Little Step No. 50
What to do:
Add some different-coloured tomatoes into your shopping basket.
Why this step works:
This week's little step is inspired by a recent trip to a local farm shop. I was picking up some meat for tea, spotted these multi-coloured tomatoes sunbathing in a basket by the door and couldn't resist bringing some home.
But why?
You might wonder why I would dedicate an entire little step to something as simple as choosing different-coloured tomatoes? If you're a regular little steps reader you'll probably have realised by now though that even the simplest dietary swaps can bring considerable benefits when you make a consistent habit of them.
This step is about getting more plant food variety into your diet - something I talk and write about a lot. And honestly, one of the most important steps you can take to support your health.
This is because eating lots of different types of plant foods feeds lots of different types of beneficial bacteria in your gut. Your gut isn’t home to just one type of friendly bacteria - there’s many different species in there - each one supporting your health in a slightly different way. We need them all and it's important to feed them all. And the best way to do this is by regularly consuming a wide variety of plant foods.
When I spotted these tomatoes I didn’t hesitate to add them to my basket. That's because I know that even something as small as opting for a different colour or variety of tomato is another big tick in the plant variety box. And your internal ecosystem of friendly gut bacteria will benefit so much more from this than choosing the same punnet of uniform red salad tomatoes week in week out.
So, next time you’re out food shopping and you spy some yellow or green tomatoes, a large beef tomato or (if you’re really lucky!) some of those zebra-striped cherry tomatoes, grab them with both hands! And then give yourself a little pat on the back for taking a (big) little step towards supporting your health right from the very foundations up x