Create Your Own Diversity Jar: A Guide to Boosting Gut Health with Every Spoonful

You’ve likely heard about “eat more plants” or “fibre is good for your gut.” But what if there were a simple way to consistently increase the variety of plants in your diet—without reinventing every meal? Enter the diversity jar: a convenient, shelf-stable mix of seeds, nuts, grains, herbs, spices, and dried plant bits you can sprinkle onto dishes daily.

I have a personal vested interest in this topic. Over the years, I’ve experienced problems with nutrient absorption and have had to find creative ways to support my health through food. Traditional eating patterns don’t always work for everyone, so exploring tools like a diversity jar can be a game-changer. If, like me, you’re seeking ways to improve gut health and balance through everyday habits, this approach may be especially valuable.

🧬 Why Diversity in Plant Foods Matters for Gut Health

The Science Behind Microbiome Diversity

• A review in PubMed Central notes that the more diverse the diet, the more diverse the gut microbiome, making it more resilient to disturbances (illness, antibiotics, diet changes). PubMed Central

• In two prospective Chinese cohorts, researchers found that higher dietary diversity (across food groups) correlated with greater microbial diversity, altered fecal metabolites, and associations with metabolic health markers. PubMed Central

• Another study used a “tree-based” metric for diet diversity and found that diet alpha diversity correlated with gut microbial alpha diversity (r ≈ 0.171), with stronger correlation when considering fibre and carbohydrate components. ScienceDirect

• More generally, plant-based and Mediterranean-style diets have been consistently linked with greater microbiome diversity and beneficial microbial metabolites, compared to Western-type diets full of processed foods. PubMed Central+2VUMC News+2

• The “30 plant foods per week” concept is gaining popularity: some observational data (e.g. from the American Gut Project) suggest people who consume 30+ distinct plant foods per week have a more diverse gut microbiome than those who eat fewer than 10. microsetta.ucsd.edu+2World Cancer Research Fund+2

  
  

What this means for you:

• Microbes in your gut feed off many different substrates (fibre types, polyphenols, starches, herbs). If your diet is monotonous, you're only nourishing a narrow subset of microbial species.

• A diverse microbiome means more functional redundancy (if one species is lost, others can fill its role) and better resilience.

• Diverse plant intake has also been linked to favourable metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which support gut barrier integrity, reduce inflammation, and improve metabolic health.

So a diversity jar is a tool to help you “feed” more niches of your microbial community regularly.

🔧 How to Build Your Own Diversity Jar

What to Include: Aim for plants from different families and textures.

Here are categories and examples:

Category	Examples
Seeds & nuts	Chia, flax, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, walnuts, almonds
Grains / pseudo-grains / seeds	Oats, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, sorghum
Legume bits	Roasted chickpeas, lentils, peas
Dried herbs & spices	Dried parsley, basil, mint, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin seeds
Dried fruits & berries (unsweetened)	Dried cranberries, raisins, goji, mulberries
Extras	Coconut flakes, cacao nibs, carob powder, ground flax, psyllium husk (if you like)

You don’t need huge amounts—just a few tablespoons of each, so the jar remains manageable and flexible.

How to Assemble

1. Use a clean, dry glass jar (mason jar, wide-mouth) with a lid.

2. Layer or mix gently: start with heavier items (nuts, grains) then lighter ones (herbs, spices).

3. Seal tightly and store in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight.

4. Refresh items periodically (every few weeks) to maintain flavour and integrity.

   
   

How to Use It

• Sprinkle 1–2 tbsp onto salads, yogurt, smoothie bowls, oatmeal, soups, roasted veggies

• Stir into stews at the end

• Use as a topping for toast or nut butter

• Blend lightly into muffin or pancake batter

Each spoonful introduces multiple plant types into your meal, helping you inch closer to that “30 plants per week” target.

🍵 Recipe: My Diverse Morning Yogurt Bowl

This is a simple, approachable way to test your jar. Use mild flavours so the diversity jar can shine.

Ingredients

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (or plant-based yogurt)

• 1 small banana, sliced

• ½ cup mixed berries (fresh or thawed frozen)

• 2 tbsp your diversity jar mix

• Drizzle of honey or maple syrup (optional)

• Splash of milk or plant milk (if desired)

Instructions

1. In a bowl, add the yogurt.

2. Top with banana and berries.

3. Sprinkle the diversity jar mix over top.

4. Drizzle a little honey/maple if you like sweetness.

5. Stir everything lightly and enjoy.

   
   

Why this works:

• It’s easy and fast.

• You’re delivering fibre, plant compounds, and micronutrient variety first thing in the day.

• Gentle flavours let the diversity jar’s textures and subtle tastes come through.

  
  

🧭 Tips for Maximizing Benefit & Sustainability

• Rotate ingredients:

  • Every week, swap in new nuts, seeds, herbs, or grains. Variety is the key.

• Gradual increase:

  • If your digestive system is sensitive, introduce new fibre-rich ingredients slowly.

• Pair with fermented foods:

  • Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi help supply live microbes.

• Avoid over-processing:

  • Whole or lightly processed plant bits preserve beneficial compounds.

• Stay consistent:

  • Even a tablespoon daily compounds over time.

• Watch hydration:

  • Fibre works best when paired with adequate water intake.

    
    

A diversity jar is a simple, powerful tool to help you bring plant variety into your diet effortlessly. The science suggests that microbial diversity is closely tied to diet diversity—and that this diversity is linked to resilience, metabolic health, and better gut function.

For me, this subject goes beyond curiosity—it’s about finding real, sustainable ways to support nutrient absorption and overall well-being. If you’ve ever struggled with gut balance, digestion, or just want alternatives to the standard “healthy eating” advice, this is an approachable step you can try.

I encourage you to build your own jar this week and test it in the Morning Yogurt Bowl above. Once you get rolling, you’ll discover endless ways to sprinkle it into your meals—oats, pancakes, savoury bowls, soups, even baked goods.

Let me know how it works for you and what combinations you come up with—I’d love to share community creations in a future post.

Laura Grannary

The Pantry Planner