A top chef shares 3 recipes that make eating 30 plants a week for gut health easy — endorsed by a nutrition scientist

• Gut health experts recommend eating 30 plants a week for a diverse microbiome.
• From digestion to mood, the microbes in the gut impact overall health in many ways.

Gut experts agree that eating 30 different plants a week is great for our health — and a top chef has made it easy to hit that target with a new collection of veggie-packed recipes.

Plant foods such as fruit, veggies, pulses, nuts, seeds, herbs, and even dark chocolate contain fiber, which feeds the "good" bacteria in the gut. Evidence suggests eating a wide variety of plants creates a diverse, and therefore healthy, gut microbiome: the trillions of microbes that live in the colon and impact overall health.

Although 30 plants might sound daunting, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, a top celebrity chef based in the UK, believes embracing the goal makes cooking more interesting and food even tastier.

"Don't assume that just because this approach is undeniably good for you, it must be a chore to get there. I genuinely think the opposite is true," he wrote in his cookbook "How To Eat 30 Plants a Week."

This approach encourages people to think outside the box and add more flavors, textures, and nutrients to dishes they may be making on autopilot, he wrote.

"Not only do I believe I can make it pretty easy for you, I'm also very confident you are going to enjoy the ride," he wrote. The recipes were endorsed by professor Tim Spector, a nutrition scientist and gut microbiome researcher based at King's College London, who wrote an introduction for the book.

"What I love about Hugh's cooking is that he makes it easy, enjoyable, and delicious to include more plants," Spector wrote. "It's great to see nuts, seeds and pulses featuring so richly in Hugh's recipes in this book."

Here are three of Fearnley-Whittingstall's fiber-filled recipes from "How To Eat 30 Plants a Week."

Purple shakshuka

Serves: two to four

Ingredients:

• Oil or fat for cooking
• 1 large or 2 medium-small onions finely sliced
• 2 garlic cloves finely grated or chopped
• 1 small red chile or a good pinch of dried chile flakes (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika plus an extra pinch
• 1 medium beet, scrubbed and coarsely grated (about 150g)
• 1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and sliced (optional)
• 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 400g tin kidney beans
• 1 small radicchio roughly shredded
• 4 eggs
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the garnish:

• 50g herb leaves, such as parsley, chives, or cilantro, roughly chopped
• Finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
• 1 to 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Dukkah

Method:

1. Heat a little oil or fat in a medium frying pan, or a shallow, wide, flameproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onion(s) and fry for six to eight minutes until soft but not coloured, then add the garlic, chili, cumin seeds and smoked paprika. Cook, stirring often, for two minutes.

2. Add the beet, red pepper if using, and the tinned tomatoes, crushing them with your hands as they go in (and picking out any stalky ends or bits of skin). Cook for eight to ten minutes until the tomatoes start to break down, helping them to do so with the back of the spoon. Stir in the extra virgin olive oil, and a splash of water if the mixture looks at all dry.

3. Drain the beans, keeping a little of the liquid, then add them to the pan with the saved liquid. Stir in the radicchio and simmer gently for four to five minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is tender, well combined, and saucy.

4. Using the back of a tablespoon, make four hollows in the mixture. Crack an egg into each hollow and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of smoked paprika. Turn the heat to low, put the lid on the pan, and cook for four to six minutes until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny.

5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dress the herbs with the lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt, and the extra virgin olive oil.

6. Serve the shakshuka as soon as it is ready, with the dressed herbs, and dukka to sprinkle over.

Plant count: 12+

Caponata with chickpeas and apricots

Serves: four

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggplants (about 500g in total)
• 2 medium zucchinis (or use another zucchini)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 6 large plum or other ripe tomatoes, peeled, deseeded, and chopped, or a 400g tin peeled plum tomatoes
• 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 70g dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 60g pitted green olives, torn in half
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the garnish:

• 50g pine nuts or pumpkin seeds, toasted
• A good handful of oregano leaves (or basil or parsley)
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• Extra virgin olive oil to trickle

Method:

• Cut the eggplants into two to three-cm cubes, tip into a colander, and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Toss well and then leave to draw out the juices for about an hour. Cut the zucchinis into similar-sized cubes; set aside.

• About halfway through the eggplant salting time, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large saucepan over a fairly low heat. Add the onion and celery and fry for about 10 minutes until tender and golden. Toss in the garlic and cook for a further two minutes until fragrant.

• Tip in the tomatoes (crushing tinned ones with your hands as they go in and picking out any stalky ends or bits of skin). Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce a little. Add the chickpeas, balsamic vinegar, dried apricots, capers, and olives and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat.

• Rinse the eggplants and pat dry with kitchen paper. Heat a little more oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the zucchini cubes and fry for about five to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper, then tip into the tomato mixture.

• Add a little more oil to the pan and fry the zucchini in the same way, then drain and add to the eggplant and tomato mixture.

• Bring back to a simmer and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is well combined, reduced, and thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Leave the caponata to cool to room temperature if you have time, or serve it hot if you prefer. Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts or pumpkin seeds, oregano (or other herb) leaves, a squeeze of lemon, and a trickle of extra virgin olive oil to finish.

Plant count: 12

Zucchini meatballs in barley broth

Serves: four to give

Ingredients:

• 1 medium or 2 small zucchini (about 250g)
• 500g lamb or beef mince
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• A small handful of parsley leaves, very finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano (optional)
• 1 teaspoon fennel or caraway seeds, crushed
• 1 egg, beaten
• Oil or fat for cooking
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the pearl barley broth:

• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 large or 2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed and finely chopped (optional)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 100ml white wine (optional)
• 1-liter vegetable or chicken stock
• 100g pearl barley or quick-cook spelt, well rinsed
• 100g frozen peas
• 100g frozen broad beans or edamame beans (optional)
• Juice of ½ lemon, or to taste

For the garnish:

• Raita with added zucchini
• Parsley and/or mint leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Coarsely grate the zucchini and toss with a good pinch of salt. Place in a colander over the sink for 20 minutes to draw out some of the water. Then squeeze out as much water from the grated zucchini as you can with your hands.

2. In a bowl, combine the grated zucchini, mince, garlic, parsley, oregano if using, crushed fennel or caraway seeds, some salt and pepper, and the beaten egg. Mix well and scrunch everything together with your hands until evenly combined.

3. Divide the mixture into 16 even-sized pieces and shape into balls, rolling them firmly in the palms of your hands. Place on a tray or plate and chill in the fridge for an hour to firm up a bit (if time).

4. Heat a little oil or fat in a large heavy-based saucepan. When hot, brown the meatballs in batches over a fairly high heat, turning to color evenly on all sides. Remove and set aside on a plate.

5. Now prepare the broth. Heat a little more oil or fat in the pan and lower the heat. Add the onions, with the fennel if using, and fry for 10 minutes until softened and light golden, stirring occasionally and loosening any bits of meat from the bottom of the pan. Toss in the garlic and fry for another two minutes, then add the wine if using.

6. Now pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the barley or spelt, with a pinch of salt, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until it is tender but still a little nutty. The grain will thicken the broth a little, but there should be plenty of liquid still in the pot —you can always add a splash more stock or hot water.

7. Add the meatballs back to the pot and simmer in the broth for five minutes. Add the peas and broad beans or edamame beans if using, return to a simmer and cook for two to three minutes. Turn off the heat. Check the seasoning, adding salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

8. Put three or four meatballs into each warmed serving bowl and ladle in plenty of barley, veg and liquor. Add a dollop of zucchini raita, scatter over a few parsley and/or mint leaves, and trickle on a little extra virgin olive oil to serve.

Plant count: nine