Healthy Stocking Stuffers & Secret Santa Gifts!
There are many ways to encourage loved ones to start living a healthier lifestyle this holiday without hitting them over the head with a hateful hammer! Unless the recipient has specifically requested it, it's probably best not to gift them with diet books or fitness regimes (though these are fabulous options for helping with New Year's Resolutions). But for right now, offering small, unusual, and interesting healthy items in their stockings or during a Secret Santa swap is a great way to help them to get healthier. Here are a few of my favorites that are inexpensive, easy to experiment with, and are sure to go over well with your friends and family:
For the Chocolate Lover: Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Chocolate Nibs
If you know someone with a sweet tooth who is trying to eat healthier, they might not know that good-tasting chocolate doesn't have to contain all the partially hydrogenated oils and corn syrups! Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Chocolate Nibs ($5-13, depending on the size and type) don't have the same flavor as your average drugstore chocolate bar, and your average choco-holic might not pick it up for themselves, but once given a chance, many people (including my chocolate-obsessed husband) find that they actually really enjoy the taste of what chocolate is actually supposed to taste like naturally. Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Chocolate Nibs are also great sources of magnesium and fiber.
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For the Fast Food Obsessed: Dynamics of Nature VitaForce Supplements
As I have a close friend for whom every meal is "Fast Food or NO Food," I worry about whether or not he's getting all of the vitamins and minerals he needs to stay healthy and strong. If you're in a similar boat, stuff their stocking with Dynamics of Nature VitaForce Supplements ($40 for 150 tablets), which is a really solid multivitamin that provides nutrients from real food as opposed to synthetic or isolated nutrients.
For the Coffee Addict: FRS Healthy Energy Chews
If you know someone who has to get their kicks from straight-up caffeine, but are worries about whether or not that's damaging their system, give them a few packets of FRS Healthy Energy Chews, which are $2 to $20 depending upon how many chews you purchase at a time. Easier to keep with you than a cup of coffee, while providing the same kick but in a natural way with quercetin, an antioxidant found in apples, blueberries, red onions, and cocoa, FRS Healthy Energy Chews might help your recipient cut back on coffee when they need a boost! They come in a variety of flavors (my favorite is pomegranate blueberry) and aside from quercetin also contain B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, and E vitamins.
For the Always Exhausted: Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood Outrageous Chocolate Flavor
Its name belies its versatility: OMG THIS STUFF IS GOOD! By mixing this delicious powder with skim milk, even the most breakfast-averse of folks can't help but to start their day the right way with Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood Outrageous Chocolate Flavor ($16-$33, depending on whether you get individual packets or a bulk can). It has the antioxidant power of 3 servings of fruits and vegetables, one gram of sugar, and only 21 calories! Whether it's a teen who's sluggish in the morning, or an adult who always needs a siesta because they haven't supplemented their body with what they need to keep going, you can't go wrong with Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood Outrageous Chocolate Flavor.
For the Already Health Conscious: Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Oil
Just because you're gifting someone who already lives a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean that you can't impress them with new things! While the benefits of olive oil, fish oil, and coconut oil are known to most individuals, hemp oil is often not known about, and Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Oil ($8-16), along with a little information about it in the stocking, would make a perfect and unique offering for someone who appreciates new health knowledge. Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Oil is a great source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids, being the closest oil to the recommended ratio of Omega 6 to 3. Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Oil also contains rare "super fatty acids" like Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) and Stearidonic Acid (SDA), and is delicious as a salad dressing base, as a cooking oil, or as a supplement to liquid foods and drinks
For the Chocolate Lover: Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Chocolate NibsIf you know someone with a sweet tooth who is trying to eat healthier, they might not know that good-tasting chocolate doesn't have to contain all the partially hydrogenated oils and corn syrups! Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Chocolate Nibs ($5-13, depending on the size and type) don't have the same flavor as your average drugstore chocolate bar, and your average choco-holic might not pick it up for themselves, but once given a chance, many people (including my chocolate-obsessed husband) find that they actually really enjoy the taste of what chocolate is actually supposed to taste like naturally. Navitas Naturals Cacao Power Raw Chocolate Nibs are also great sources of magnesium and fiber.
(click for more)
For the Fast Food Obsessed: Dynamics of Nature VitaForce SupplementsAs I have a close friend for whom every meal is "Fast Food or NO Food," I worry about whether or not he's getting all of the vitamins and minerals he needs to stay healthy and strong. If you're in a similar boat, stuff their stocking with Dynamics of Nature VitaForce Supplements ($40 for 150 tablets), which is a really solid multivitamin that provides nutrients from real food as opposed to synthetic or isolated nutrients.
For the Coffee Addict: FRS Healthy Energy ChewsIf you know someone who has to get their kicks from straight-up caffeine, but are worries about whether or not that's damaging their system, give them a few packets of FRS Healthy Energy Chews, which are $2 to $20 depending upon how many chews you purchase at a time. Easier to keep with you than a cup of coffee, while providing the same kick but in a natural way with quercetin, an antioxidant found in apples, blueberries, red onions, and cocoa, FRS Healthy Energy Chews might help your recipient cut back on coffee when they need a boost! They come in a variety of flavors (my favorite is pomegranate blueberry) and aside from quercetin also contain B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, C, and E vitamins.
For the Always Exhausted: Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood Outrageous Chocolate FlavorIts name belies its versatility: OMG THIS STUFF IS GOOD! By mixing this delicious powder with skim milk, even the most breakfast-averse of folks can't help but to start their day the right way with Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood Outrageous Chocolate Flavor ($16-$33, depending on whether you get individual packets or a bulk can). It has the antioxidant power of 3 servings of fruits and vegetables, one gram of sugar, and only 21 calories! Whether it's a teen who's sluggish in the morning, or an adult who always needs a siesta because they haven't supplemented their body with what they need to keep going, you can't go wrong with Amazing Grass Kidz Superfood Outrageous Chocolate Flavor.
For the Already Health Conscious: Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp OilJust because you're gifting someone who already lives a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean that you can't impress them with new things! While the benefits of olive oil, fish oil, and coconut oil are known to most individuals, hemp oil is often not known about, and Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Oil ($8-16), along with a little information about it in the stocking, would make a perfect and unique offering for someone who appreciates new health knowledge. Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Oil is a great source of Omega 3 and Omega 6 Essential Fatty Acids, being the closest oil to the recommended ratio of Omega 6 to 3. Manitoba Harvest Organic Hemp Oil also contains rare "super fatty acids" like Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA) and Stearidonic Acid (SDA), and is delicious as a salad dressing base, as a cooking oil, or as a supplement to liquid foods and drinks
