What Is a Diversity Jar? And What Dietitians Think

Along with an emphasis on anything packed full of protein, there’s one health consideration that nutrition-focused individuals and content creators have been heavily tuned into over the past few years: gut health. 

The term might sound nebulous at first, but as the American Medical Association explains, gut health “refers to the well-being of the digestive system, which is responsible for breaking down food, absorbing nutrients, and eliminating waste from the body.” A crucial part of this system is the gut microbiome, or the collection of microorganisms that aids digestion, supports your immune system, and even influences your nervous system.

Considering the far-reaching impacts of the gut microbiome throughout the body, it’s understandable that conscious consumers want to keep theirs balanced, diverse, and healthy. One strategy that several home cooks have suggested online for easily improving gut health is to create a diversity jar. Here’s everything you need to know about this simple nutrition tool and what experts think about it.

What is a diversity jar?

Tim Spector, MD — a professor of epidemiology at King’s College London, the scientific co-founder of personalized nutrition service ZOE, and the person credited with popularizing the diversity jar — explains that the concept “is essentially a homemade mix of plant ingredients — think nuts, seeds, spices, dried herbs, grains, and even pulses — that you can sprinkle onto meals to boost the diversity of plants in your diet.”

The name of the diversity jar gives a clear hint as to what it is. It is a jar filled with various shelf-stable ingredients stored in the kitchen to add a greater variety of plants to each meal. With just a small sprinkle of ingredients from a diversity jar, you can — ideally — incorporate several plants into a single dish.

This tool is meant to supplement your diet, not replace anything else, and Spector recommends “starting with a spoonful a day, and you can use that spoonful however you wish. Sprinkle it on your morning yogurt, add it to soups or salads, or stir it into a stew or curry. You can always build from there. The beauty is that how you use it is entirely up to you.”

What benefits does a diversity jar provide?

According to Lisa Moskovitz, RD, founder of NY Nutrition Group and author of The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan, the greatest benefit of a diversity jar is “introducing more gut-friendly fiber and antioxidants.” She also notes that many nuts and seeds — ingredients you’ll typically find in a diversity jar — “pack in plenty of other great nutrients like magnesium, iron, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids.”

The diversity part of the diversity jar is key to boosting your gut health and microbiome. Consuming a wider variety of plants introduces more microbes to your gut, resulting in a more diverse microbiome in your digestive system. (Previous research shows that eating more plants improves gut health, and Spector has recommended aiming to include at least 30 different plants into your diet each week.)

Samar Kullab, MS, RDN, LDN, explains that a more diverse gut microbiome can provide benefits like “a stronger immune system (less inflammation and lower risk of allergies and autoimmune conditions), a more resilient gut that bounces back faster after antibiotics or diet changes, and even better mental well-being, since your gut and brain are so deeply connected.”

If you suffer from chronic gut issues like bloating, constipation, diarrhea, or irritable bowel syndrome, trying a diversity jar might be an easy way to support your digestive health. (Of course, if you have any serious medical concerns, always check with your doctor to find the best course of action.)

How do you make your own diversity jar?

When building a diversity jar, dry goods are your friend. This jar will sit on a counter or in the pantry, so use only shelf-stable ingredients. You don’t need to be exact about the number of ingredients, but aiming for about 10–15 different components is a good target.

Spector notes that it’s best to aim for variety “both in flavor and in nutritional value.” This is why you should add in more than just two or three ingredients. Kullab suggests starting “with a base of seeds or grains like flax, hemp, black sesame, pumpkin seeds, rolled oats, or even quinoa flakes.”

Next, incorporate a few nuts — any kind will do. (If you’re using larger nuts like pecans or cashews, chopping or blending them will make it easier to sprinkle the mixture on your dishes.) Dried herbs, spices like turmeric, and adaptogens such as ashwagandha or maca are just a few examples of the many optional ingredients you can include.

Spector advises avoiding “anything highly processed or sweetened… The key is to keep it plant-based and well-balanced, with textures and flavors that enhance your meals rather than overpower them.”

A diversity jar is meant to be playful. You may find that some combinations of ingredients don’t taste great on every dish you add them to, while other diversity jar recipes might be so delicious you’d want to sprinkle them on every meal, even if they weren’t boosting your gut health.