Plant Variety Tracker
Use this plant variety tracker to count how many different plant foods you ate in a week. List the foods for each day and see your weekly total.
Count your plant foods
What did you eat each day? (example week shown; replace it with your own)
Separate foods with commas or line breaks. Capital letters, extra spaces and a plural ending are ignored when matching, so “tomato” and “tomatoes” count once.
A whole number from 1 to 200. This is your own number; the tool does not recommend one.
How does the plant variety tracker work?
The plant variety tracker counts the different foods you type across seven days and shows each one once. Write the plants you ate on each day: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans and lentils, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. The total is the number of different names left after repeats are removed.
weekly total = number of different food names across Monday to Sunday
Foods are split at commas and line breaks. Each name is trimmed, extra spaces are squeezed to one, and capital letters are ignored. For matching only, a plural ending is removed: “oes”, “ches”, “shes”, “sses” and “xes” lose “es”, and other endings in “s” lose “s”, except words ending in “ss” or “us”. That is why “tomatoes” matches “tomato” and “lentils” matches “lentil”. The tool shows the first spelling you typed.
Worked example: one week of meals
The example on this page lists five or six foods a day. Here is how the tool reads it:
| Day | Different foods that day | New that day |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 5 | 5 |
| Tue | 5 | 3 |
| Wed | 6 | 3 |
| Thu | 5 | 1 |
| Fri | 5 | 2 |
| Sat | 5 | 0 |
| Sun | 5 | 0 |
The new-per-day column adds up to 14, so the week has 14 different foods even though 36 entries were typed. Spinach and tomatoes were each eaten on 4 days, the most of any food in the example. With a goal of 20, the tool would show “14 of 20” and nothing more.
What does the tool count and not count?
- It counts what you type. It has no food list, so it cannot know whether an entry is a plant. “Chicken” would be counted as one more food. You choose what to list.
- It does not merge synonyms. “Aubergine” and “eggplant”, or “chilli” and “green chillies”, are separate names. A misspelling counts as a different food.
- Mixed dishes need breaking up. If you ate a vegetable curry, list the vegetables, lentils and spices in it rather than writing “curry”. One name counts as one food.
- It does not measure amounts. A pinch of cumin and a bowl of spinach each count once.
How can I use my weekly goal?
The goal box is optional and only compares your total with your own number. Type a whole number from 1 to 200 and the tool shows “X of Y”. It does not say whether that number is right for you, and it gives no score or health verdict. Pick a goal that feels realistic for your week, or leave it blank. A different plant variety tracker habit that works for many people is simply noticing which foods you eat on most days and trying one new one.
For ideas to fill the list, read our guides to foods rich in fibre, the Mediterranean diet and best foods for gut health. If you plan shopping around new foods, the unit price comparator and recipe cost calculator help you compare costs.
What are the limits of this tool?
- It is a counting aid, not advice. The total is not a health score and does not diagnose anything.
- Only the typed names matter. The tool cannot check that your list is complete or accurate.
- Limits on input. Each food name can be up to 60 characters and each day up to 100 entries. Longer names are left out and named on screen and in the copied summary.
- Personal advice. If you have a medical condition, allergy or special diet, ask a doctor or registered dietitian before changing what you eat.
Used each week, the plant variety tracker is a simple way to see your own pattern. It shows what you ate, with no judgement attached.
Frequently Asked Questions
Write what you ate on each day, separated by commas or line breaks, then read the total. A food that appears on several days is counted once for the week. Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans and lentils, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices can all go on your list. You decide what counts as a plant food; the tool counts exactly what you type.
The tool compares names with capital letters ignored and a plural ending removed, so “tomato” and “tomatoes”, or “lentil” and “lentils”, match. It does not match synonyms or fix spelling. “Chilli” and “green chillies” stay separate, and so do “aubergine” and “eggplant”. Type each food the same way all week and the count will be tidy.
No. It has no food database and cannot tell a vegetable from a meat dish. If you type “chicken”, it counts chicken as one more food. That is why the box says plant foods: you choose what to list. Leave out anything that is not a plant if you want the total to describe plants only.
Yes. Type any whole number from 1 to 200 in “my weekly goal” and the tool shows plain progress, such as 14 of 20. The goal is yours alone. The tool does not suggest a target, give a score or say what a number means for your health. Leave the box blank to see the count without a goal.
Not necessarily. The tracker counts how many different foods you listed, not how much you ate, how they were cooked or whether your overall diet suits you. A longer list is not a health score. For advice about your own diet, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian who knows your health and needs.