Healthy Gift Ideas for the Holidays

Nutrition minded gift certificates, baskets, gadgets, and more!

Looking for something different to bring as a hostess gift or holiday gift for a friend or family member that is a health geek?  If you or someone you know is on the path to healthy living, why not plan a thoughtful holiday gift that considers FUN and health?

What are some ideas for healthy gift certificates?

Cooking classes (basic, advanced or themed)

• While not all cooking classes focus on healthy food, one of the single most important skills needed for health is a foundation of knowledge about basic cooking techniques. Make it a date and plan to attend with the friend or family member that you are purchasing the gift certificate for.

Knife skills training

• Learning how to chop more efficiently and effectively makes spending more time in the kitchen enjoyable. Learn how to chop like a chef and sharpen your knives by attending knife skills training at a local knife shop or cooking school.

Magazine subscription

• My favorite are those with an emphasis on recipes and fun. Some of my favorites: Canadian Living, Cooking Light, Food and Wine and Eating Well Magazine.

Food tours

• Chef guided tours of your local farmers market, farm-to-table style restaurant or local producer. Do an Internet search of “food tours” in your local area to see what is available.

Local food and groceries

• Besides a grocery store gift certificate, consider supporting a local produce delivery service. You may also be interested in searching your local area for Community Supported Agriculture or locally grown meat producers.

Registered Dietitian Visits

• Registered Dietitians are the nutrition experts that are highly skilled professionals that can provide customized individual or family help to suit your needs and health goals. Note that the title “nutritionist” can be used by anyone so be sure you are working with a Registered Dietitian for credible expertise.

What are some themes for healthy food baskets?

Healthy breakfast basket:

• Steel cut oats, dried fruit, nuts/seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, mandarin oranges and apples

Healthy appetizer basket:

• Whole grain crackers, cheese, nuts/seeds, cherry/grape tomatoes, baby cucumbers, hummus, green and purple grapes

Olive oil & balsamic vinegar basket:

• Fresh whole grain baguette, flavored olive oil and flavored balsamic vinegar

Tea time basket:

• Reusable mug, loose tea, tea infuser, tea towels

Healthy cooking basket:

• Wooden cutting board, good quality dried spices, flavored olive oil, flavored vinegar

Healthy grilling basket:

• BBQ stir-fry grill basket, cherry/apple/maple wood chips, oven mitts, red wine

What are some ideas for gadgets that healthy eaters may enjoy?

Kitchen gadgets

• A few of my favorite tools include: Really good sharp knives (I like Japanese ones since they look sexy!), nice wooden cutting boards, lemon squeezer, citrus zester, muffin batter scooper, vegetable spiralizer (to make cucumber/zucchini noodles!), olive oil sprayer, homemade popsicle molds, mandolin, julienne peeler and BBQ grill basket.

Cookbooks

• Any of the Dietitians of Canada cookbooks are great for healthy delicious recipes. My favorite basic cooking book and app is by Mark Bittman: How to Cook Everything.

Kitchen tools

• Soda stream carbonated water maker, frozen yogurt maker, immersion blender, food processor and Vitamix blender.

Also remember that the best thing you can give to a healthy eater is your time.  Consider homemade vouchers for meals from your kitchen.  A home cooked meal delivered on the weekend or hosted at your place over good conversation is often better than anything you can buy.

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