Eat More TO Lose More

RESEARCH: Eating a wide variety of key foods creates a healthy gut, making weight loss practically effortless

- LISA MAXBAUER

We’ve all heard that “variety is the spice of life,” but the standard Western diet has become anything but varied. And experts say that variety is truly what our modern diets (and metabolism) crave right now. Consider this sobering stat: Only six plants— wheat, rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans and sugar cane—make up a whopping 75% of the total calories people consume from plants these days. That bland and boring approach is the literal opposite of a diverse diet.

Why does variety matter?

Our gut microbiome is made up of trillions of good and bad bugs that help engineer every aspect of our health, weight and mood. It turns out the more plant diversity in our diet, the happier and healthier those gut bugs behave. And eating just one superfood like blueberries or spinach doesn’t hack it.

A growing body of research shows the key is eating 30 different plants per week, says New York Times bestseller Stephen Perrine, author of The Full-Body Fat Fix. He’s spent his career researching and reporting on the biggest health stories of our time. His bottomline message? Anti-inflammatory foods—mainly plants—are highly healing when it comes to weight problems. He explains, “When you control your inflammation, you control your destiny.”

This easy, refreshing 30-plant strategy is one of the major takeaways of the UC San Diego American Gut Project. This massive database of health data is helping experts know exactly how to build a better gut microbiome: one with a thick, protective intestinal lining, rather than a damaged, leaky one.