If you’re trying to eat more plants or start a healthier routine, it can be hard to know where to begin. In this guide, I’m sharing 21 simple, realistic ways to add more plants to your meals. Little changes that you can start using straight away!

Adding more plant-based foods to your plate is often talked about as a good move for your health and for the planet. What isn’t always mentioned is how helpful it can be for a person living with diabetes too.

Over the past few years, we’ve gradually shifted towards eating more plants at home. Partly for simplicity (because who wants to cook two different dinners?), and partly because we found it made such a positive difference to our daughter’s diabetes management.

This article brings together everything I’ve learned along the way. You’ll find gentle guidance on the benefits of eating more plants, plus plenty of practical ideas you can bring into your everyday meals without feeling overwhelmed. Whether you’re aiming for more variety, more fibre, or simply more colour on your plate, there are lots of easy ways to get started.

Why eat more plants? Key benefits for your health and wellbeing

Shifting towards a more plant-focused way of eating can bring a whole range of positive changes to your everyday health. Plant foods are naturally rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre, all the things that help your body feel nourished and supported.

For a person living with diabetes, the slower digestion of many plant-based foods can also be helpful, as it may support steadier energy and more predictable glucose responses.

Here are some of the benefits often linked with eating more plants:

Better gut health

Whole plant foods help to nourish the diverse community of bacteria in your gut. Different plants feed different types of gut bacteria, so the wider the variety you eat, the more diverse and resilient your gut microbiome becomes. A healthy, varied microbiome plays an important role in digestion, immunity and even mood. Reviews, including a 2023 paper in Nutrients, highlight how beneficial this diversity can be.

Lower risk of chronic conditions

Research suggests that eating a wide range of plant foods, especially those that are minimally processed, is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and other long-term health conditions. This doesn’t require strict rules or labels, just a gradual shift towards more whole, colourful foods.

More sustainable choices

Filling your plate with more plants can also support a more environmentally friendly way of eating. Seasonal vegetables, pulses and wholegrains generally have a lighter environmental footprint, which is a bonus if you’re trying to make more sustainable choices at home.

For us, this shift towards more plants happened naturally over time. What started as a way to simplify family meals ended up becoming something that also supported our daughter’s diabetes management and our health, which gave us even more motivation to keep going. It’s a change that doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. Just small, steady steps that add up over time.

1. Fruit – Fresh, frozen, tinned (in juice) or dried, they all count. From berries and apples to mango or kiwi, fruit brings colour, fibre and natural sweetness.
2. Vegetables – Leafy greens, root veg, salad vegetables and everything in between. Fresh, frozen and tinned versions all work beautifully.
3. Wholegrains -Foods like wholewheat pasta, brown rice, oats, quinoa and barley. These are higher in fibre and nutrients than their refined counterparts and help keep meals more satisfying.
4. Legumes – Beans, lentils and chickpeas are brilliant plant proteins. They’re affordable, filling and easy to add to soups, salads, traybakes or pasta sauces.
5. Nuts and Seeds – Almonds, walnuts, cashews, chia seeds, flaxseed, sunflower seeds — great for snacking, sprinkling or blending into dressings and dips.
6. Herbs and Spices -These often get overlooked, but they’re plants too. From basil and coriander to paprika and cumin, every herb or spice adds diversity to your weekly plant count.

When you start seeing plants as more than just fruit and veg, it becomes much easier to increase the variety on your plate. Even small additions, a handful of nuts, a spoon of seeds or an extra portion of veg — all contribute to a more colourful, balanced way of eating.

Eating more plants and diabetes management: our experience

There isn’t a lot of research specifically looking at plant-rich eating and type 1 diabetes, so much of what I can share comes from our own experience at home. As we’ve gently added more plants to our meals, we’ve noticed a few practical benefits that have made daily diabetes management feel a little easier. You can read more about this in my article on the benefits of a whole food diet and diabetes.

1. Simpler mealtimes

Many plant foods don’t need to be carb-counted (other than wholegrains, fruit and potatoes).
This means I can make filling, balanced meals like my Easy Lentil and Bean Chilli or Harissa Veggie Sausage Tray Bake without the extra calculations.

2. Beans and lentils help meals go further

We use beans and lentils to bulk out meals, thicken sauces and keep everyone satisfied.
This often means we can serve slightly smaller portions of carb-counted foods like pasta or rice, while still keeping the meal hearty.

3. Lower overall carb counts

When more of the plate comes from vegetables, legumes and whole plant foods, the total carbs per meal are usually lower.
For us, this has meant fewer variables and fewer insulin adjustments.

🔗 If you’re still finding your way with carb counting, my guide on how we approach carb counting at home might be a helpful place to start.

4. Steadier energy and more predictable rises

Many plant foods are naturally higher in fibre and have a lower or moderate glycaemic index.
In our experience, this often leads to a gentler rise in blood glucose and more time in range.

5. A few things still need watching

Wholegrains and potatoes sometimes continue to raise levels beyond the usual three-hour window of fast-acting insulin, so we keep an eye out for later rises.
It’s not perfect every day, but the overall pattern feels calmer.

6. A better understanding of how foods work together

Eating more plants has helped us learn how different ingredients affect our daughter’s glucose levels, and how to build meals that feel nourishing and steady without being restrictive.

🔗 If you’re unsure how to bring these parts together, my simple guide to building a balanced plate walks you through it step by step.

If you’re ready to bring more of these foods into your everyday meals, here are 21 simple ways to start adding more plants to your plate.

21 simple ways to add more plants to your meals

Most of us still aren’t getting enough plants into our diets, according to the NHS.
The Eatwell Guide groups plant foods into three key areas:

• Fruit and vegetables
• Starchy foods – wholegrains and potatoes
• Protein – beans, lentils, nuts and seeds

Here are some simple ways to bring more of them into your everyday meals.

1. Start with a little audit

Use my plant foods checklist (sign up below) and see how many different plants you eat in a week. Aim for 30+ plants weekly. I promise you it really is easier than it sounds.

2. Use the checklist for inspiration

Use this plant checklist to encourage yourself to try some different plant foods. Choose 1–2 new plants to try each week. A small swap or addition can make a big difference over time.

3. Eat the Rainbow

A colourful plate usually means more plant variety. It’s one of the simplest ways to check in with what you’re eating.

4. Add legumes to your usual meals

Stir beans or lentils into meals you already make, like traybakes, spaghetti bolognese, chilli, and soups.
They’re great at thickening sauces, stretching meals and keeping costs down.

5. Pimp up your sides

Roast your veg, add herbs, spices, dressings or sauces to make vegetables feel like part of the main event.
Try:

Roasted Courgette, Lentil and Feta Winter Salad

Herby Green Bean Salad With Edamame

Roasted Green Vegetables

Leek and Butter Bean

A few ideas to get you started

6. Make dishes with multiple plants

The more plants you can add to a dish, the better, in my opinion.

This SRIRACHA RICE SALAD has 7 plant-based foods, while my VEGETARIAN COTTAGE PIE WITH SWEET POTATO has 9, and my VEGETARIAN MOUSSAKA WITH LENTILS has a whopping 15 if you count the herbs and spices!

7. Swap meat for plant proteins

If you are a big meat-eater, explore swapping these with plant-based proteins like black beans, kidney beans, lentils, soy products (tofu, tempeh), and plant-based meat alternatives.

But read the labels, as not all meat alternatives are as healthy as they report and can be stuffed with lots of additives, emulsifiers and thickening agents.

Start small and swap out the meat in one meal every week so you can adjust slowly.

8. Batch soups and salads

Soups and salads are easy ways to pack in plants. Anything goes.

But if you want some ideas to get you started then check out my soups and salads section here on WHK.

9. Embrace Whole Grains

Replace refined processed white grains with brown rice, quinoa, or whole-wheat bread. These offer more fibre and nutrients. Again, you can start small and just mix your white and brown grains to begin with if you feel you need to adjust to their taste.

10. Spice it up

Use fresh herbs and spices to add flavour and complexity to your meals. If you don’t know where to start most UK supermarkets have a brilliant range of already combined spices like cajun spice, harissa spice, Middle Eastern spice mix, mixed herbs and different curry powders.

I also keep lots of frozen herbs in the freezer to prevent waste.

11. Sneak In the Greens

Add spinach or courgettes to smoothies, sauces, or baked goods. This is a great way to sneak in extra veggies without changing taste or texture.

I love to spiralise courgettes and add them to our spaghetti dishes like in this TUNA SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE (my girls are never quite as impressed though!)

12. Try different dips

Mix things up with guacamole, bean dips, or cottage cheese dips like my 5 MINUTE BLENDED COTTAGE CHEESE or 3 INGREDIENT SMOKED MACKEREL DIP. They help to make vegetables more appealing and enjoyable for dipping and snacking.

13. Try a plant-based burger

Explore plant-based burger alternatives or experiment with homemade bean and lentil burgers for a tasty meat-free alternative. There are lots of options available, but again, read the labels if you are going for a shop-bought burger. Many of them are stuffed with lots of additives, emulsifiers and thickening agents.

14. Boost your pasta sauces

Increase the nutritional value of your favourite pasta sauces by adding chopped vegetables like mushrooms, peppers, butternut squash, aubergines and courgettes. This boosts fibre and vitamin content and a whole lot of extra flavour. Here are some recipes to get you started;

HIDDEN VEGGIE PASTA SAUCE

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND TOMATO PASTA SAUCE

SIMPLE ROASTED VEGGIE SAUCE RECIPE WITH TOMATO

15. Create a nut and seed jar

We keep a stacking jar filled with chia seeds, milled flaxseed, chopped nuts and seeds to sprinkle on breakfasts, salads and soups.
Portion control still matters, though as a small handful goes a long way.

16. Make plant foods easy to grab

Keep fruit in a central bowl, store nuts and seeds where you can see them, and prepare veg ahead of time if it helps.

17. Try a fruit and veg delivery box

There are lots of great fruit and veg delivery services like Oddbox, Riverford, Veg Box Company and Able and Cole. They offer seasonal boxes that encourage you to try new plants and reduce food waste.

18. Love your freezer

Frozen fruit and veg are affordable, nutritious and convenient. They are a versatile and healthy option as they retain most nutrients, are readily available and great in lots of meals.
Great for:

• Overnight oats – OVERNIGHT OATS WITH FROZEN FRUIT
• Pasta sauces –HIDDEN VEGGIE PASTA SAUCE,
• Crumbles and bakes – SUGAR FREE BERRY CRUMBLE.

19. Meal plan and make a list

I have found that doing both of these (rather boring) tasks every week helps ensure that I am buying a good variety of plant foods, along with changing some of the foods I typically buy. As a bonus, I have also found that it has helped to reduce my food waste, as I am not randomly buying food thinking I may eat it later in the week.

You can sign up for my free whole food 7-day meal plan to get started.

20. Build plant-rich snacks

Add nut butter to fruit snacks, enjoy a handful of nuts with a piece of fruit, chop some raw vegetables and serve with hummus, roasted chickpeas, and kale are all great ways to add more plants to your snacks.

If you need inspiration, read my guide on HOW TO BUILD BALANCED SNACKS FOR BLOOD GLUCOSE MANAGEMENT

21. Turn leftovers into something new

Add leftover veg to omelettes, frittatas, wraps or salads.

This reduces food waste and allows you to enjoy your veggies in new ways. If I have veg left from our Sunday Roast, I simply add it to a big salad the following night with a simple vinaigrette dressing.

Start small: making plant-based changes that actually last

It’s tempting to try everything at once, but real change happens when you start small. Little shifts are far more sustainable than a complete overhaul, especially when life is already busy.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard about building habits is to make them visible, attractive, easy and satisfying. Those simple ideas really stuck with me. When you apply them to food, it becomes much easier to build routines that feel good rather than overwhelming.

So try adding just one or two ideas from this list, then give yourself time to settle into them before adding anything new. What really matters is the difference you make over a week, a month or a year. That’s what helps you consistently eat more plants without feeling pressured or restricted.

And if you’re looking for some meal inspiration to get you going, have a browse through my roundup of 33 EASY WHOLE FOOD RECIPES – RICH IN PLANTS. It’s full of simple, everyday dishes you can slot straight into your routine.

Which Tip Will you try first?

If you give any of these ideas a go, I’d love to hear how you get on. Leave a comment or tag me over on Instagram or Facebook. It’s always lovely seeing how these tips fit into real family life.

Resources

The Eatwell Guide – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Veganism and diabetes | Eating with diabetes | Diabetes UK

Want to know one of the easiest ways to improve your health? (joinzoe.com)

A Review of the Science of Colourful, Plant-Based Food and Practical Strategies for “Eating the Rainbow” (hindawi.com)

Plant-based diets – British Nutrition Foundation

Effect of Plant-Based Diets on Gut Microbiota: A Systematic Review of Interventional Studies Mar 2023 Nutrients