Wellness is a Jar Away! In a world obsessed with fad diets, detox cleanses, and 30-day challenges, there lies an often-overlooked path to real wellness—one rooted in heritage, science, and simplicity. It’s called home canning. And masterful home canning isn’t a trending diet.
You’ve probably seen it resurface during uncertain times—shelves stocked with mason jars, homes humming with the sound of pressure canners, and people trading in frozen meals for shelf-stable, homemade nourishment. But what if canning wasn’t just about stocking your pantry? What if it was a foundational pillar of gut health, sustainability, and mental clarity?
While the terms health and wellness are often used interchangeably, health is often viewed as an overall state of being, whereas wellness is a conscience choice and a physical act towards achieving overall health goals. The National Wellness Institute describes wellness as, “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence.”
Wellness Beyond the Jar
Wellness isn’t a trend—it’s a lifestyle. One that supports physical, mental, and emotional well-being. One that fosters self-reliance and intentional living. And yes, one that can be found in a simple glass jar.
Canning food at home means you get to control what goes into your body. No hidden preservatives, no artificial fillers. Just nutrient-rich ingredients you’ve prepared with your own hands. This is a return to whole, real food.
Gut-Friendly, Nutrient-Dense Foods You Can Trust
Canning at home allows you to preserve the peak-season freshness of fruits, vegetables, broths, and proteins—keeping vital vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants intact. You’re not just preserving food; you’re preserving immune support, gut balance, and energy-boosting nourishment.
Think:
- Hearty chicken and vegetable soup for immune defense
- Anti-inflammatory tomato basil sauce
- Mineral-rich bone broth
- Low-sodium, high-fiber chili
- Probiotic-rich pickled vegetables
Whether you’re managing inflammation, blood sugar, or simply tired of overprocessed foods, home canning gives you the power to customize nutrition for your lifestyle.
Sustainability, Preparedness, and Peace of Mind
With every sealed jar of yummy goodness consumed, canners make a deliberate effort to preserve foods which provide much-needed, well-rounded nutrition to warm and sustain their bodies during times of hunger, disaster and when food supplies are scarce.
Every recipe a canner preserves is intentional and based on these three main factors:
- You know where your food comes from. Canners know exactly what went into every jar giving control over what is consumed. This brings canners a sense of calm and relief.
- Self-reliance. Canner experience pure joy, giddy with delight even, and gain confidence knowing no matter what the world’s circumstances might be, they are self-reliant.
- Universal pride. Canners beam with gratitude knowing they’ve done something beneficial for themselves and their family, often times, from garden to jar to table.
And, while some are concerned home canned foods lose nutrients due to exposure to heat during processing, please rest easy. Not all vitamins are lost by heating, some are enhanced like in carrots and tomatoes. Further, heating food alone doesn’t destroy minerals, they simply leach into the water…that thankfully is contained within each jar.
For those of us with dietary restrictions, or food allergies, canning is an amazing customizable craft. Take for instance people on a low sodium diet due to congestive heart disease. With canning you have control over the amount of salt used. And, except for pickling, canners may choose to omit salt altogether giving your system the dietary support required to achieve overall wellness.
Mental Wellness in the Rhythm of Canning
Canning provides personal gratification – yes, good ol’ pride and joy – which promotes a healthy mental state. There is nothing more exhilarating than hearing the ‘ping’ of a jar lid as it seals.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention the ear-to-ear smile we all wear when we stand back and observe our pantry lined, jar after jar, with the fruits of our labor. Talk about feeling gratified.
Many canners describe this mental wellness as “peace-of-mind” because they have worked hard to preserve enough food to sustain themselves and their families no matter what life throws at them. It is the result of focus and devotion from centuries worth of knowledge and technique being shared and explored in today’s generation. Self-reliance and sustainability are not a fading trend.
And the best part, you’re never alone in your canning journey. The international community of canners has grown exponentially since this craft was first developed back in the Napoleon Era. Today, millions of people across the globe are mastering the art of canning and work together to help new canners learn and grow.
Why This Isn’t a Trend. It’s a Legacy.
Many canners gravitate towards and incorporate nutritional recipes into their wellness journey. Recipes such as chicken soup and chili, meats and poultry, and hearty meals in a jar such as Chicken Cacciatore and Vegan Pot Roast. Talk about an amazingly well-rounded supply of foods to meet your dietary needs! It is only limited by your enthusiasm and courage to move to a new level of competency.
Start with one jar. One recipe. One choice to take your wellness into your own hands. Because real wellness doesn’t come in a package—it comes from what you preserve, and how you live.
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, an internationally syndicated food preservation expert, award winning author, host of Canning with The Diva!™podcast, television presenter, instructor and mother of two. She has authored IPPY Award winning book Canning Full Circle: From Garden to Jar to Table, The Complete Guide to Pressure Canning, Beginner’s Guide to Canning, and The Canning Diva Presents Meals in a Jar. With 30+ years of experience her mission is to educate and create recipes. Start canning at www.canningdiva.com.