Skip to content

Gut Microbiome and Plants

Open the interactive poster full screen

Use Explore mode to select a marker and examine the gut ecosystem or a plant-food group. Use Quiz mode to practice finding all fifteen callouts.

What the poster shows

At the center, a large-intestine cutaway shows the epithelial barrier, mucus, fermentable fiber, many microbial forms, microbial metabolites, and genetic diversity. Around the perimeter are exactly 30 plant foods:

  • Vegetables: broccoli, red cabbage, carrot, spinach
  • Fruits: apple, pear, orange, blueberries
  • Legumes: black beans, chickpeas, green lentils
  • Whole grains: oats, barley, brown rice, whole-grain bread
  • Nuts: almonds, walnuts, pistachios, peanuts
  • Seeds: chia, flax, pumpkin
  • Herbs: parsley, basil, cilantro
  • Spices: turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper
  • Alliums: garlic, red onion

Interpreting “30 plants per week”

The American Gut Project reported associations between the number of plant types participants recalled eating and features of their stool microbiomes. Participants reporting more than 30 plant types differed in microbial diversity from those reporting 10 or fewer, and the higher-diversity group had lower abundance of selected antibiotic-resistance genes. This observational result is an engaging variety prompt—not proof that a universal target causes a particular health outcome.

  1. Whole Grains — Oats, barley, brown rice, and whole-grain bread.
  2. Colorful Vegetables — Broccoli, red cabbage, carrot, and spinach.
  3. Mucus Layer — A structured protective habitat near the intestinal wall.
  4. Whole Fruits — Apple, pear, orange, and blueberries.
  5. Fermentable Plant Fiber — Substrates that some gut microbes can ferment.
  6. Microbial Diversity — Many organisms, morphologies, genes, and metabolic roles.
  7. Legumes — Black beans, chickpeas, and green lentils.
  8. Nuts — Almonds, walnuts, pistachios, and peanuts.
  9. Seeds — Chia, flax, and pumpkin seeds.
  10. Spices — Turmeric, cinnamon, and black pepper.
  11. Gut Epithelium & Barrier — The folded cell layer lining the colon.
  12. Short-Chain Fatty Acids — Fermentation products involved in gut metabolism and signaling.
  13. Microbial Genes & Resistome — Microbial genetic functions, including antibiotic-resistance genes.
  14. Alliums — Garlic and red onion.
  15. Fresh Herbs — Parsley, basil, and cilantro.

Source: American Gut: an Open Platform for Citizen Science Microbiome Research.

Teachers and editors can open calibration mode to adjust marker positions and copy updated coordinates.