This September we're inviting you to take part in Vegtember, a fundraising challenge that can:
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help you, your family and friends to eat more healthily
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support us to grow food and community in planet-positive ways
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be fun!
The aim of Vegtember is simple and powerful: to improve your health and the health of our community, and our beautiful planet by eating more plants.
What do I need to do?
Get clued up on what counts as a plant
It is easier than you might think to get lots of plants into your diet. You can count:
🥕 Vegetables
🍎 Fruit
🫘 Beans and lentils
🌾 Wholegrains
🌰 Nuts
🌻 Seeds
🌿 Herbs
🧄 Spices
We’ve put together a detailed list of what does and doesn’t count here. There are also helpful online resources here and here.
Choose your challenge:
There are no strict rules, you can choose your goals to suit your life. The key is to make sure it is a challenge.
How many different plants a week?
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15
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20
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30
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40
For how long?
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1 week
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2 weeks
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3 weeks
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The whole month
Set up your fundraising page:
Don’t worry, we’re making it easy for you! You can set up a fundraising page by clicking here. If you need help do get in touch. You can also go old school and collect sponsor money in cash (Cash is queen!).
Get ready to record your plants:
You can download a tick sheet here to keep a paper record of the plants you eat, or you can track it using an app (we like “Eat 30 Plants”). If you want printed versions of the tick sheet, let us know.
Be part of the Vegtember Community
FAQs
Does the amount matter?
The "30 plants" approach generally counts presence rather than amount-even small quantities of herbs and spices count. However, many nutrition experts recommend not relying on tiny amounts alone because larger portions provide more fibre and nutrients. Some people count things like herbs, spices, herbal teas and coffee as a quarter point to reflect this.
Do tea and coffee count towards 30 plants a week?
Put simply, it depends who you ask!
For example, the Zoe project, say that coffee, tea, extra virgin olive oil, and dark chocolate (if it's at least 70% cocoa), are all rich in beneficial plant compounds and do count towards your 30-plants goal. However, some people count them as a quarter point and others don’t count them at all. Some say that herbal tea (a favourite of ours here at Roots) only counts if you then eat the herbs after you’ve drunk the tea because the fibre is important.
Do herbs and spices count as a whole plant?
Some sources say yes, each one can be a whole point, some say they should only be a quarter of a point. You decide what works for you.
Is it expensive?
Experts commonly recommend beans, lentils, frozen vegetables, oats, seasonal produce, herbs and spices as inexpensive ways to increase diversity. Costs rise mainly if you choose specialty or premium products.
Why 30?
The study on which the “30 plants a week” target is based showed an association between eating 30+ plant foods and a more diverse microbiome, but it did not prove that 30 is the optimal number or that reaching 30 directly improves health. Many experts therefore describe it as a practical target rather than a strict threshold.
The strongest evidence supports using the goal as a way to increase the variety of minimally processed plant foods, rather than treating the number itself as the objective. The overall dietary pattern-especially including fibre-rich foods like vegetables, legumes and whole grains-appears to matter more than whether you reach exactly 30 every week.
Do fermented foods count?
Yes, if they're fermented plant foods, but fermentation itself doesn't earn an extra point. So fermented plant foods count as the plant they come from. E.g. Sauerkraut = cabbage (1 plant), Kimchi = the plants it contains (e.g. cabbage, radish, garlic, ginger, spring onion each count if present), Tempeh = soybeans (1 plant), Miso = soybeans (1 plant).
