No matter the season, we can all benefit from giving (and receiving) the gift of health. From food to fitness to relaxing and recharging, wellness-focused gifts can be tailored to suit anyone on your list. Here’s a rundown of a dozen-ish simple-yet-functional gift ideas that show we really care.
Gifting a series of fitness classes or services are easy evergreen wellness ideas especially if it’s something they wouldn’t typically do for themselves: A package of sessions with a registered dietitian or licensed acupuncturist, a series of pilates or yoga classes that you can do together, or a creative outlet like painting or pottery classes (my personal favorite is A Potter’s Hand by Nell Simpson, link to contact here).
For more ideas to get you in the wellness-minded spirit, here are 7 more top picks (under $40) for life-enhancing gift ideas to suit an array of people in your life:
FOR HOME CHEFS + FOOD LOVERS
Homemade Baked Goods | $ varies
Gift friends and family with your own handmade good-for-you sweet treats. Check out some of our past WGNO segments featuring Ben McLauchlin’s holiday sweet ideas, link here to Ben’s Candy Cane Cookies, Dark Chocolate Rum Balls and Banana Bread, and link here to Ben’s Low-Carb Peppermint Scones.
Infused Oils | easily under $5
Spicy or herby, homemade infused olive oil makes a versatile, long-lasting gift. We prefer clear glass bottles with a swing-top latch-style lid, using paint pens to write the description and holiday greeting down the side of the bottle.
Cookbook | $15-$35
Gift them with a wellness-focused cookbook (of course we highly recommend our Eat Fit Cookbook!). take it a step further and include key ingredients to make one of the recipes inside. Find a full list of retailers or order online at EatFitCookbook.com, with promo code EATFITGIFT for 20% off through the holidays.
Farmers Market | $10+
A gift certificate to the local farmers market (or wooden tokens for our local Crescent City Farmers Market).
DIY Indoor Herb Garden | $22
Create your own, or we love this mason jar indoor herb garden by Modern Sprout, available via UncommonGoods.com – it’s the perfect solution for those with no garden, little time and/or no green thumb. Sarah Burrows and Nick Behr’s tinted, vintage-inspired jars use a hydroponic system so there’s no guesswork over whether the soil has the right amount of water. Plant the included seeds, add water, place the jar in a sunny space and you’ll be ready to grow.
FOR FOLKS ON THE RUN
Insulated Reusable Water Bottle | eg EcoVessel’s BOULDER | $29.95
Keeps drinks hot or cold – truly all day long (cold up to 60 hours and hot up to 12 hours). The BOULDER reusable bottle also includes a removable strainer for tea or fruit to infuse fancy water on the run.
Fresh-Pressed Juice Delivery | $ varies
Local juice bars likeThe Green Fork make it easy for us with delivery of freshly pressed juices. Juices are all made to order so gift recipients can customize exactly what they want, from organic ingredients that are locally sourced as much as possible.
Pro Tips: Request delivery once a week to save on delivery fees. Shelf life of fresh-pressed juice is just about 72 hours, so put the first 2-3 days’ worth directly into the fridge and freeze the rest. Nearly all juice bars recycle their glass containers; just leave them out for the following week’s drop-off and receive $1 back per jar.
The Bottom Line: A well-planned holiday gift can be a thoughtful way to help enhance the health, wellness and balance in the lives of our friends and family.
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Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD is a registered dietitian + nutrition journalist in New Orleans, and founder of Ochsner Eat Fit nonprofit restaurant initiative. Tune in to her podcast, FUELED | Wellness + Nutrition and follow her on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @MollyKimballRD. See more of Molly’s articles + TV segments at www.mollykimball.com, and sign up for Eat Fit Wellness Bites weekly newsletter, here.