears, for example, provide pectin, a soluble fibre that can be fermented in the gut.

Variety is what matters. You don’t need to eat a particular vegetable every day or try a new recipe every week.

Your Seasonal Shopping and Produce Calenda

Which varieties are available locally and in season during autumn and winter also depends on growing conditions, storage and availability. The overview below provides a selection.

Season	Vegetables and salads	Fruit
September	Pumpkin, carrots, beetroot, fennel, cauliflower, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, lamb’s lettuce, mushrooms	Apples, pears, plums, grapes, berries
October	Pumpkin, parsnips, parsley root, celery root, salsify, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, radicchio	Apples, pears, quinces, grapes
November	Carrots, parsnips, beetroot, celery root, leeks, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, lamb’s lettuce, Jerusalem artichokes	Apples, pears
December to February	Carrots, potatoes, beetroot, parsnips, leeks, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, salsify, Chinese cabbage	Apples, pears

A practical addition: frozen vegetables and frozen berries are also a great way to bring plant diversity into everyday meals. Nutritionally, they are often an excellent alternative to fresh produce imported from far away

7 Simple Ways to Add More Plant Diversity to Your Everyday Diet

You don’t need to completely change your eating routine. Often, all it takes is a few small additions to the foods you already eat.

1. Combine a Variety of Vegetables

Whether you’re making a tray of roasted vegetables, a vegetable stir-fry or a soup, try combining different varieties. Carrots, parsnips, celery root, pumpkin and beetroot, for example, can all be roasted together or turned into a creamy vegetable soup. Fresh herbs, spices and a little olive oil add extra flavour and variety.

2. Include Legumes More Often

Lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas provide plant-based protein, fibre and a range of phytonutrients. They work wonderfully in soups, stews and curries. Keeping a tin of chickpeas or beans in the pantry also makes it easy to give a meal a nutritional boost.

3. Make the Most of Different Grains

It doesn’t always have to be wheat. Oats, barley, spelt, rye, buckwheat and millet provide different types of fibre and nutrients. Try adding barley to soup, serving millet as a side dish or having oats for breakfast.

4. Add Nuts and Seeds

Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and ground flaxseeds provide valuable fatty acids, minerals and phytonutrients. Adding one or two tablespoons to porridge, yoghurt or a winter salad takes no time at all.

5. Use Plenty of Herbs and Spices

Parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, oregano, cinnamon, ginger and turmeric add more than just flavour: they also contain a wide range of phytonutrients. Fresh herbs and spices are a particularly easy way to increase the variety of plants in your diet.

6. Enjoy Vegetables Raw or Fermented, Too

Not every vegetable needs to be cooked. Lamb’s lettuce, radicchio, chicory, carrots and finely shredded cabbage are all wonderful in winter salads. Fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut and kimchi also add fermentation products and, depending on how they are made and processed, live microorganisms to your plate.

7. Get Creative with Leftovers

Leftover roasted vegetables can be combined with lentils, meat or tofu the next day to make a balanced meal. Vegetable scraps, legumes and a little grain can also quickly be turned into a new soup or stew.

 

Recipe Idea: Winter Salad with Roasted Vegetables, Lentils and Walnut

A simple dish that combines several plant foods and tastes just as good warm as it does cold.

Ingredients for 2 servings

• 2 carrots
• 1 small parsnip
• 1 small beetroot
• 200 g pumpkin
• 150 g cooked Beluga lentils
• 1 small handful of walnuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 2 handfuls of lamb’s lettuce or radicchio

For the dressing

• 2 tbsp plain yoghurt
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• A little water
• Salt and pepper
• A little honey, to taste

Method

1. Wash, peel and cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

2. Toss with the olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, then spread out on a baking tray.

3. Roast at 180°C (conventional oven, top and bottom heat) for about 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned.

4. Mix the cooked lentils (or tinned lentils) with the warm roasted vegetables.

5. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad.

6. Garnish with lamb’s lettuce or radicchio and roughly chopped walnuts.

Extra tip: If you like, add a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds or some fresh parsley. This brings even more plant foods into the dish.

Variety, Not Perfection

Eating 30 different plant foods a week is a great goal, and it may be easier to achieve than you think. Vegetables and fruit count, of course, as do legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. If you consciously combine a few different varieties, the numbers soon add up. Why not give it a try?

And remember: salads are welcome in winter, too. Lamb’s lettuce, radicchio, chicory and cabbage bring freshness to your plate. The aim is to broaden the range of plants you eat and enjoy that variety all year round.

 

About the Author
Mag. Carmen CREPAZ, MSc.
Nutrition Scientist and Functional Health Coach
Master’s degree in Nutrition and Sport
www.carmencrepaz.com/blog