cover image How to Eat More Plants: Transform Your Health with 30 Plant-Based Foods Per Week (and Why It’s Easier Than You Think)

How to Eat More Plants: Transform Your Health with 30 Plant-Based Foods Per Week (and Why It’s Easier Than You Think)

Megan Rossi. The Experiment, $22.95 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-61519-878-8

“Eating more can improve your health,” suggests dietitian Rossi (Love Your Gut) in this simple but effective plan for adding more plants to one’s diet. Her “Diversity Diet” focuses on adding foods rather than cutting them: 30 plant foods or “30 plant points” a week, she advises, will have benefits in the form of increased energy, boosted mood, and a steady weight. To help get more plants on the plate, Rossi includes an easy-to-remember illustration of portion sizes, a chart of nutrients found in plant food groups, and a “gut glossary” graphic that explains how one’s gut microbacteria work. Readers will also find three menu plans—one for “fueling families,” one for “busy people,” and one for “sensitive guts”—plus a “Plant Points Challenge” task card that includes such options as “swap out rice for whole grain” and “add a new canned legume to your dinner.” A brimming recipe section features a breakfast muffin in a mug (which comes in at 4.25 plant points), an 18.5-point granola, and a 10-point smoky beet burger. The book’s design is beautiful, and Rossi does a great job of turning her point system into a fun game. Readers looking to eat healthier without feeling like they’re missing out would do well to pick this up. (July)