Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the questions people ask about 30 plants a week and about the app.
Which free app counts your 30 plants a week?
My Microbiote: free, no ads, no account required, in seven languages. It counts the different plants over 7 days, 4 weeks and 12 months, and knows 2,084 plants. The other apps are in the comparison.
What counts as a plant?
Fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, spices, mushrooms and seaweed. Each different plant counts once in the week. The details: 30 plants a week.
Do herbs and spices count as a quarter?
Not in My Microbiote: each one counts as a whole plant, as long as something intact reaches the colon. Quantity is measured separately, by sixteen categories that require a real serving. Other apps, such as Plant Points, count them as a quarter.
Do coffee and tea count?
Not as plants: you drink the water, not the plant. The app keeps them apart, with herbal teas, and they check the Other polyphenols category. Matcha, which you swallow as a powder, counts as a plant.
Does olive oil count?
Not as a plant: oil is only the fat of the olive. Extra virgin, it checks the Other polyphenols category; refined, nothing. Olives themselves count.
Do juices count?
A cloudy juice, a citrus juice or a vegetable juice credits its plant; a clear juice, a nectar or a juice from concentrate does not. The details: the logging rules.
Do I need an account?
No. The app works without an account, and your log stays on your device. An optional account syncs it across your devices.
Where is my data?
Without an account, your log stays on your device; the app only sends anonymous usage totals, which you can turn off in Settings. With an account, your log is also kept by the accounts host, in the European Union. The details: your data and your privacy.
On which devices?
On phones and computers, in the browser: it installs on the home screen and works offline. It is not in the App Store or Google Play yet.
Where does the number 30 come from?
From the American Gut Project (2018): people who ate more than 30 different plants a week had a more diverse microbiome than those who ate 10 or fewer. It is an observation, not a threshold: in the app, the goal can be set from 20 to 100. See how to read the scores.
What are the sixteen categories?
The main food families that feed the microbiome — legumes, crucifers, fermented foods, resistant starch… Each has its own pace and is only checked with a usual serving. See the sixteen categories.
Does the app replace medical advice?
No. It measures the diversity of what you log: it is neither a test nor a diagnosis. If you have digestive symptoms, talk to a doctor. See sensitive gut: where to start.