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Dietitian Approved Healthy Gift Ideas for the Holidays [VIDEO]
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Nutrition-minded gift certificates, healthy food baskets, gadgets, and more!

Healthy gift ideas for the holidays

Looking for something different to bring as a hostess gift or holiday gift for a friend or family member that is a foodie or 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? Try these Dietitian-approved healthy gift ideas!

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. A great healthy gift idea and you can make it a date and plan to attend in-person or online 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 online.

Magazine subscription

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

Local food and groceries

Besides a grocery store or farmers market 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 sourced meat, poultry or seafood producers.

Registered Dietitian visits or online training

Registered Dietitians are the only regulated nutrition experts in the field of nutrition.  Working with a Registered Dietitian ensures you are receiving credible science-based advice. Registered Dietitians are highly skilled professionals that can provide customized individual or family help to suit your needs and health goals. Work with a Dietitian for personalized nutrition counseling or perhaps an online nutrition course.

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, flavoured olive oil and flavoured balsamic vinegar

Tea time basket:

Reusable mug, loose tea, tea infuser, tea towels

Healthy cooking basket:

Wooden cutting board, good quality dried spices, flavoured olive oil, flavoured vinegar

Healthy grilling basket:

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

Healthy Food Gift Baskets
Healthy Food Basket Ideas

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

Kitchen Gadgets

A few of my favourite 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 favourite basic cooking book is by Mark Bittman: How to Cook Everything.  For foodies I’d suggest any of the Whitewater Cooks series by Shelley Adams. For busy families, I’d suggest one of Claire Tansey’s books: Dinner Uncomplicated or Uncomplicated.

Kitchen tools

Soda stream carbonated water maker, frozen yogurt maker, immersion blender, food processor, Vitamix blender, air fryer, slow cooker or Instant Pot.

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 a freezer stash of soup for busy weekdays is often better than anything you can buy.

healthy food baskets ideas

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Looking for gift certificates for Registered Dietitian services or help in the New Year?

Our team of experienced Calgary nutritionists we can help!  We support our clients at our local office or by phone or video conferencing if you live out of town or prefer the convenience of connecting with us from the convenience of your own home. 

We specialize in customized nutrition counselling for meal planning for busy people, emotional eating, weight concerns, sports nutrition, pediatric and family nutrition, eating disorders, diabetes, heart health, digestive issues such as IBS and more.

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"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
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Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
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Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

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